Life in American Cities During the Industrial Revolution

Life in American Cities
During the Industrial
Revolution

Open Ended

List 5 things that contributed to Urbanization 

(The growth of Cities)

Urbanization

The process of
migration to large,
densely populated
areas, generally cities.

Reasons for Urbanization

Better Transportation
Industrialization
Immigration

Reasons for Urbanization – Better
Transportation

Steamboats

◦Before steamboat, river travel depended on currents and wind.
◦Steamboats increased efficiency of transportation of goods and people

Canals

◦Man-made waterways opened up parts of the U.S. that were not easily
accessed before.

Railroads

◦Transportation of goods across land became more efficient and less
expensive.

Transportation in the United States

Reasons for Urbanization –
Industrialization

The Factory System
◦Allowed for cheaper and faster
production of products
◦Offered employment for relatively
unskilled workers
◦Workers flooded to cities to find work
in factories

Reasons for Urbanization - Immigration

Immigrants seeking refuge
from natural disasters and
political issues came to the
United States

Many immigrants sought
work in the factories

Nation’s Three Largest Cities by 1850

New York, pop. 1,000,000 due to being a
seaport and commercial center

Philadelphia, pop. 565,529 due to industry

Baltimore, pop. 250,000 due to trade with
central U.S. and foreign markets.

New cities emerge as a result of
transportation routes.

Multiple Choice

What is urbanization?

• The process of migration to rural areas.

• The process of migration to large, densely populated areas, generally cities.

• The process of migration to coastal areas.

• The process of migration to suburban areas.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a reason for urbanization related to transportation?

• Increased efficiency of transportation of goods and people by steamboats.

• Increased efficiency of transportation of goods and people by airplanes.

• Increased efficiency of transportation of goods and people by automobiles.

• Increased efficiency of transportation of goods and people by bicycles.

Multiple Choice

What was the impact of the factory system on urbanization?

answer choices

• Led to a decrease in the population of cities.

• Increased unemployment in cities.

• Caused a decline in industrialization.

• Allowed for cheaper and faster production of products.

Immigrants in America
and the Rise of
Nativism

The Immigrants

The Irish are escaping the
Great Potato Famine in the
1840’s

Germans are escaping
revolution and unrest

Scandinavians are drawn by
the opportunity to own land

The Immigrants

The Rise of Nativism

Nativism – Belief that favors
“natives” over newcomers
Native-born workers resented
immigrants because
immigrants -
◦Were culturally different
◦Showed a willingness to work for
low wages
◦Brought diseases

Multiple Choice

What is nativism?

• Belief that favors rural areas over urban areas.

• Belief that favors urban areas over rural areas.

• Belief that favors newcomers over “natives”.

• Belief that favors “natives” over newcomers.

Open Ended

Which group of immigrants sought work in the factories in the United States?

Class Conflicts and
Issues in the Cities

Class Differences in Cities

Unskilled and uneducated lived in
depleted slums

Skilled workers lived above their
stores

Educated middle-class lived in
comfortable homes

Wealthy live in mansions in
secluded areas

Slums by railroad tracks.

City Sanitation and Living Problems

Garbage collection was not a city
service

If you wanted city services, you
paid for the actual cost of a
sewage or street cleaning

Wealthy and poor began to live in
specific areas of the city

Ethnic Neighborhoods

Immigrants clustered in ethnic
neighborhoods for support and
help

Ethnic Neighborhoods maintained
their culture and way of life

The Five Points, New York City, 1850’s

Pictures of Slums, circa 1890’s

Wealthy live in mansions with access to
private parks

Open Ended

Where did unskilled and uneducated people live in cities during the 1850s?

Open Ended

What was the situation of city sanitation during the 1850s?

Multiple Choice

Why did immigrants cluster in ethnic neighborhoods?

• For support and help.

• To escape from the city.

• To live in mansions.

• To find better jobs.

American Family
Changes

The American Family in the City

Fathers spent more time away
from home

Mothers assumed more control of
household affairs

Some working class women
sought employment

Children worked in factories or if
they were fortunate they went to
school

The American Family in the City

Working class women tended to:
◦Marry later
◦Have less children

Parents tended to value their
children more and provided them
with more attention and affection

Open Ended

Describe how family life in the city in the 19th century is DIFFERENT from the family life in the city TODAY in the 21st century.

Unit 8 Performance
Assessment 2

CITY MAP

Directions

Draw a map of a city from the 1850s

You are going to visualize what urban life looked like during the Industrial Revolution. As you read about urban life, you will be given instructions to draw examples to support your reading. Use the next page to draw your vision of urban life.

Examples