Urbanization and Migration

Urbanization and Migration

Urban: cities
Rural: farm land, small town

Urbanization

It Matters Because: Industrialization in the North attracted people from rural areas to the cities where most of the factories were located. This led to the growth of urban areas, or urbanization.

Open Ended

List three reasons people would move into cities.

Urbanization

The growth of factories and trade led to urbanization, the process by which large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.

Many towns and cities developed along rivers because factories could take advantage of the waterpower and easily ship goods to markets. Older cities such as New York, Boston, and Baltimore also grew as centers of commerce and trade.

Urbanization

Cities and towns looked different from modern urban areas. They featured wood and brick buildings and unpaved streets. Barnyard animals often roamed freely. There were no sewers to carry away waste, so diseases such as cholera and yellow fever were a threat. Fire was another danger. Sparks from a fireplace could easily ignite wooden buildings. Fires could be disastrous since few cities had organized fire departments.

Yet cities offered many opportunities, such as a variety of jobs and steady wages. As cities grew, residents built libraries, museums, and shops for people to enjoy during their leisure time. For many, the jobs and attractions of city life outweighed the dangers.

Multiple Choice

Which word is used to describe the migration of people from rural areas to cities?

• Ruralization

• Globalization

• Urbanization

• Redistricting

Multiple Choice

How did the development of the factory system encourage urbanization?

• Manufacturers produced goods to export overseas.

• Labor unions were formed to protect mill workers.

• Workers moved closer to manufacturing centers.

• Industrialists invested in cotton plantations.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes a result of industrialization in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century?

• People moved to cities in search of economic opportunity.

• Farmers began to cultivate land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Native peoples were forcibly relocated to western territories.

• Government officials began to promote the idea of Manifest Destiny.

Immigration

Between the years 1840 and 1860, immigration to the United States grew sharply. The greatest number of immigrants came from Ireland. A plant disease, known as the "potato blight" or "potato famine", destroyed most of the Irish food supply in the 1840s.

The people of Ireland faced famine, which is an extreme shortage of food. About 1.5 million of them left Ireland for the United States between 1846 and 1860. Many settled in Boston, New York City, and other Eastern cities. 

Most European immigrants entered the US through Ellis Island in New York. This is located near the Statue of Liberty!

Immigration

The second largest group of immigrants in the United States between 1820 and 1860 came from Germany. Some sought work and opportunity. Others fled to escape political problems at home.

European immigrants brought languages, customs, religions, and traditions to their new country. Some of their ways of living changed American culture. Sometimes, however, their customs and religion also caused conflict.

Multiple Choice

What major event caused millions of Irish immigrants to come to the United States?

• World War 1

• The Irish Potato Famine

• The Civil War

• The Gold Rush

Multiple Choice

Where did most European immigrants in the 19th century enter the US at?

• Ellis Island

• Coney Island

• New Orleans

• California

Multiple Choice

In the 1840s, why did so many German people move to the United States?

• There was a famine in Germany due to the failure of the potato crop.

• Several religious groups suffered persecution in Germany.

• War drove many German refugees from their homes

• Political unrest in Germany led to the desire for more freedom.

Multiple Choice

In the 1840's, thousands of Irish immigrants came to the US to escape...

• civil war between Protestants and Catholics

• famine caused by the failure of a staple food crop

• series of violent conflicts between the British and Irish governments

• series of smallpox epidemics