U.S. History Topic 2.5

Between 1860 and 1900, a primary cause of migration from rural to urban areas was

• inflationary pressure on crop prices.

• lack of rural housing as building slowed.

• increasing economic opportunity in cities.

• government resettlement policies.

"Go into any of the ‘respectable' tenement neighborhoods . . . you shall come away agreeing [that] . . . life there does not seem worth living. . . . [T]he airshaft. . . . seems always so busy letting out foul stenches . . . that it has no time to earn its name by bringing down fresh air."

—Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives

Based on this quote and the title of his book, why do you think Riis wrote what he did?

• to pressure public officials to tear down tenements in cities

• to encourage public discussion of poverty in cities

• to call attention to increasing criminal activity in cities

• to dissuade further migration to cities from rural areas

Similar types of work in a particular place were often done by people who

• moved to America from the same country.

• had learned to do that work in their native land.

• had no alternative employment possibilities.

• wanted to find other work elsewhere.

Which of the following innovations had the greatest impact on standards of living in urban areas?

• skyscrapers

• electric streetlights

• electric cable cars

• steam engines

Why did many working class people remain in cities even though suburbs with better living conditions were available?

• It was difficult to get from the suburbs to the city in time for work.

• They preferred to continue living in the same place.

• Their employers required that they live close to where they worked.

• Transportation into and out of the city cost more than they could afford.