Main Themes 1. How the social and economic lure of the city attracted foreign and domestic migrants, and how these newcomers adjusted to urban life. 2. How rapid urban growth forced adaptations to severe problems of government mismanagement, poverty, crime, inadequate housing, and precarious health and safety conditions. 3. How the urban environment served as the locus for new philosophical ideas, expanded leisure opportunities, fresh approaches to education, rapid expansion in journalism, and a new consumerism. 4. How the new order of "high" urban culture inspired both serious writers and artists to render realistic portrayals of the seamy side of city life, while many middle- and upper-class Americans were engaging in expanded forms of leisure and entertainment.
| Learning Objectives A thorough study of Chapter Eighteen should enable the student to understand: |
|
|
|
The patterns and processes of urbanization in late-nineteenth-century America. |
|
|
|
The changes in the pattern of immigration in the late nineteenth century. |
|
|
|
The new economic and social problems created by urbanization. |
|
|
|
The relationships of both urbanization and immigration to the rise of boss rule. |
|
|
|
The early rise of mass consumption and its impact on American life, especially for women. |
|
|
|
The changes in leisure and entertainment and the growth of mass-culture opportunities including organized sports, vaudeville, movies, and other activities. |
|
|
|
The main trends in literature and art during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. |
|
|
|
The impact of the Darwinian theory of evolution on the intellectual life of America. |
|
|
|
The profound new developments in American educational opportunities. |