Key Concept 6.2 - The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.
- How did migrations to urban centers create new culture?
- How did westward migration cause conflict?
How did migrations to urban centers create new culture?
Compelled by stories of American opportunity and freedom, many immigrants had came to American during this time. Chinese immigrants had mostly settled the west coast and had come for economic opportunity, as seen in the railroads. "New immigrants" came from Southern and Eastern Europe, such as the Polish and the Italians. African Americans and other unsuccessful farmers in the South had moved to the North for factory work. These people were inspired by the "rags to riches" stories of Horatio Alger, which highlighted independent economic mobility. Others, like the Jews, had migrated to the United States to avoid religious persecution.
As a destination of many different cultures, urban cities had developed ethnic enclaves. This came in the form of Chinatowns or Little Italys, and had been created to preserve and maintain immigrant cultures.
Despite these efforts, American society had largely created a culture that penetrated into that of immigrants. Schools in America had only taught English, so many immigrants and children of immigrants had to compromise between their original culture and American cultures. Other Americans had started to create nativist movements to suppress these immigrant cultures. This can be seen with the American Protective Association, which had continued the American trend against immigrants.
To capture the political support of immigrants in the cites, political machines, backed up by corporations, looked to give ethnic enclaves benefits in exchange for votes. A famous political machine was Tammany Hall under Boss Tweed. They dominated the local political scene of New York for many years.
Apart from the compromises and introduction of new immigrant cultures, America had created their own distinct cultures as well. This was greatly a cause of the growth in the middle class. Increased education opportunities, as seen with the Morrill Land Grant that gave land for the construction of colleges, managerial positions, and clerical positions all gave rise to the Middle Class' consumer culture. This culture was characterized by more leisure time and recreational activities. This can be seen with the emergence of baseball, recreational shopping, creation of Central Park, and many more libraries.
How did westward migration cause conflict?
In this time, the Transcontinental railroad was constructed and resources from the west were increasingly important for the industrial economy. Such resources included lumber, silver, and oil. The government had also pushed for westward migration with acts like the Homestead act, which granted land outwest provided that someone settled there and improved the area.
Due to the American idea of the "Safety-Valve," many Americans had moved to the west for economic opportunities. Cities in the West had jobs for building railroads, which many Chinese immigrants had filled. Other jobs opportunities included mining and farming. The Great Plains had also developed a new economy based around cattle ranching and Texas was nicknamed the "Cattle Kingdom." This had attracted many to move to west to be self-sufficient, be independent, and live the life of a cowboy that was characterized by shows like Buffalo Bill Cody.
With all this Western expansion, native Americans were thought to be in America's way. Violent outbursts against natives include the Sand Creek Massacre, where many native women and children were killed in transition to a reservation, or the Battle of Wounded Knee. Despite creating treaties like the Treaty of Point Elliott, most of the American conflicts with natives were meant to not only remove natives from their land but decimate their culture. This can be seen with the creation of the Dawes Severalty Act, which sought to assimilate natives. Many natives were forced to speak english and attend American schools to convert into the "superior" American culture. Some, like Helen Hunt Jackson, had argued for better treatment of the natives, however these sentiments also had based themselves upon the idea that American culture was meant to be a form of salvation for natives. Another way to suppress the natives was the mass killing of bison, a crucial part of native culture.
Many natives had tried to preserve their culture. In treaties, they would accept terms of surrendering land but retaining cultural elements, like in the Treaty of Point Elliott. They also practiced autonomy through traditional farming habits. Some also participated in a millenarian movement known as the Ghost Dance, which was an idea that all the bison would return soon with the sweeping of the white race. However, many natives had, at the end of expansion, lost much of their land, suffered casualties, and had their culture suppressed.