2. Urbanization:
• The technological boom in
the 19th century
contributed to the
growing industrial
strength of the United
States
• The result was rapid
urbanization, or growth of
cities, mostly in the
regions of the Northeast
and Midwest
3. Urbanization continued…
• Most of the immigrants
who streamed into the
United States became city
dwellers because cities
were the cheapest and
most convenient places to
live
• By the late 1900s, most
American citizens begin to
move from the farm to the
city
4. Urban Problems:
• As urban populations
skyrocketed, city
governments faced the
problems of how to provide
residents with needed
services and safe living
conditions
• Housing- Multifamily urban
dwellings called tenements
were usually overcrowded
and unsanitary
5. Urban Problems continued…
• Transportation- Innovations in
mass transit, transportation
systems designed to move large
numbers of people along fixed
routes, enabled workers to go to
and from jobs more easily.
• The invention of the streetcar
led to congestion and increased
pollution in the cities. Cities
struggled to repair existing mass
transit systems and build new
ones to keep up with the
expanding population
6. Urban Problems continued…
• Water- Cities faced the
problem of supplying
safe drinking water
• Sanitation- Horse
manure, sewage, and
factory pollution became
a serious issue for the
safety and health of
citizens living in the city
7. Urban Problems continued…
• Crime- As the populations of
cities increased, stealing,
murder, and organized crime
plagued police and the safety
of the cities
• Fire- Limitations on water
supplies and the presence of
wooden buildings in cities led
to devastating fires that
threatened the existence of
the city
8. Reformers Mobilize:
• The Settlement House
Movement assisted
communities in cities,
especially immigrants, by
helping to solve urban
problems
• Jane Adams would become
one of the most influential
members of this
organization-settlement
houses helped cultivate
social responsibility
