american society

Question 1

where did the new wave of immigrants come from?

Answer 1

northern europe: germany, sweden, ireland, scotland

+ china

Question 2

how many immigrants between 1860 + 1890?

Answer 2

10 million

Question 3

what were the pull factors that prompted immigration?

Answer 3

‘empty’ land to be filled, expanding industries in need of a labour force, some willingness to welcome new arrivals to the ‘land of the free’

immigrants actively recruited by shipping companies, systems put in place to facilitate entry to america, e.g. castle garden reception centre

Question 4

where did new immigrants settle?

Answer 4

early waves of scandinavian + german immigrants mostly settled in rural areas, irish in urban areas e.g. ny/chicago

industrialisation + urbanisation pulled more and more immigrants into cities

chinese immigrants settled west, working on transcontinental railroads

Question 5

effects of mass immigration on population

Answer 5

population sharply increased, but this was also a result of declining death rates - increasing urbanisation drew more people to cities

Question 6

impact of influx of immigrants on demographic of cities

Answer 6

districts of cities became distinctly eg. irish or german, - e.g. milwaukee wisconsin

Question 7

consequences of immigration + urbanisation

Answer 7

created social tensions + divisions:

new immigrant communities regarded w/ hostility, seen as threat to jobs/social norms.

growth of nativism

tensions between ‘new’ and old immigrants

Question 8

positive attitudes towards chinese immigrants

Answer 8

workers = cheap, hardworking, caused few social disturbances - many employers admired work ethic

Question 9

discrimination against chinese immigrants

Answer 9

‘yellow peril’ advertised by newspapers + politicians prompted congress to pass chines exclusion act 1882

1879, hayes warned of ‘present chinese invasion’

economic depression following panic of 1873 accentuated fears that chinese labour would undermine white workers

Question 10

what was the chinese exclusion act?

Answer 10

passed 1882, stopped the immigration of ‘skilled or unskilled’ chinese workers. prevented chinese people from gaining us citizenship, made hard for them to return if visited china. renewed in 1892 - finally repealed 1943

Question 11

reactions against the rise of industrial capitalism?

Answer 11

farmers + workers set up groups e.g. the Granger Movement, Knights of Labour

emerging middle classes organised pressure groups to fight against rise of big business

Question 12

how did the fight for female suffrage + equality develop?

Answer 12

ongoing fight - e.g. seneca falls convention of 1848 launched suffrage campaign

womens groups active in temperence movement + fight to abolish slavery

though…divisions within radical fem groups on issue of 14th + 15th amendments - some felt unfair etc

split in radical leaders e.g. elizabeth cady stanton + conservative e.g. susan B. anthony lasted 20+ yrs until formation of NAWSA 1890

Question 13

what were the regional divisions in the north and east?

Answer 13

effects of industrialisation + urbanisation

industrial problems - striking and railroads

mass immigration –> social tensions + unrest

Question 14

how did industrialsation affect the north + east?

Answer 14

cities boomed: e.g. ny, chicago

population of ny doubled between 1860 + 90, chicago x10

in n + e that populations grew fastest, railroads had biggest imapct + big business had greatest influence over state + fed govts

Question 15

impact of railroad strike 1877

Answer 15

strikers fighting wage cuts. unrest spread between states, fights between strikers + national guard. strikes in pittsburgh - union rail depot set on fire, 40+ killed by miliitiamen. hayes sent in several thousand federal troops to restore order

Question 16

what were the orange riots?

Answer 16

example of ethnic tensions = riots between irish protestants + catholics in ny in 1870 + 71

Question 17

what were the divisions in the new south?

Answer 17

division between freed african americans + former slave owning white soc

resentment + class conflict amongst farmers

differences in african american attitudes

division between south + rest of country

Question 18

what were ‘yankees’ ‘carpetbaggers’ and ‘scalawags’?

Answer 18

yankees - northerners

carpetbaggers - northern merchants + political agents accused of robbing valuables from defeated south

scalawags - southerners who’d collaborated with northerners to enrich themselves

Question 19

in what ways was life in the west volatile and fast-changing?

Answer 19

mining towns e.g. virginia city nevada had sudden booms then were deserted when gold + mineral riches discovered elsewhere

weather harsh, droughts

Question 20

in what ways was the west swiftly mythologised?

Answer 20

later through movies, but as early as 1883 in william cody’s ‘Buffalo Bill’s Wild West’ stage show

west idealised as breeding ground for rugged individualism, american pioneers

Question 21

impact of settlement of the west on native americans

Answer 21

by 1890 native american way of life eradicated - confined to small, uneconomic reservations, native american children sent to schools to be ‘americanised’, slaughter of buffalo

Question 22

what was the driving force behind the formation of organisations to represent independent farmers in late 1880s?

Answer 22

pushed aside by big business; in debt, desperate need for credit to buy seed, fertilisers + equipment

Question 23

examples of farmers groups

Answer 23

the granger movement: formed 1867 as cooperative movement to help farmers w/ loans, advice, solidarity. hostile to railroad companies. support peaked 1880, then fell back

support shifted to farmers alliance, began 1870s, spread across southern + western states, more political approach - put up candidates in elections

Question 24

what difficulties did black people face during this time?

Answer 24

economic restrictions: often restricted to sharecropping, nothing done to provide with own land.

political restrictions: right to vote obstructed, as well as right to equality before law

lynchings common + low level intimidation

Question 25

what advances were there for some african americans?

Answer 25

demonstrated independence through moving away from home districts

chose new surnames, exercised right to marry, set up new churches + small businesses

thousands of new public schools opened. between 1866 - 1868 three african american universities opened - fisk uni, hampton uni, hampton institute – BUT racially mixed schools discouraged, over half african americans illiterate 1890

Question 26

who was booker t washington?

Answer 26

african american spokesperson, heasd of tuskegee institute alabama, advocate for moderation and compromise. gained high reputation among norther liberals. had powerful influence before 1890, later criticised by more radical black advocates (e.g. WEB Du Bois) for being too accomodating to white supremacy

Question 27

how did urbanisation affect african americans?

Answer 27

remained largely rural, still dependent on south, but after 1877 many began to leave