Transformation Of Urban Life During The Gilded Age And The Development Of Suburbs

Through a multitude of significant changes physically, conceptually, economically, and more, the societal reformation of cities in the Progressive Era had set themselves as the foundations of American civilization. The juxtaposition between the rich and poor statuses in these urban areas show the drastic separation within developing cities. Through this division caused a wide variety of living conditions, the majority of which held the overcrowded sections of cities where the population mostly stayed while the higher end communities had more luxurious lives. Through this success of entrepreneurship and economic growth from all aspects in cities, the entire landscape, both physically through innovative architecture and the perspectives outside rural and suburban areas had on them, had transformed for the better in these areas.

In the first two decades of the twentieth century, the United States experienced a large increase in political, economic, and social reforms. During this time, there had been an increase in urbanization, and industrial factories within the larger cities throughout the United States, particularly in the northeastern cities. With the addition of the industries and factories too populated also came a growing number of immigrants, and seekers of wealth and employment. As a result, the population increase would result in major issues which would overshadow the economic gains that came from industrialization. In addition, the rise of industrialization also brought about major issues within the populations of the city. After seeing

Despite the nation’s increase in wealth through urbanization and the façade of a prospering people, the fraudulency of the Gilded Age crippled the masses in their rise to security. The competiveness amongst laborers, a battle for control of

In the United States, there were many problems and solutions that the city dwellers and immigrants faced during the Gilded Age. During this time, most immigrants that came from Asia, Mexico, Europe, Ireland and others country were uneducated and unskilled. This led them to many problems that need to be solved for them to survive in America. One of the problems that immigrants faced was finding a job because most immigrants had a language barrier of not speaking English. The solution to their problem was ethnic neighborhood because a person who understands both languages can translate the information to find them a job. However, the job was difficult to find because there were too many immigrants looking for a job; therefore, there was less job available for them. In this oppose solution, there is some immigrant that will have to face poverty until they can keep seeking for the job available for them.

The Gilded Age was a very special time for our nation that took place from the 1870s to around 1900. During this time, economic growth was at a rapid increase, politics were corrupted yet had high turnouts, and urbanization flourished. Every aspect of the life of an American changed drastically throughout this time of the Gilded Age. The entire era was focused on the enormous changes that each aspect of America was going through. As this is brought to attention, if we are to look into the way that America is in our time of today, we can find that there are many similarities to that of the original Gilded Age. The United States of America have currently found themselves to be experiencing the second era of the Gilded Age throughout the areas of economic, politic and social transformation.

New York City during the Gilded Age experienced a transformation on society that would leave a lasting effect on all aspects of the city. During this era in New York City, the idea of politics and its characters developed into some of the modern definitions that citizens still see in government today. The political corruption that consumed politics during this time period became a staple in New York City society. The word corruption gives the tactics of politicians in the Gilded Age a reputation that is filled with destructive and harmful methods that were unbeneficial to society. In reality, not all of the strategies of these politicians resulted in poor outcomes. Through questionable political tactics, officials used their power to negatively and positively push New York City into the 1900s, which would lead to political activism by the city’s people looking for change. Tammany Hall was one of the most influential political machines that directly impacted the people and society of New York City at this time, and exemplified what it meant to be a corrupt institution that helped positive change happen.

One of the most notable times during the late 19th century was the Gilded Age. This is a term often used to describe this time period since from the outside looking in urban life in America seemed perfect, but in reality, many citizens did not like the changes that were occurring. Since the verb gild means to cover with or as if with a thin coating of gold[1], historians often refer to this time period as “the Gilded Age”. New ideals about poverty, social reforms, different political approaches, and a new women’s culture brought forth political, economic, social, and cultural changes in urban growth during the

The development of the suburbs has been appointed to be the result of the “white flight” from the inner cities. In the 1950’s black Americans moved northward to cities to find industrial jobs that were within walking distance. Discrimination in cities worsened, crime rates increased and educational facilities’ credentials weakened or gained bad reputations. The upper-class families left the cities and mass migrated to the suburbs to escape the increasing crime rates and worsening conditions. This movement was later termed the “white flight”. Every American wanted to begin building the “ideal family”: two parents, two children and maybe a pet or two. This newly invented middle-class prospered as

The late 1800’s is called The Second Industrial Revolution or “Gilded Age.” Along with railroads, automobiles, telephones, telegraphs and phonographs became part of daily life in cities to the middle-class american. There was more work opportunities outside of that of farming. The gilded Age was characterized by the rapid industrialization that transfigured the country from a central rural and agriculturally-based republic, into a urbanized and industrial

After the Gilded Age people soon realized that the poor were not only in the western farm land. The poor were closer to home then they had previously thought. They had focused so much on the poor farmers that they did not realize that the lower middle class in the inner cities were struggling as well. Thousands of families were living in filthy condensed “homes” in the inner cities. Children were not being educated, looked after or being fed properly. They were running about the cities and sometimes they never came back to their “home.”

The period between the Civil War and the Great Depression was the most rapid period of urbanization in the nation’s history. During the late 1800’s the population expanded about four times in urban areas. Young reformers believed poverty could be alleviated with proper policy, focused assistance, and better government regulation. The efforts of these reformers would later be termed “progressivism,” and this period would become known as the “Progressive Era”. Negative consequences came of urbanization.

In the vicinity between 1880 and 1900, urban communities in the United States developed at an exponential rate. Owing a large portion of their populace development to the extension of industry, U.S. urban communities developed by millions of individuals in the two decades prior to 1900. A large number of the individuals who helped represent the populace development of urban communities were migrants swarming in from around the globe. A constant flow of people from provincial America likewise moved to the urban areas amid this period. Within this time, just about 40 percent of the townships in the United States lost populace in light of relocation.

Richard in his publication offers a clear and concise on the urban reforms in the society of America. He depicts the numerous social, political transformation that takes place in the society. The urban set up takes a different shape during the era. Richard brings to light that challenges that come with urbanization, and industrialization. He makes an effort in his text to make clear of how some cities came to place during the era. New building emerges during the period. The cities were a focal point for the growth of the America population. Rivalry among cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis is clearly in his text. In his text, the growth of the railway and major highways connecting different cities is

Cities, more often than not, tend to represent the prosperity and culture of the surrounding landscape. Cultures and subcultures that exist in a given region tend to mold and frame the development of its cities and towns. Atlanta however, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, had the unique opportunity to mold and shape not only its own identity, but also the landscape that surrounded. Two scholarly works, In the Mind’s Eye: The Downtown as Visual Metaphor for the Metropolis by Karen Luehrs and Timothy Crimmins, and The Sons of Henry Grady: Atlanta Boosters in the 1920s by Charles Garofalo, characterizes the evolution of Atlanta during the turn of the century into becoming the city that would continue to grow until the 1970s.

“The new technology of the motor car became central to the development of twentieth century cities in the US” (Roberts 2009 p53) and by 1914 the US production had exceeded that of the whole of Europe. What started out as a transportation toy for the very rich in 1900 became available to ordinary working class citizens by 1920 (Roberts 2009 p55). The technologies born of the Industrial Revolution changed forever the way people in the West lived and worked and economies strengthened as a new era dawned of mass production and consumerism. But in the 1920s, it was the availability of a mix of technologies and policies which facilitated the pace and scale of suburbanization and decentralization of the cities in both the US and Germany