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Panic of 1837: First demands of Urbanization
The panic of 1837 managed to plummet the United States economy into complete panic, and many companies, banks, and stores. This caused a 5 year depression in which unemployment was at an all time low, and this managed to make the Economy lust for urbanization and for cities to grow as much as ever to save the country from the massive panic and depression afterwards -
Early urbanization
American cities expanded tremendously. By 1860, 1/6 of the American lived in an Urban area. An urban area classifies as a population of 8000+ people in the area -
The Social Class System
As more and more people lived in the cities, the social classes became harsher and harsher. Since the gaps between classes were so big, it was very difficult to change classes. The upper class was the richest and most successful business and farm owners; they were the smallest social class. Due to the industrial revolution, the working class was formed. The working class was the lowest and biggest social class. -
First elevator: revitalizing upward travel
The critical invention leading to this development was the elevator. The elevator was a response to the massive need for upward travel and was made by Elisha Otis in 1861. This revolutionized travel and day to day activity. -
The ironhulled warship: An innovation in boats
The Royal Navy, on October of 1861, invented the very first variation of the ironclad warship. Used as a response to the French navy, the ironhulled frigate was the first of its kind, and innovated the war industry for years to come. -
The Cable Car: Travel made simple
Cable cars were a large innovation in the mid 1880’s, and continued to be large going into the 1900’s. Andrew Hallidie invented the cable car on the early morning of August 2nd, 1873, and it was installed in many cities across the united states, and provided to be one of the biggest innovations near the turn of the century. -
Advancing Technology: The Telephone
March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell successfully tested his invention of the very first telephone. The telephone lived on for hundreds of years, and still continues to be influential today. The famous quote of "Watson, come here!" shows just how revolutionary and groundbreaking this invention was. -
Ellis Island Opens to Solve Immigration Problem
America was very used to immigration. However, immigration rated started to increase dramatically from 1880-1920. It was referred as “old immigration” and brought thousands of German and Irish people to America. It started to get REALLY out of hand, so, from 1892-1954, immigrants had to go through an immigration station on Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor. Over 12 million immigrants entered the US through the station! -
Subways: Underground Transportation earns industrialized version
Subways were a massive innovation near the turn of the century in 1897. The Boston Workers managed to complete a 3 year project connecting underground train systems and invented the subway, which still continues to operate as a massive part of society. The New York subway system was the biggest system built, and London had the first underground train system, however Boston will always be credited for the first official subway train ever built. -
Hawaii Annexed
Hawaii was officially made into a territory of the U.S. since there were many Japanese immigrants in the territory. The annexation of Hawaii led to a massive boost in cities built and airports, and gave the United States a large presence in the pacific ocean, -
The airplane: Air travel changed forever
The airplane was invented in North Carolina, specifically the desert strip Kitty Hawk, on December 3, 1903. The airplane turned out to be one of the most important inventions of all time, and lead to air travel being prominent in the future. Although the original model isn't in use anymore, new models and jet airplanes have been issued and are all influenced by the inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright. -
Gentlemen's Agreement: more people for a bigger economy
Agreement between Japan and America that limited the number of unskilled workers to come into the country and it would repeal the San Francisco segregation law. This managed to make more skilled workers come into the United States and more skilled buildings were created. -
The Zipper: clothing the easy way
The zipper invention changed the world when it was invented in 1913. Ironically enough, the zipper went through inventor after inventor and they all failed to recreate it or to get a proper patent on it. Finally, in 1918, the zipper was fully completed and accepted by the public when Gideon Sundback and Whitecomb Judson finally managed to push it into production. -
The Dark Side
Although the urban lifestyle had many perks, there was a darker side. The streets of the cities were full of poverty, overcrowding, disease, and crime. Many immigrant citizens didn’t have the American dream. The new metropolitan centers were full of pollution and sewage, and the local leaderships were corrupted, which usually lead to the blockage of needed improvements for the cities. -
The American Lifestyle Changes
As a result of “The Dark Side”, many of the American values at the time were changing. Much of the low and middle class began to search for new Faith's in order to deal with their new reality and lifestyle. Many relationships between different genders and age groups were being affected as well. The American lifestyle was indeed changing, but not really for the better of worse.
