1.Why can we say that technological innovation was just as significant in building American cities as it was in driving American industrialization?
Both of these topics go hand in hand. You cannot have industrialization without technological innovation. Being raised in the Northeast, I have been able to see the remnants of the old textile mills that were located along river banks. The mills relied on water to provide power and a means of transportation. The invention of electricity paving way to the first power plants allowed the industry to relocate to provide greater opportunities to ship their goods along with expanding their working hours increasing productivity. Power plants and electricity allowed for longer work hours, sometimes around the clock in order to meet the demand of the consumer. The ability to extend work hours also allowed for the creation of more jobs, affording the opportunity for people to move out of cities into suburban neighborhoods. Electricity and power plants were instrumental in the invention of mass transportation that is still used today. Every major metropolis has mass transit, the BART in the bay area, the L in New York and the T in Boston. Without technological innovation there would be no industrial revolution and no growth of America
2. Why was the American city not capable of doing a better job of protecting the environment and providing adequate housing for the poor?Some of the reasons of not protecting the environment is simply greed. They were more concerned with getting the product that they wanted out to the consumers that they didn’t think much about the environment. As for adequate housing, the country was in a large growth and had immigrants coming from all over the world. The ability to house so many people coming over was a big concern. The industries that these people would work for and the ability to live near them were not available and they would have to live in poor conditions if they wanted to support their families. They all wanted to be in the cities that had the fastest growing markets and the best paying jobs. Major city populations were doubling and tripling in some over a 20-40-year span. The rapid expansion, class inequalities, racial division, religious differences, ethnic issues and corrupt political people were some of the reasons. The middle class and upper class cared about them selves and how they could get more money and didn’t think about the poor/lower class. The poor often lived in cramped urban dwellings that had poor ventilation, plumbing and sanitation. Which brought about disease the eventually took its toll in the late 1870s with diseases such as typhoid, and yellow fever. In the 1890s the settlement house movement provided some relief for the working class. But if you look at our country now, have we really gotten better about taking care of everyone in the country. Our rich live the high-life, the middle class now a days spend more time working than they do at home, and the poor are still suffering. Some of which is by choice. We as a country can not fully support everyone in the country. There has to be a line in the sand and everyone has to put forth an effort to make themselves better. We have to put aside race, religion and personal beliefs and put the right people in the jobs that will make them better.
3.What was Jim Crow? In what ways did this differ from the earlier Black Codes?
Jim Crow laws took Black Codes place in 1881. They varied by confederate state mostly. Jim Crow law states that most states could allow segregation so long as the facilities provided to both races were “separate but equal, essentially just segregation. Meaning that if one school was for all whites then theres another for all African-Americans. From our textbook this law, “prohibited African-Americans and whites from using the same public facilities, including restrooms and water fountains, and required them to sit in different sections in restaurants and on public transportation.” Some African-Americans were elected into political office positions. Black Codes were restrictive laws enforced to ensure a steady supply of cheap labor from former slaves. Black Code required a yearly contracts and harsh treatments if those contracts were not followed. These contracts required them to follow their employers terms regardless of what it was. They could face harsh penalties including arrest if they quit or just did not show up for work.
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