Urbanization of the Late Nineteenth Century

Rapid urbanization began in the 1870s as people flocked to the cities. These urban centers quickly overcrowded, and many were divided into business, residential, social and ethnic centers. Among this chaos, corruption thrived as political bosses ran the city for their own personal gain and power. It appeared as if the nation was modernizing too fast because they were unable to deal with problems of urbanization. The changes in urban America in the late nineteenth …

…Cities provided a central area for labor and a center of communication. People in search of work, whether Americans or immigrants, flocked to the cities, and the cities grew rapidly. But, the cities could not keep up with their own growth as overcrowded and unsanitary slums developed, often filled with new immigrants working low-paying jobs. Even with the huge rise in industrialization, the huge change in urbanization was often viewed in a more negative light.