- Between 1880 & 1929, industrialization and urbanization expanded at an accelerated pace. This would be the first time in US history that cities had moved to the center of American life. It was the cities where most of the factories were built. Machines replaced manual labor, production increased bolstered by the sophisticated network of railroads, a continual supply of raw materials and bankers with copious amounts of money to lend.
- Coinciding with the rise of urbanization was the great influx of immigrants. Most would settle in the cities – that is where the jobs were.The increased income and consumer goods enhanced the marked gap between the rich and poor, resulting in an altered American culture.
Immigrants arriving in Boston on the SS Conopic October 17, 1920. Photo: Boston Public Library.