American Cities Loss in Colonial Times
The historical epochs before the 20th century are not particularly well-delineated by any of the conventional methods used today. Years of invariable significance mark the conclusion and the beginning of what most people refer to as centuries. Before the 20th century, people had already seen the urban landscape. Due to the distinct sights and noises that separated the city from the country in the 1940s and 1950s, the majority of the population displayed an unprecedented interest in the city scene. The success of the market for sensational books in the middle of the 1850s improved the urban landscape, particularly in New York and Boston. (Still 98). The appearance of the city became much different with the introduction of the gas lighting in the 1820's for theaters, streets, and stores at night. Occupational types of peculiar to the urban scene were also identified in the new books in the city, such as the Philadelphia publication (Wirth 9). The full spectrum of the city was described in the books in the late 1860s concerning the wretchedness and splendors of the city for the curious leaders. Both of its high and low life were depicted in the books and also the dark dens and the marble places. The attraction of the city, dangers, leading men and politicians, the fraud, adventures, charity, mysteries were included and not omitting even the crime in the city (Wirth 13).
Urban Societies and Immirgants
The ""b'hoys"" and the ""g'gals"" were the most frequent identified personalities in the urban societies of the large cities (Mumford 19). It is highlighted that their bash was always made of unethical behavior which reflected the psychological and the social consequences of the American youth of that times which in general was the consequence of the rapid increase in population in the cities. The population surge from the rural parts of America to the main cities enhanced socialization of the city dwellers and through this erosion of culture was witnessed due to the intermingling of people of different culture and origin. Borrowing of culture and practices was evident+ in the 1870s as people got more curious about the cultural practices and associations of the members of the society (Mumford 32). There was an increase in the economic growth due to the immigrants in the city. The cities were the main business centers in the colonial times but, however, the trade and the economy of the cities also resulted in the increase of unethical practices, including prostitution and crimes for the individuals who lacked an ideal source of income.
American ambiguities in relation to the urban life face both criticism and praises. Schlesinger postulates the importance of the immigrants to the cities terming it that it is because of the immigrants that the cities have managed to grow and expand over time (Schlesinger 50). All the activities and most of the businesses in the cities were owned by the immigrants and not the native dwellers; hence, without them, the cities would have remained small of the years (Schlesinger 61). The negative impacts of the rapid population growth were also evident and depicted by Professor Tuner in his perception, the increase in the economy is a result of the stress placed on the available resources within the society by the ever growing population of the American society. This has also had an impact on the lifestyle, especially with the youth, and has been experienced even after the 20th century.
Works Cited
Mumford, Lewis. The city in history: Its origins, its transformations, and its prospects. Vol. 67. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1961.
Schlesinger, Arthur M. ""The city in American history."" The Mississippi Valley Historicaд Review 27.1 (1940): 43-66.
Still, Bayrd. Urban America: a history with documents. Little, Brown, 1974.
Wirth, Louis. ""Urbanism as a Way of Life."" American journal of sociology 44.1 (1938): 1-24.
Academic levels
Skills
Paper formats
Urgency types
Assignment types
Prices that are easy on your wallet
Our experts are ready to do an excellent job starting at $14.99 per page
We at GrabMyEssay.com
work according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which means you have the control over your personal data. All payment transactions go through a secure online payment system, thus your Billing information is not stored, saved or available to the Company in any way. Additionally, we guarantee confidentiality and anonymity all throughout your cooperation with our Company.