CrashCourse U.S. History: American Capitalism and Urbanization

Introduction

• Hosted by John Green.
• Focus on the growth of American capitalism and urbanization.
• Reference to the humorous hypothetical future of the host being a 'tool of the bourgeoisie.'

Transformation of the American West

• Commercial farming transformed the west.
• Led to mythical cowboys and real Indian reservations.

Migration to Cities

• Contrary to the "Go west young man" narrative, many Americans and immigrants moved to cities.

Population Growth (1850 onwards)

• Post-economic downturn in the 1890s, farm prices increased.
• Homestead Act: over a million land claims filed in the 1890s.
• Significant population growth in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Dakotas, and Nebraska.
• Urban population increased drastically:
  • 1880: 20% lived in cities.
  • 1900: 38% lived in cities.
  • 1920: 68% lived in cities.

Industrial Power and Urbanization

• America became the world’s largest industrial power around the 20th century.
• Urbanization enabled technological advancements like electric lights and moving picture cameras.

Major Cities

• New York: Leading city in urban growth.
  • Consolidation of boroughs in 1898.
  • Population surge in Manhattan and surrounding boroughs.
• Chicago: Rebuilt after 1871 fire, became the second largest city.
  • Notable for reversing the Chicago River.

Immigration Waves

• Large-scale immigration, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Irish and Germans:
  • Irish: Many stayed in cities, worked as laborers and domestic servants.
  • Germans: Many remained farmers, some became entrepreneurs in cities.
• New Immigrants (1890s onwards):
  • Predominantly from Southern and Eastern Europe.
  • Included Italians, Russians, Austro-Hungarians.
  • Many faced discrimination, especially those who were Jewish or Catholic.
• Chinese Exclusion:
  • Chinese faced severe discrimination.
  • Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted immigration.

Legal Victories and Discrimination

• Notable Supreme Court cases:
  • Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886): Rights for Chinese laundries in SF.
  • United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898): Citizenship for American-born children of Chinese immigrants.

Global Immigration Phenomenon

• Between 1901-1914, 13 million immigrants came to the U.S.
• Significant emigration to other Western Hemisphere countries.

Urban Living Conditions

• Development of tenements.
• Crowded and unsanitary conditions led to reforms.
• Emergence of residential segregation due to transportation advancements.

Economic Inequality

• Proximity of rich and poor in cities highlighted economic disparity.
• Responses included suburbanization and politics.
• Led to the Progressive Reform Movement.

Conclusion

• Urbanization and industrialization shaped modern America.
• Historical context for understanding current social and economic structures.

Credits:

• Script by John Green and others.
• Directed by Stan Muller.