Introduction
Prior to the second industrial revolution, the United States was majorly rural. According to TheUSAonline.com (n.p), following the 1790 census, over 94 percent of the total population resided in the countryside, while 6 percent lived in urban centers that carried approximately 2500 people per village. The same study shows that few towns such as Philadelphia, Boston, and New York had over 15,000 inhabitants. However, the Southern parts of America were wholly rural. The second half of the nineteenth century faced immense abrupt growth of towns -this growth was incomparable to those in rural regions. According to TheUSAonline.com (n.p), by the 1890s, industrialization resulted in considerable substantial growth in towns- approximately 35 percent of the population lived in cities. This paper examines the extensive development and urbanization in the American cities the change in the social geography and the transformation surrounding immigration.
Industrialization was the core reason that thrutched urbanization and rural-urban migration. According to Lumen Learning (n.p), the rural areas' population abandoned farming and moved to the cities, yearning to land on employment opportunities of better wages. In the pre- mid-1800s, most industries were located alongside riverbanks and seaports to enhance transportation and water availability (Atack et al. 57). Still, technological advances such as the steam engine's invention transformed the flexibility of factories' location (Atack et al. 57). The technological enhancements allowed the relocation of factories in urban centers. Besides, the factories attracted both skilled and non-skilled labor through the provision of opportunities. Eventually, cities specified production that further boosted their growths; New York produced garments and financial activities, Pittsburgh processed steel, Detroit specialized in automobiles, and Chicago processed meat (Rees 18). Other key factors that led to successful urbanization include electricity, improved communication and intracity transport, adequate housing, proper sanitation, and freshwater availability.
The cities experienced tremendous changes in social geography. Social geography is a branch of geography that majors on society's divisions in terms of social identity, ethnicity, and social class. For instance Cleveland, Ohio, after the 1870s, the town's streets saw the rise in the clerks' and lawyers' homes, middle-class families, the working class, and the lowest class people (Roark et al. 505). Around Lake Erie, there were situated shanties that belonged to the poorest people and factory workers. Twenty years later, the city emerged into a booming business district where the inhabitants were grouped on ethnic, property, and racial respects (Roark et al. 505). Social segregation emerged to be the main deterring factor to the growth of the city's metropolis.
Racism, class, and ethnicity in the cities intensified over time. The new immigrants faced rejection and malice from the residents. Moreover, people formed distinct neighborhoods around their places of worship. The people of color received an adverse degree of racial segregation in the large cities. The ethnic groups rarely used the English language (Roark et al. 507). The racial and ethnic situations in the cities received several reactions and criticisms. The photojournalist J. Riis exposed the notion of social classes in the large cities by exposing the city slums' situations in his book 'How the Other Half Lives.' (Roark et al. 507). Irish workers suggested that laws be passed in the United States to protect immigrant laborers against abuse from wealthy Italians. Moreover, the ostentatious display of property amongst the rich individuals became alarming due to the reporters' attention in 1882 (Roark et al. 507). The fear that the uneducated immigrants might lower wages, congress passed the literacy tests to limit immigration rates
Currently, the U.S hosts over 44.8 immigrants from the rest of the world. Like previous times, immigration has led to lower wages and increased labor and investments (Penn Wharton Budget Model n.p). In terms of social geography, in recent years, racial and ethnic diversity has increased. Over the past decade, changes in urban variety have modified significantly (Craig 185). Immigrant cultures have amalgamated independent state intervention, which has led to multiculturalism and state cohesion. There are few reported cases of racism and ethnicity.
Conclusion
In summary, industrialization was the main reason for rural-urban migration. The rural inhabitants moved to the cities to seek employment in industries. The Industrial Revolution course faced the invention of electricity and steam engines that made it possible to relocate factories to the urban centers. More influx from the countryside was nudged by the availability of better housing and water services. With the rise in the urban population, social segregation cases emerged based on class, race, and ethnicity. Currently, there are significantly fewer cases of social segregation compared to a century ago.
