Social Environments

	Slavic Immigrants

People's Problems from Industrialization

Interchangeable Workers.

• Mass production made factory owners look at workers as interchangeable parts. They figured the machines did so much work the workers could easily be replaced.
• Workers wages were lowered because the jobs they were doing were not hard or complicated.

Immigration

• End of the Civil war to 1915, a total of 25 million immigrants entered U.S.
• In 1882, nearly 650,000 new immigrants appeared.
• Americans resented immigrants because they brought in new religions which was a threat to many Americans. They filled many jobs which could have been filled by Americans.

The areas where the immigrants settled were called ethnic neighborhoods. People of the same ethnic background generally lived in the same areas. Tenements were buildings made for one family that were remodeled to house six or more families. They were not sanitary:

• No windows that opened outside
  
• No fresh air
  
• No bathtubs
  
• Seldom repaired
  
• Leaky ceilings
  
• Damp basements
  
• Outbuildings and stables were also rented out

African Americans were only allowed to do small jobs like small service businesses, shoe repair, and catering. African Americans lived in run down areas called ghettoes, parts of a city where people of a certain ethnicity or color are forced to live. The 15th century ghettoes were invented in Europe when Jewish people were forced to live in ghettoes.

The differing perspectives of Historians: Irish workers were considered inferior and ignorant. Many places hired Irish workers because the work was dangerous and high risk. When the Irish demanded higher wages and less hours, they were fired and replaced with Chinese. The American businessmen did not respect the Irish.