America: The Story of Us

“Cities”

1. How did Joseph Pulitzer save the Statue of Liberty?

In his newpaper, the New York World, he launched a fundraiser and collected donations from across
the nation.

2. Who designed the Statue of Liberty? What material was the outer-layer made out of?
Gustav Eiffel, the same person that designed the Eiffel Tower, designed the statue and the
outer layer was made out of copper.
3. Today, how many Americans can trace their roots to ancestors who came through Ellis
Island?

More than 100 million Americans.

4. From 1880-1930, how many immigrants came to the United States?

Around 24 million people immigrated to the US.

5. What business man is trying to create steel using the Bessemer process?

Andrew Carnegie

6. Why is steel so important for America’s new age?

It was the only material strong enough to build skyscrapers and allow the US to grow vertically.

7. What items can be made with steel?

Items such as: swords, jewelry, cars, airplanes, railroads & buildings.

8. What are the men who work building the skyscrapers called? How many died on the job?

Veterans were called “fixers” and novices were called “snakes” but in general were referred to as
“roughnecks”. Around 2 out of 5 roughnecks die on the job.

9. How did the elevator impact the growth of cities?

They made possible to build higher upward since people can take an elevator rather than climbing all
those flights of stairs; as a result, the population grew since there was more living units avaliable.
 10. As more urbanization occurs, big cities start to have a crime problem. Describe some of the
tactics put in place by law enforcement officials to crackdown on criminals.

Detectives like Thomas Byrnes used persuasion, intimidation and pain to catch criminals. He also helped
establish a database for criminals by taking pictures of them and building profiles so they could be caught
even if they were in other states.

11. How did Jacob Riis expose the problem of poverty in NYC?

He took pictures of people in the slums using a technique with explosive powders to create light allowing
to take pictures in the dark. Although newspapers refused to print it, he went around showing the pictures
to reveal the poverty problem He then published a book titled “How the Other Half Lives” which sold more
than 28 million copies.

12. Describe some of the sanitation problems that existed in many major cities.

There are tons of manure, both human and animal, dumped in the streets everyday.

13. How did the techniques of Colonel Waring’s “white ducks” improve cities’ sanitation?

They were used to clean 433 miles of streets and thus death rates declined, water quality improved.
Eventually, his techniques spread across the country, improving the sanitation of the country as a
whole.

14. When developing the light bulb, Thomas Edison’s lab went through numerous materials until
they found one that would work. Which one finally worked?

The one that finally worked was carbonized cardboard.

15. By 1902, how many light bulbs were in use in America? How did this impact American life?

By 1902 18 millions light bulbs were in use. This allowed for multiple business and other sectors to be able to operate
at night. As a result, more people flocked to cities, companies were able to produce more products, etc.

15. What tragedy brought attention to the conditions of women in the garment industry? In what
major city did this happen? How many women died?
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire brought attention to the conditions of women in the garment industry.
The fire started when someone tossed a cigarette or match into a scrap bin. Since the fire hose wasn't
working, the fire escapes were locked, and the exit were narrow, escape was difficult. This event
happened in New York City and 146 people died in total.