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AP U.S. History Videos 277 videos

AP U.S. History Diagnostic 1
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AP U.S. History Diagnostic 1. Relationships like the one shown in the image resulted in the development of...what?

AP U.S. History Diagnostic 15
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AP U.S. History Diagnostic 15. How did groups like the ones represented by the image influence industry in America?

AP U.S. History Diagnostic 10
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AP U.S. History Diagnostic 10. What led to the splintering of the political parties shown in the image?

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AP U.S. History Exam 1.31 195 Views


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Description:

The appeal of city living has always been strong. Can you figure out why new immigrants chose to live in big cities? Hint: they weren't trying to be cast in a revival of "Cats". 

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

[ musical flourish ]

00:03

And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by tenement housing,

00:07

ten times the roommates at ten times the price. What a deal.

00:11

All right, take a look at this excerpt.

00:12

[ mumbles ]

00:17

All right, and the question:

00:18

Despite the cultural divide, many new immigrants chose to live

00:22

in big cities because... why?

00:24

And here are your potential answers.

00:29

Well, for many new immigrants in the 19th century,

00:31

living in the big city was much slicker

00:34

than settling in a small town.

00:36

Let's see why these folks felt the urban was

00:38

so superior to the suburban.

00:42

Well, despite the cultural divide, did many immigrants choose

00:44

to live in big cities because A -

00:46

living conditions were safer and services were regularly provided?

00:50

Well, remember How the Other Half Lives

00:52

was published in 1890, which was

00:54

before the big city clean-up of the Progressive Era.

00:57

That means that living conditions were both dangerous

01:00

and expensive. Were immigrants choosing to live in big cities

01:03

because B - immigration regulations restricted them

01:06

from moving between states?

01:08

Well, while regulations did exist for how many immigrants

01:11

there could be from a certain country,

01:13

once they got here, immigrants weren't prohibited

01:15

from moving between states. So that eliminates

01:17

B, as well. Which means that immigrants

01:19

chose to live in big cities because D -

01:22

employment opportunities were available in factories and big businesses.

01:26

Despite the downfalls of living in urban areas,

01:28

factories and big businesses were booming

01:30

and they offered jobs to immigrants that couldn't be found in a small town.

01:34

So D is the right answer.

01:35

Eventually, reformers passed protections that guaranteed

01:38

a fair wage and safer housing for immigrants

01:41

and the working class, which helped make the other half

01:44

not half bad.

01:46

[ whistle ]

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