The US is a country full of great big cities,
But they weren’t quite as large when it was 1860.
Not one city’s population had exceeded 1 milli,
But then by 1900, things had changed and cities grew quickly,
Because the US had soon become the home for many immigrants.
Millions of people traveling over via steamship,
The ships were faster than before and tickets very cheap.
The trip was eight to 12 days instead of a couple weeks.
They used to come from mostly Europe’s north and west regions.
Then the next wave of immigration brought the new people
From south and eastern Europe and Mexico, too,
Parts of Asia. People came to make their dreams come true.
A lot of Jews and Catholics who fled their country came through,
Escaping poverty and persecution—start something new.
So many settled in the cities of America in ethnic enclaves,
So they could speak their native language and exist together.
Inside the urban centers, culture, communities,
Food and opportunity, jobs to help the people eat.
In Chinatowns and Little Italies, they filled the city streets.
The people from all over redefining what it means to be American.
Up in New York, Chicago, Philly,
In San Fran and Boston, all of the biggest cities,
The immigrants and migrants started working for the system.
The industry was growing, and the cities changed quickly.
(x2)
It wasn’t just the people who came in from foreign lands;
Americans migrated as well for better options.
Farmers moved for better opportunities.
African Americans fled the south from Jim Crow, lynching and sharecropping,
So they hurried up north and midwest.
The industrial revolution, this was the second.
Because of steam and electricity, the cities turned to hubs of industry.
But even then, there was a lot of issues, see:
Child labor increased. Laissez-faire policies,
A lack of laws, allowed the companies to be monopolies.
People forced to live in dirty, overcrowded tenements.
The elevated railroads had solved a lot of problems
But created more, like the wealthy moving out and pickpocketing.
The Gilded Age classes stayed divided by distance.
Segregation in our laws with Plessy v. Ferguson,
And nativism worsened it. The racism was hurting people.
Social Darwinism meant to justify division:
A phony scientific theory with racist intentions.
A few reformers questioned all of the changes,
But reforms would have to wait until the new era came for better days.
Up in New York, Chicago, Philly,
In San Fran and Boston, all of the biggest cities,
The immigrants and migrants started working for the system.
The industry was growing, and the cities changed quickly.
(x2)