American Frontier Closure & Rise of Industrial Power: 1890-1920

Dancing with the Wolves: Conquest of the West

The closing of the American frontier is marked by two significant dates: the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota (1890) and the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893). The latter showcased America's triumph and glory. Historian Frederick Jackson Turner delivered a speech at the Exposition, declaring the frontier officially closed.

The Gilded Age and the Rise of Industrialization

The closure of the frontier coincided with the onset of the Gilded Age, a period of rapid industrialization. People migrated from rural areas to burgeoning industrial cities. Small farms suffered due to the rise of agribusiness.

Muckrakers and Social Reform

Amidst widespread corruption, a movement of middle-class intellectuals, known as Muckrakers, emerged. The term, inspired by a character in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, was used by Theodore Roosevelt to describe these intellectuals who exposed societal ills. Jack London's stories, set in nature, reflected the social struggles of the time, albeit with a glimmer of hope as the virtuous often prevailed.

The Populist Party and the Threat of Revolution

Farmers, the backbone of American society, faced bankruptcy. Corruption was rampant. Yet, the Populist Party, despite its popularity, failed to win power, and a social revolution was averted. Anarchists, often associated with foreigners, and Native Americans were frequently scapegoated. While the government employed oppressive measures against the Populist Party, the most significant factor that prevented a revolution was immigration.

Immigration and the American Dream

America was becoming an industrial powerhouse, even though it remained a major agricultural producer globally. Immigration fueled this transformation, with approximately 10 million immigrants arriving within five years. The American Dream narrative shifted towards achieving success from humble beginnings. Many immigrants, particularly from Russia and Ukraine, fled oppressive conditions seeking a better life. Most settled in the industrial centers of the Great Lakes and the East Coast. Jacob Riis's photographs, compiled in How the Other Half Lives, starkly depicted the living conditions of the urban poor.

The Statue of Liberty, with Emma Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus" inscribed on its base, became a symbol of hope for these immigrants.

The Melting Pot vs. the Salad Bowl

The Melting Pot metaphor describes the assimilation of immigrants from diverse backgrounds into a unified American culture, retaining a memory of their origins while forging a new, cohesive identity. In contrast, the Salad Bowl metaphor, often associated with Canada, emphasizes multiculturalism, where distinct cultural identities are preserved within a unified society, like ingredients in a salad held together by a common dressing. Examples include Chinatowns in New York and San Francisco.

In the United States, a blend of both models emerged. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many immigrants resided in ethnically defined neighborhoods. Assimilation was not as immediate as often portrayed. For instance, during World War II, some German-Americans opposed the U.S. declaration of war against Germany.

Immigration Control and the Rise of Skyscrapers

The 1920s saw a conservative shift in immigration policy, with a preference for WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) immigrants. Immigration control centers moved from the frontier to major cities.

Skyscrapers emerged as a new American icon, symbolizing the nation's success and becoming a defining feature of the U.S. visual identity, tragically highlighted by the events of 9/11.