After the Civil War, many people in rural areas migrated from their farms and the small towns they lived in the country. Immigrants same by the thousands from different countries including Ireland that had experienced a famine, Poland, Italy, and Germany. They travelled for many different reasons including better working and living and working conditions. According to AP U.S. History Notes “Between 1870 and 1900, the population of U.S. cities tripled. By 1890, New York became the second largest city in the world with 3.5 million residents, while Chicago and Philadelphia claimed more than one million city dwellers each. By 1920, nearly half of the nation’s population lived in urban areas. The diverse needs of the swelling population forced drastic changes to the physical and social make-up of the American city.”
By the end if the 19th Century, bridges and roads would connect cities throughout the United States. The introduction of many technological advances and modern conveniences including indoor plumbing, telephones, electricity, and the Brooklyn Bridge would attract many people to the city.
As the cities grew so would the school systems that would include both teenagers and younger children, while millions of adults were excluded, by 1874 that would change in New York and adult education would be offered by the Chautauqua movement. The courses offered would include staged public lectures, home studies, these would often be held in tents by some famous speakers such as Mark Twain. “By the early 1890s, more than 100,000 adults were enrolled in Chautauqua classes.(AP U.S. History Notes 2014)
Many of the downtowns were considered business districts, with insurance companies, banks, and
