the origins of professional baseball in a new urban culture
TRANSCRIPT
Urbanization Refers to
the growth and devel-opment of cities
Spurred by expanding industrial-ization after the Civil War
Mainly in the north New York
City Philadelphia Pittsburgh Cleveland Chicago Boston St. Louis Detroit Buffalo
Milwaukee
Forces of Urban Population Growth Many people sought
a better life in northern citiesImmigration
○ 14 million new immigrants between 1860 and 1900
Migration of African-Americans○ Many left the south
for northern cities after the Civil War
Cities were extremely dirty places … Garbage on streets Open sewers Horse manure Rats and other
vermin Smoke from
factories Soot
… and very crowded. Spacious housing
was not affordable for much of the working class.
Masses of people lived in slum neighborhoods of tenements Poorly constructed and
cramped five or six story buildings housing many families.
One room per family. Many had no windows
and were dark and narrow with little airflow.
Work life was tough. Monotonous
Assembly lines Unhealthy and
dangerousToxic airHeavy machinery
Long hours10 to 14 hours per
dayOften 6 day work
weeks
New leisure activities were a bright spot. Leisure – time free
from work. Workers and their
families enjoyed new leisure activities as an escape from daily life.
By the turn of the twentieth century, there were two leagues of professional baseball clubs National League
New York GiantsPhiladelphia PhilliesPittsburgh PiratesCincinatti RedsBrooklyn DodgersBoston BravesSt. Louis CardinalsChicago Cubs
American LeagueNew York YankeesPhiladelphia AthleticsDetroit TigersCleveland IndiansWashington SenatorsBoston Red SoxSt. Louis BrownsChicago White Sox