Historical Accuracy of Gone with the Wind Essay

In the decades following the civil war, many factors altered the American city. As urbanization and industrialization developed simultaneously, cities were provided with supply of labor for factories and improved transportation. Commercial farming, followed by a shift in population of people relocating from rural areas to more modern cities greatly influenced the evolution of the America city. As well as a significant increase in immigration to the states, these are the most prominent factors influencing the development of the American city. A number of improvements in urbanization and industrialization made the growth of cities possible. Cities gave way to streetcar cities because people had little choice but to live in walking distances. By the 1890s, both horse-drawn cars and cable cars were being replaced by electric trolleys, elevated railroads and subways, which could transport people to urban residence. These improvements in urban transportation made it possible for more people to immigrate into the cities making it even bigger. As cities expanded outward, they also soared upward, since increasing land values in the central business district dictated the construction. Skyscrapers had replaced church spires as the dominant feature of American urban skylines and the buildings mostly had electric lights for commercial purposes. Urbanization and industrialization greatly changed the American city to what it is today. Commercial farming greatly impacted the development of the American city towards the end of the nineteenth century. The need for a massive number of farmhands diminished over time, and forced a majority of people living in rural areas of the states to more modern cities to seek work opportunities. This offered more jobs to be available for the newly arrivals, and in turn shaped how the cities operated. Commercial farmers also contained the ability to raise a single cash crop for the single purpose to make profit. This greatly improved the economy of cities across America. Commercial farming had a prominent change on the American city. As immigration to the states increased to the more modern cities, the cities changed significantly. New immigrants greatly increased the population of these cities, forcing them to expand. The growth of American metropolis was magnificent. In 1860, no city in the United States could boast one million inhabitants. But by 1900, New York held about 3.5 million citizens. A growing immigrant population to meet the increased need for workers led to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions within urban areas. Immigrants also developed ethnic neighborhoods that helped to change the character of the American city. Immigration played an important part into the change of the American city. Many key factors played roles into the evolution of the American cities across the nation. The most prominent of these were the era of urbanization and industrialization, commercial farmers bringing a rich economy to the city life, and newly arriving immigrants forcing the American cities to thrive. All of these factors shaped cities across the states to what they became today.