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11.013J | Spring 2025 | Undergraduate

# American Urban History

[OEAUH = Timothy J. Gilfoyle, editor. The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Oxford University Press, April 2019. This is a secondary source, but the articles in it include extensive references, as well as links to primary sources and other articles/books, which may be useful as you begin your own research.]

Note that while the focus of the class is roughly the period between 1840 and 1960, some of the assigned articles include discussion extending before or after this time; in these cases, feel free to skim these additional materials.

For full bibliographic information regarding the assigned works, see the Bibliography page.

### Week 1, Session 1: Overview

The first class session will be devoted to reviewing the syllabus, logistics, assignments, and expectations for the class; getting to know each other; and thinking about cities and history. There are no assigned readings, but please review the full syllabus before the next class, and note all deadlines, assignments, dates, policies, etc.

### Week 1, Session 2: An Urbanizing World

- Davis, “The Urbanization of the Human Population.”
- Wirth, “Urbanism as a Way of Life.”

### Week 2: Broad Arcs I / Urbanization and Industrialization II

- Schley, “Industry, Commerce, and Urbanization in the United States, 1790–1870." (OEAUH)
- Rees, “Industry, Commerce, and Urbanization in the United States, 1880–1929.” (OEAUH)
- Susman, “Culture as History.”

### Week 3, Session 1: No class

### Week 3, Session 2: Pick-a-City Exercise

- Hirota, “Immigration to American Cities, 1800–1924.” (OEAUH)

### Week 4: Broad Arcs II / Race, Immigration, and Migration 3

- Engels, The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844, chapter 4, “The Great Towns.”
- Brooks, “Immigration to American Cities, 1924–2017.” (OEAUH)
- Steptoe, “The Great Migration and Black Urban Life in the United States, 1914–1970.” (OEAUH)
- Stanger-Ross, “Ethnicity and US Neighborhoods.” (OEAUH)

Note: the OEAUH has lots of additional material on immigration and migration related to specific regions or ethnicities—Irish, Polish, Asian, Native American, White, African American, Latino, etc.—and also entire sections on both Ellis Island and Angel Island immigration stations.

### Week 5: Urban Politics

- Connolly, “Politics in Urban America before 1940.” (OEAUH)
- Hower, “Public Sector Unions in the United States.” (OEAUH) (Only read up to WWI.)
- Riordon, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall. (Read chapters 1–7, 9, 11, 13–14, 20, and 23.)
- Merton, “The Latent Functions of the Machine.”

### Week 6: Social Scientists, Social Reformers: Ideas and Institutions

- Flanagan, “Progressives and Progressivism in an Era of Reform.” (OEAUH)
- George, Progress and Poverty. (Read “Introductory: The Problem.”)
- Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House. (Read chapters 5, 6, 8, and 13.)
- Riis, How the Other Half Lives. (Read chapters 1–4, 8–12, 15–16, 20–21, and 24–25.)
- DuBois. The Philadelphia Negro. (Read sections 21–22 and 52–54; skim the rest, to get a sense of his method.)
- Hays, “The Politics of Reform in Municipal Government in the Progressive Era.”

### Week 7, Session 1: Midterm In-Class Exercise

### Week 7, Session 2: Final Paper Topics

Final paper: preliminary topic ideas due, for discussion in class

### Week 8: Cities of Work and Play

- Remus, “The Central Business District in American Cities.” (OEAUH)
- Baldwin, “Nightlife in the American City." (OEAUH)
- Read one, skim the others (your choice):
  − Lobel, “Food in the 19th-Century American City.” (OEAUH)
  − Riess, “Professional Team Sports in the United States.” (OEAUH)
  − Vaz, “Gambling in Northern US Cities.” (OEAUH)
- Barth, “Ball Park.”
- Peiss, “Leisure and Labor.”
- DuBois, The Philadelphia Negro. (Read section 46, “Social Classes and Amusements.”)
- Arbuckle, Coney Island (film).

### Week 9: Order & Disorder

Final paper: proposal/outline due

- Elkins, “Riots and Rioting in US Cities, 1800–2000.” (OEAUH)
- Thompson, “Temperance and Prohibition.” (OEAUH)
- Pliley, “Prostitutes and Prostitution in America.” (OEAUH) (skim)
- MacAdoo, “Why the Police Are Not More Effective."
- James Q. Wilson, “The Dilemma of the Urban Police.”
- Lepore, “The Invention of the Police.”

### Week 10: Heath and Welfare; Services and Amenities; Schools

- Daniel Wilson, “Contagious Diseases and Public Health in the American City.” (OEAUH)
- Tarr, “Water and Sewers in the American City.” (OEAUH)
- Read one, skim the other (your choice):
  − Erickson, “Schools in US Cities." (OEAUH)
  − Tanenhaus, “Juvenile Justice in the United States." (OEAUH)
- Katz, In the Shadow of the Poorhouse. (Read chapters 1–3.)

### Week 11: Mass Transit

- Young and Folgelson, “Mass Transit in 19th- and 20th-Century America.”

### Week 12: Parks and Recreation

- Schuyler, “Parks in Urban America.” (OEAUH)
- Olmsted, “Frederick Law Olmsted Advocates Parks."

### Week 13: Public and Private Housing; Student Presentations

No weekly reflection this week

- Garb, “Municipal Housing in America.” (OEAUH)
- Hunt, “Public Housing in Urban America.” (OEAUH)
- Keating, “Suburbanization in the United States Before 1945.” (OEAUH) (skim)
- DeForest and Veiller, The Tenement House Problem.
- Fryer, editor. The Tenement House Law of the City of New York.
- The Tenement House Department of the City of New York and the Tenement House Committee of the Charity Organization Society, For You.

### Week 14: Student Presentations

Final paper due; in-class presentations (selected students)

## Course Info

##### Instructor

- Ezra Haber Glenn

##### Departments

- Urban Studies and Planning
- History

##### As Taught In

Spring 2025

##### Level

Undergraduate

##### Topics

- Humanities
  - History
    - American History
- Social Science
  - Urban Studies

##### Learning Resource Types

assignment Written Assignments
Student Work
Readings

Browse Resources

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