The years of industrial expansions after the civil war Brought significant changes to American society. The country became increasingly urban, and cities grew not only in term of population but also in size,with skyscrapers pushing cities upward and transportation extending them outward. Part of urban population growth was fueled by an unprecedented mass immigration to the United States that continued unabated into the first two decades of the twentieth century. The promise that America held for these new immigrants contrasted sharply with the rise of legalized segregation of African‐Americans in the South after Reconstruction. Meanwhile, ongoing industrialization and urbanization left their mark on how people spent their daily lives and used their leisure time.
