LIFE IN A TENEMENT…

• By 1910, 3 out of 4 people in NYC were immigrants and the children of immigrants.

• Immigrants moved into old, run – down neighborhoods.

• Immigrants lived in tenements. • Tenements were jammed with immigrants

living in small, cramped apartments.

“How the Other Half Lives”by Jacob Riis

• LONG ago it was said that “one half of the world does not know how the other half lives.” That was true then. It did not know because it did not care. The half that was on top cared little for the struggles, and less for the fate of those who were underneath, so long as it was able to hold them there and keep its own seat.

• There came a time when the discomfort and crowding below were so great, and the consequent upheavals so violent, that it was no longer an easy thing to do, and then the upper half fell to inquiring what was the matter. Information on the subject has been accumulating rapidly since, and the whole world has had its hands full answering for its old ignorance.

NYC Tenement

One tenement floor for 12 families (D=dark, L=light, H=hall)Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

This floor plan of a converted New York City tenement building during the Gilded Age illustrates                (A) the creativity of New York city landlords in meeting the housing needs of immigrant families        (B) the overcrowding experienced by many immigrants        (C) why New York City was such a welcoming destination for newly-arrived immigrants        (D) the architectural properties of skyscrapers        (E) the compassion of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall

NYC Tenement

(B) the overcrowding experienced by many immigrants

Explanation:

Demand for housing in New York City and the scarcity [shortage] of open land for new construction led owners of multi-floor buildings to divide floors into numerous small rooms to accommodate many families, usually those who were poor and immigrant. The overcrowding of Eastern cities was just one of the many urban problems of the Gilded Age.

• How the Other half Lives– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87SCTEsIu

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• The Tenement Museum– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRXEi7Q-l3

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• Click on the Link:

• Then you will be working mainly off of this drop down menu.