10.10 Urban Life at the Turn of the Century

Urban Life at the Turn of the Century

Tenement Living

  • Initial Expectations vs. Reality:
    • Immigrants often arrived with idealized visions of America.
    • Reality: They faced harsh living conditions, especially in large cities.
    • Example: A girl's dream of a "golden stairs leading to the top of the American palace" contrasted with the "ugly old tenement."
  • Tenements:
    • The most common and affordable housing for immigrants.
  • Row Houses:
    • Shared common walls.
    • Previously occupied by factory workers who moved to the suburbs.
    • Designed for single families but were overcrowded with multiple immigrant families due to high rent.
    • Poor repair and unsanitary conditions led to rapid disease spread.
  • Dumbbell Tenements:
    • Built to meet New York City's 1879 law for minimum plumbing and ventilation standards.
    • Long, narrow, five- or six-story buildings shaped like dumbbells.
    • Central area designed to allow light and air via windows.
    • When built side-by-side, these spaces became tiny courtyards with air shafts.
    • Garbage often accumulated in these air shafts due to poor sanitation.
    • Residents sometimes threw garbage out the windows, leading to foul smells and closed windows.
    • Rotting garbage attracted rats, insects, and disease.
    • Dumbbell tenements often proved worse than row houses.

Sanitation Problems

  • Garbage Disposal:
    • Cities lacked regular garbage pickup.
    • Immigrants sometimes disposed of garbage as they had in their home countries, throwing it outside.
  • Other Sanitation Issues:
    • Sewage flowed through open gutters.
    • Horse manure was widespread due to horse-drawn transportation.
    • Dead horses were left in the streets for days.
    • Factories emitted constant smoke.
    • Street sweepers and sanitation workers often did not perform their jobs thoroughly.
  • Sewage Systems:
    • Some cities began installing sewer lines by 1900, but completion took many years.
    • Unsanitary conditions led to the spread of disease and death.

Water Supply Issues

  • Clean Water Scarcity:
    • Clean water was precious and often bought from street vendors.
  • Public Waterworks:
    • Some cities installed public waterworks in the mid-1800s but systems were inadequate for growing populations.
    • Water flow was slow and unreliable, as systems were not designed for such large numbers of people.
    • Water was accessed from outside faucets shared by multiple families.
    • Families collected water in buckets, which they carried into their homes.
  • Disease Spread:
    • Slow water flow facilitated the spread of diseases like cholera and typhoid fever.
    • Water faucets were often located near outhouses, increasing germ exposure.
  • Water Treatment:
    • By 1908, most cities began to filter their water and add chlorine to kill germs.

Fire Hazards

  • Building Materials:
    • Buildings in poorer neighborhoods were primarily made of wood.
    • Dried-out wood increased fire risk.
    • Close proximity of buildings allowed fires to spread rapidly through entire blocks.
  • Fire Risks:
    • Immigrant cooking methods (kerosene and open flames) and lighting (candles, kerosene lanterns) increased fire risks.
  • Fire Departments:
    • Most cities initially had volunteer fire departments, which were often unreliable.
    • Multiple groups sometimes showed up at the same time or demanded payment to put out fires.
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, established the first paid fire department in 1853.
  • Technological Advancements:
    • The automatic fire sprinkler was invented in 1874, but implementation took many years.

Transportation

  • Early Transportation:
    • Residents primarily relied on walking.
    • Immigrants usually lived close to work, minimizing transportation issues.
    • Horse-drawn carriages were available for longer trips.
  • Mass Transit Innovations:
    • San Francisco: Cable car system (1873).
    • Richmond, Virginia: Electric streetcar system (1888).
    • Boston: Electric subway system (1897).
  • Challenges:
    • Cities struggled to build and maintain mass transit systems as they expanded.

Crime

  • Prevalence of Crime:
    • Pickpockets and thieves were common, targeting immigrants.
    • Con men used scams to fool non-English speakers.
    • Gangs controlled crime-ridden areas.
  • Police Forces:
    • New York City established the first full-time paid police force in 1844, but the number of officers was insufficient.
    • Police response was often focused on one area, leaving others unprotected.
    • Immigrants often distrusted the police due to past experiences.
    • Certain areas were dangerous, especially after dark.

Social Reform and Support Systems

  • Social Gospel Movement:
    • Preached salvation through service to the poor.
    • Key figures: Walter Rauschenbusch (New York City) and Washington Gladden (Columbus, Ohio).
    • Gladden termed his teachings "applied Christianity."
    • Inspired churches in poor communities and advocated for fair treatment of immigrant workers by business leaders.
  • Settlement Houses:
    • Community centers established by social reformers to provide assistance and friendship.
    • Staffed largely by college-educated young women dedicated to societal improvement.
    • Workers often lived in the communities they served to build trust.
    • Offered classes in English, health, crafts, drama, music, painting, and American history.
    • Held literature circles and provided care for the sick and injured.
    • Settlement house workers went into neighborhoods and tenements to help in whatever ways they could to improve the immigrant's life.
    • Notable founders and houses:
      • Jane Addams: Hull House (Chicago, 1889).
      • Charles Stover and Stanton Coit: Settlement House (New York, 1886).
      • Lillian Wald: Henry Street Settlement House (New York, 1893).
      • Janie Porter Barrett: Locust Street Social Settlement House (Hampton, Virginia, 1890) - First for African Americans.
    • By 1910, there were approximately 400 settlement houses across the country.
  • Significance:
    • Both movements reflected a growing sense of societal responsibility for addressing urban problems.

Jacob Riis and Social Commentary

  • Immigration and Journalism:
    • Danish immigrant who came to America at 21 and worked his way out of poverty to become a journalist.
  • Investigative Work:
    • Spent time investigating New York City's tenements and documenting living conditions.
  • "How the Other Half Lives":
    • Riis documented the harsh realities of immigrant life to raise awareness and motivate change.
    • Excerpts highlight the darkness, squalor, and health risks faced by tenement residents, and in some cases even death.