Jillian Griminger HIST201 How the Other Half Lives The late 19th century in America was a time of industrialization and American life was changing drastically Factories and big businesses were created which drove many people into the city Specifically New York City was flourishing with entrepreneurs wealthy neighborhoods and factories however at the same time there was a flood of immigrants from Europe Asia and Latin America This period of migration drove a very wide gap between the rich and poor The immigrants came to America seeking a better life and would work live anywhere to achieve this dream Many of the immigrants moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan where they lived in low rise apartment buildings called tenements which were cramped and lacked ventilation to say the least Due to the tremendous gap between the rich and poor many were not aware of the horrible conditions that the poor lived in or just did not care enough to do anything about it Undoubtedly one of the most noteworthy inventions in journalism at this time period was the flashbulb camera Jacob Riis a Danish immigrant was a muckraker who was determined to expose the horrible living conditions of the poor using this new invention Riis entered tenements with his camera recording and taking pictures of everything he saw and felt He was shocked when he saw many of the conditions and felt obligated to publish it When Riis first described a tenement he states that The large rooms were partitioned into several smaller ones without regard to light or ventilation 64 While he talks about the terrible physical conditions of the tenets for example how many people lived in such a small space he also discusses the horrible treatment that the immigrants tolerated from their landlords The landlords often took advantage of the immigrants and significantly worsened their conditions Riis is very successful at making his audience empathetic toward these immigrants There were many issues during this time period in the eyes of Riis including of course the beyond horrible living conditions the disease that spread within the tenements the lodging houses the labor sweatshops and cigar making factories and the landlords Initially Riis actually blames the problems on the tenants but then goes to say that it is not really their fault because they are what the tenements have made them 250 He then explains that it is partially the fault of the proprietors because they were uneducated and were just focused on their profit Riis also explains how the cramped apartments can be attributed to the extreme population growth In the book Riis identifies three ways to deal with the tenement issues 1 by law 2 By remodeling and making the most out of the old houses 3 By building new model tenements 257 He then explains how the help of private enterprise is needed to begin these projects and how landlords should be punished for what they have done I believe that Riis generally had the correct approach for how to fix these problems however I do not believe that the landlords should be subject to punishment Many did not know how to cope with the mass amount of immigrants that arrived and believed that the tenements were the only way to house all of them Fortunately due to the reaction of the public when many discovered the extent of the horrible living conditions the Lower East Side was improved and many tenements were torn down Jacob Riis is a hero to many and referred to as a social reformer due to the tremendous affect his photos and writing had on the future of immigrants
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