The Plight of the Impoverished
When a historian analyzes the time period that spanned from after the Civil War to theturn of the century, numerous changes are observed. The greatest change that holdssignificance to the present day was the explosion of industrialization. America underwenta metamorphosis from a chiefly agrarian society to an urban metropolis, and the nationtransformed into a major player in world affairs, rather than some backwoods land offrontiersmen. Consequently, the wealth of America began to climb upward, and thequality of life for many was steadily improving. However, there were many urbandwellers who suffered greatly during this time period. It was upon the backs of theworking class citizens that the new America was built, and their squalor was looked uponas being necessary for progress. It was clear that progressive reform, something that wasoften previously looked upon as being radical and un-American (Jennings), was urgentlyneeded, if only to preserve the American ideal of an egalitarian society, so that it shouldnot become only an empty assertion with no basis on reality. Working conditions were often appalling, with many factory workers laboring sixdays a week, with twelve hour shifts. Steel workers
By 1890, there were already improvements being made in the conditions of theslums. New York: Doubleday, 1998Kennedy, David M. However, therewere some instances were the tenants, rendered destructive and ignorant by the conditionsthey had faced, could not be trusted with such improvements. The tenements in which so many lived were crowded,miserable dwellings, where the poor lived a hand to mouth existence, hopelessly trappedin the prisonlike slums. (Riis) Rear tenements were no longer built, as air and sunlight became a legalrequirement for the housing developments. However, these dwellings were at first seen as a blessing to thepoor, working class population, as they were inexpensive living places that were close tothe factories and stores where they worked. (Riis) However, the expertopinions often testified that rents were twenty-five to thirty percent higher in the worstslums of the lower wards as compared to the uptown dwellings. In the Tenth Ward, thepopulation density per square mile was 276,672 in 1880, and 334,080 in 1890. (Jennings) Obviously, such circumstances wereappalling, to say the least. Sometimes the employers would bar rebelliousworkers from employment, or force employees to sign "ironclad oaths" or "yellow-dogcontracts", promising not to join a labor union. Imperfection must be looked upon as an opportunity toinstitute change and progress.
Common topics in this essay:
Civil War,
Riis Rear,
American Spirit,
Kennedy Pageant,
Jennings Obviously,
Industrial Revolution,
Social Darwinism,
Graham Sumner,
York City's,
Statistics Riis,
square mile,
thomas bailey american,
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kennedy pageant,
thomas bailey,
kennedy david,
american spirit,
able produce,
tenements york,
population density,
child laborers,
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Acceptance Essays
