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How did immigration contribute to the development of New York?
Immigration, the movement of people into the United States, has had a great impact on New York. In the early years of the nation, immigrants streamed continuously from areas of Eastern Europe to settle in America. As immigrants began to conglomerate in New York they became "more alien and far more visible"(p. 737) allowing them to add to the cultural strata of New York. The Irish and German immigrants in particular did not conform to the norm but sought to make a mark socially and economically.
One of the major contributions of these groups of immigrants was the large numbers that made the journey across the sea to establish themselves in New York. In the years between 1840 and 1859 4,242,000 immigrants entered the United States; forty percent were Irish, thirty two percent were German and sixteen percent were of other ethnicity; the number of immigrants entering the New York on a yearly basis were about 157,000. The majority of New Yorks population was immigrants. The influx of such large numbers of immigrants radically altered the landscape of New York. They could not be ignored or dismissed as being alien to the city; their presence was large and profound. New York was transformed from a land that was predominantly English to one that housed a host of different cultures and peoples.
As more and more Germans and Irish came to New York, new ethnic dwellings began to take form. Immigrant groups settled in areas that consisted of people of their own ethnic background. New York became divided into many different ethnic enclaves. For example, the Germans crowded into a community known as Kleindeutschland or Little Germany. This community within the United States consisted of immigrants who preserved their culture and language, the American language and ways of life was virtually non-existent in the community. So strong was the preservation of the German language that Kleindeutschland became known as one of the three capitals of the German speaking world. Irish immigrants did not cluster in one concentrated area with as much vigor as the Germans; the only notable area that the Irish readily occupied was the Five Points. Irish working on a particular job such as building bridges and turnpikes tended to settle in areas they worked in. As ethnic communities sprung up so did associations that catered to the needs of the immigrants. Institutions such as the German Society and the Friendly Sons of Patrick helped in matters that plagued their particular ethnic group.
The Germans and Irish created their own standing in the working world. Each group bought individual skills that aided in employment and the development of the city. Many immigrants served as the "muscle-power" that helped to transform the New York landscape. The Irish made their mark in the area of construction. They helped to construct many of the citys structures from the Croton Aqueduct High Bridge to many new docks and turnpikes. The Germans excelled in areas of piano making and as brewers. They brought with them lager, which was a considerable success in New York.
The immigrant groups that came to New York contributed many things to the city, both their culture and the citys nature changed. If it had not been for the contributions of groups like the Irish and Germans many aspects of New York would be different, these groups gave the city a large population and also a large supply of labor. These things in turn worked to develop the city into a more urban and commercial center, which drastically boosted the economy of New York. Immigrant efforts in the area of creating business, providing labor, building infrastructures etc all helped to shape the city in a major way that otherwise wouldnt have been possible. Also the assimilation of immigrants into mainstream American adds new factors that shape overall culture of America. I believe the xenophobia of both past and present to be unjustified. Immigrants do not take away from the overall culture or economy, their presence is not a deteriorating factor, rather they seek to provide for themselves and do so wherever given an opportunity. Many come to American for opportunity and the chance of prosperity, why should they be denied the chance to compete when history has shown that immigrant are capable and add more to a nation than take away.
Tenement Housing and Exploitation of the Immigrant Populations
Lower Manhattan has been the home of various immigrant populations, from the Germans and Irish to the Eastern Europeans and the Chinese, each group hoping to improve on their previous lifestyle. The reality that awaited them in land of "freedom" and "opportunity" was one of cold, hard exploitation. Tenement houses are perhaps the most obvious evidence of the exploitation that immigrants faced in America. They were forced to compromise the very basic needs of heat, light and plumbing, all because of the various prejudice and neglect that abounded in the city. On my visit to The Tenement Museum I became more aware of the nature of the living conditions in tenement houses, which reinforced my belief that tenement housing was one of the most blatant examples of immigrant exploitation in this country.
The tenement houses around lower Manhattan were built for the working class but upon the arrival of the numerous immigrants they radically changed into slums of disease and poverty. The willingness of landlords to cramp many immigrant families into a single apartment and the neglect of the government to provide adequate housing codes, led to immigrant families being exploited even in the places they called home. The tenement building shown on the tour was built in 1863 and seemed to lack the most menial needs of a family. The buildings lacked electricity, running water, a heating system and adequate plumbing. Even in those floors where toilets were added on, they seemed unsanitary and oddly placed (instead of inside the apartments they were on the floor between two apartments). The particular tenement building was well preserved because of the fact that it had been unoccupied and virtually untouched for 53 years since its closing. The building was worse than most and failed to comply with numerous government laws that were pushed forward by social activist in the early 1900s. The stairwells were not fireproof and there were matters of ventilation and plumbing that were still left unresolved. Despite these hazards to life the immigrant population was plenty (6000 individuals lived in the 3 room apartment houses from 1864-1935) and because they were a nonentity to the politicians and the upper class they remained virtually unprotected till their needs were brought to surface by union organizations and social activist. For a considerable number of years immigrants were forced to live in squalor and the cramped, unsanitary conditions of tenement apartments.
Two examples of immigrant families that were readily exploited by Americas ignorance to the needs of the foreign populations were the Harris Levine family and the Rogleshikeys. They were tenants in the building and faced the hardships of basically making do with whatever (however horrible) conditions that they were required to live in. The Harris Levine family were German immigrants who began a factory in their home in 1942. They had about four children and worked as garment makers. As a way to make a living they were forced to start a sweatshop in their apartment, an already crowded space. They were difficulties managing so many individuals in the tiny apartment also there was a need to work long hours. The Rogleshikeys faced a similar situation although they moved in after renovations. Despite the newly made changes the conditions did not help out the close and unsanitary living arrangements. When Abraham Rogleshikey contracted tuberculosis the cramped nature of the tenement building increased the spread of the disease to other individuals and proved fatal to him. The lifestyle that the immigrants in the tenement building faced showed that they were in a state of neglect that led to numerous hardships in their lives. Because the government did not provided enough measures to secure even decent living and working conditions they were forced to struggle and save for even a semi-humane life.
Exploitation was not something confined to the workplace but also followed immigrant workers home and became an intimate part of their lives. At work immigrants were forced into dangerous conditions. The long hours, child labor, and low wages were all serious problems that plagued them. In 1911 a fire broke out in a garment factory in New York City that cost the lives of hundreds of immigrant laborers. Their lives were lost because no fire escapes were mandated by the government and also because they were locked in the rooms by their employer. At home they lived in unsanitary and cramped poverty. Landlords did not feel compelled to remove various fire hazards and upgrade the standard of living. These tenement buildings were the breeding grounds of disease and distress to many immigrant families. Because immigrants were foreign to the city and because they were desperate to make a better life employers and landlords readily took advantage of them and offered the immigrant population the very minimum of anything, until the government took notice and people were ready to realize this type of exploitation went on. Even today with modern sweatshops and off the book jobs for illegal workers this type of exploitation is rampant. The Tenement museum highlighted the fact that exploitation was plainly obvious around the 1900s but also made me realize that its still part of our world today.
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