Welcome - Life in the City Group

In history, the urban center tells a tale of the times and lives of all the people who inhabit it. It tells us a tale of the poor and the rich; the social strata of classes and the racial mix that makes it up as well as its problems and its successes. This is especially true of the urban center in the progressive period in American history. With the emergence of technological innovations and engineering creations, i.e., railroads, factories, mining and coal industry, and electricity sparked America into a modern society unlike ever experienced historically. The railroad industry’s connected the East to the West as well as the American family transitioning from rural farm lands to urban areas greatly altering the American landscape. Here you will get a glimpse of an urban center during this time period through the written word, pictures and music.

General Living / Working Conditions

Life in the city during the late 1800s was very different depending from what aspect you look at it from. This time period saw rapid industrial growth, and thus the growth of factories that needed a plentiful amount of workers to complete the tasks needed to be done in the factories, often with no regard to the workers health, or well-being. The rise in need of workers led to a direct need for housing. Most workers lived in tenement houses, which were often overcrowded, poorly kept, and highly unsanitary. In “The Working Girls of Boston”, the horrific living conditions of the “everyday worker” were outlined, and brought to light. The desperate situation that these girls and other workers were in was seen in their necessity for housing, that these girls had no greater option than to rent a room, often just a space in which they were able to sleep, regardless of the poor and often unlivable sanitation.

During this same time period, tycoons like Carnegie and Rockefeller, came out and dominated their particular industry of business in which they ventured, granting them a bountiful profit. Being at the top of the food chain, poor working conditions didn’t apply to them. They made a plethora of money, and didn’t even have to contend with the obstacles the working-class was put through, who barely made a fraction of that of Carnegie’s and Rockefeller’s. The lifestyles of the rich in the late 19th century were a reflection of the wealth that they acquired and wished to flaunt. This time period saw the rise of the Victorian-esque homes being built to further boast their lavish lifestyles.

The Black Elite

The Black Elite society started to form following the American Civil war among the free blacks that managed to acquire land (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America). Every American city had a small active black elite community who felt it was their job to be an example to the lower economic members of the black race (Wikipedia). Ranks within the black upper class were based on the darkness of one's skin, and levels of education and current job occupation (Moore) (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America) (Wikipedia). Some previous mixed- race slaves held an initial advantage because their slave holders ensured that they received an education, or acquired a trade or craft. The black elite began to exercise leadership roles in their community within the church, schools, and political societies (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America). The black elite enjoyed the privileges of living in the white neighborhoods, which further isolated them from the darker-skinned black counter parts (Wikipedia). The elite black started to that if the imitated practices of the white man they could in turn receive equivalent social standing. The Black elite represented the educated, entrepreneurs, actors, singers, and dancers (Moore).

Shortly after the Civil war to the present, Washington DC harbored the nation's largest African American population, also known as the Black Elite between 1880-1920 (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America). Although Washington DC was the black capital of the world numerous other cities such as Baltimore, Charleston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Chicago all had unique stories to tell from the experiences of previous enslaved persons of color (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

Baltimore: The proximity to Washington DC meant that there resided a tight knit circle between both Baltimore and Washington natives. Baltimore's black elite society were based on the city's proximity to Washington (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America). This meant that this closed knit community of elites of both cities mingled frequently. Baltimore's elite society emerged from the “free families aligned with the city's civic, educational, and religious life for generations” (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

Charleston: This city was one of the cities held in highest regard for the black elite. The black elite here at had deep ties to the white aristocratic societies, and on numerous occasions they even own slaves themselves (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

New Orleans: In New Orleans it was well known that the black elite here were respected by the white aristocrat more than in any other city (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America). Their lineage as in Charleston is traced back to free people of color They enjoyed a lot of privileges that Black Elite in other cities could not enjoy. They were known for their wealth, education and as quasi citizens (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

Philadelphia and New York: The Black elite here closely identified with the Abolitionist movement. Most of the wealth from this group came from catering. The Black Elite from Philadelphia was made up of Philadelphians, West Indians, and free born Southerners that were fair skinned (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

Boston: The elite in Boston were even more tied to the Abolitionist movement than black elite circles in Philadelphia. The Black elite only made up 2% of the black population of the city, but they were “attorneys, physicians, salaried employees, business proprietors, and literary and musical people a part of their small, exclusive circle” (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).

Chicago: The black population in Chicago did not become recognized until the 1840s. And even then the population was made up of escaped slaves, and freed blacks from the North and South. In the other words the Black Elite here was few and far between, but in some people's opinion continued to prosper (Gatewood, The Black Elite in America).


Works Cited

Gatewood, Willard B. The Black Elite in America. 10 March 2010 .

--. The Black Elite in America. 14 March 2010 .

Moore, Jacqueline M. Leading the Race: The Transformation of the Black Elite in the Nation's Capital 1880-1920. 14 February 2010 .

Wikipedia. The Black Elite. 24 December 2009. 14 February 2010 .

Roles of Women

Women played a pivotal role in city life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lot of the work that women's groups did in the city was based on religious principal and focused on helping troubled young girls and women. In San Francisco, members of the Occidental Branch of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society sponsored rescue homes for Chinese prostitutes. Members gave the women protection from sexual and physical abuse along with helping them to escape the men who exploited them and reenter society. In Salt Lake City, a group called the Industrial Christian Home Association received a subsidy from Congress to provide shelter for women who renounce polygamy and their young children. The Women's Christian Temperance Union sponsored homes for unwed mothers and day and night nurseries for children of working women.

The women that worked in Boston factories faced unspeakable working conditions. The Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics issued a report in 1884 about the hazards working women faced in the city. In button-making factories, the fingers of female workers often got caught under punch and die machines. Employers provided a surgeon to dress an employee's wounds the first three times, but after that, she would have to pay for her own medical care. Women were operating heavy machinery and being exposed to dangerous chemicals and processing materials. Most women in the workforce found it hard to get along with employers and male unionists. An organizer for the Knights of Labor, Leonora Barry, visited mills and factories around the country to highlight women's unique difficulties and condemned the selfishness of the fellow employees and employers who resented women being in the workplace. During the Progressive era, protective legislation for women was controversial. Reformers campaigned for laws establishing minimum wage, regulations against working at night and restrictions on heavy lifting. It was argued that women needed special protections because of their physical frailty. Women's rights activists disagreed because they wanted the same rights as men.

In the 1890's women's suffrage groups began to emerge as significant political forces. The two major national women's suffrage associations, the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association, merged to form the National-American Woman Suffrage Association. The movement brought together women around the country but the white native-born Protestant American suffragists excluded the poor, immigrants, African Americans and laboring classes. Women were developing clubs used for political activism that were specifically excluding African Americans despite the fact that they were working for common goals. In 1896, African American women formed their own national federation called the National Association of Colored Women.

The 19th Century Health Care

New York City as we know was one of the most diverse cities in the newly developed nation in the 19th Century (US Department of Health and Human Services) (Thom). By 1863 New York City had one of the worse health statistics in the nation. Data show that 1 out of 36 people died in New York as compared to other cities such as Boston and Philadelphia. Studies attribute the high rate of diseases to the inadequate housing, and unclean communities.

Sanitation, apartment overcrowding, and a clean water supply were all major problems for New York during the late nineteenth century (Thom). With overcrowding, and a lack of sanitary habits the spread of infectious disease was inevitable. It was very difficult to control the spread of infectious disease under these conditions (Cesifo Group). Highest reported spread of diseases was between 1881 and 1882, more than likely due to immigration. “In 1889, deaths reported were as follow:1242 deaths from scarlet fever, 1686 from diphtheria, 647 from whooping cough, 470 from measles, 1589 from 'cholera infantum,' and 5179 from tuberculosis” (US Department of Health and Human Services). In 1840 approximately 190 out of every 1,000 infants born in New York City never reached their first birthdays. Many of the diseases that caused all these deaths thrived in the dirty drinking water, untreated milk, sanitation, and housing conditions were all contributing factors to the high rates of disease in the cities (US Department of Health and Human Services).

Port Cities such as New York City were particularly susceptible to outbreaks of infectious diseases (What Was 19th Century Health Care). These locations brought an assortment of world travelers that have been exposed to a plethora of disease that was once restricted in certain parts of the world.


Works Cited

19th Century Nursing in England. 19 January 2007. 12 February 2010 .

Cesifo Group. "Evolution of Health Care, from 19th Century till today." Introduction of Public Health Care System. n.d.

Thom, Anso. Social development restored health in Britain's 19th century urban ghettos long before the arrival of drugs. 2 May 2002. 13 fEBRUARY 2010 .

US Department of Health and Human Services. "PUBLIC HEALTH IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY." Health Report. 1990.

What Was 19th Century Health Care. 2/10/10 February 2010 .

Political Issues

In New York during 1880, there were many political issues. The first issue was on taxation imposed on exports. New York was an industrialist state; many manufactures liked the notion of paying higher taxes and so, this left the city in disputes. Another issue was with the national service program. Many felt the government should extend pensions to disable soldiers that included their extended families and not just to their widowers. Finally, there was the Civil Service Reform. Jobs were extremely rare during the 1880s. Many government jobs, during this time, were largely controlled by the elite, which they move over within their social circle. Many believed that any man, including a commoner could accomplish the same job as someone with money. All theses issues were extremely helpful to America. These groups eventually spun into a powerful reform campaign to better the lives of all Americans.

New York Mafia

The mafia during the past 18th century consisted of many different immigrant groups that dominated the streets of New York City. The mafia consisted of Italian, Irish, and Jewish cultures. They migrated to America looking for a better way of life with the hopes of finding jobs and raising a family. In the 1800s many immigrants arrived with just the clothes on their backs. When the immigrants arrived in America, there were mixed feelings. Many business owners greeted them with open arms, but society in general saw them as a threat. Many believed that there was certainly not enough food and land to help new comers. The city was already over crowed and jobs were inadequate. Many groups that were already established in the city felt threatened by the sudden influx of new comers. Many times only hiring their families brought about violence on the streets, many Americans who were already here for centuries felt they did not stand a chance to survive by making a living. Many immigrants had no jobs which to make a living had to go on the streets to survive. They formed their own neighborhood clicks and began making money illegally.

Works Cited:

http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/kane98/kane p3 immi/italian/italian.htm