America: Living Situation in 1800

Jenn Schwope

History 1302-054

Short Essay (2 pages):  If America's big cities were so nasty (crowded, dirty, noisy, corrupt), why did so many people move there in the late 1800s?  Why did they stay there?  How did the stay there?

In the late 1800's there was a extreme influx of immigrants to the United States. These were considered "new Immigrants". This meant the immigrants were coming from southern and eastern European countries, and they were coming for new reasons. The countries in which they escaped were war torn, they were being persecuted for religion or race and had nothing to offer anymore. The new immigrants came from nothing and would do jobs for much less. These families were willing to survive on very little and they did it without complaining, because it was better than what they had in their home countries before. The factories had a high demand for workers and the new comers were willing to do just about any job they could. This plan worked out for both parties.  The immigrants either stayed in the United States because there own countries had nothing left for them or they planned to make money and return to their homeland with money to better their lives, these people were called "birds of passage". Most of them did not make it back  to their homelands.

Immigrants weren't the only people moving to the big cities. The introduction of machinery and the advances in technology made living in the country side a scarcity. The demand of jobs and financial advancement was appealing to those who were struggling in the rural life. The rural communities were becoming almost obsolete and pushed the farmers and ranches towards the cities.

It was easier for the new immigrants to live and get settled in their new homes, if they were surrounded by familiarities. Families were living in very small, cheap houses, called tenements, with many people in each house or building to split the costs. They really had no other option once they got here and they made due with what they had. They tended to stick together to form little communities, where they all spoke the same language and had the same customs and traditions. The majority of the immigrants were Roman Catholic, Jewish or Greek Orthodox. There were places called 'little Italy "or "Greek town" among numerous other communities.  This set up was also a downfall for them to become more "American". Due to the comfort of feeling at home the immigrants failed to really get the American Dream lesson.  They were not in a hurry to learn English or spread out and better the situations they were in.  The factories did not require the workers to speak or write in English. The language barrier also hindered the people of branching out and accepting new experiences. Instead of the living situation changing and growing in a positive way for them, it actually became a health and sanitary situation. What started off as a good solution for housing the massive amounts of people coming into the cities, ended up being a great problem. A large percentage  of babies born in the late 1800's died as a result of the many diseases that spread through the overcrowded living conditions. Cholera and tuberculosis were two epidemics that really spread rampantly among the buildings.  The unsanitary and unsafe housing situation eventually led to major housing and sanitation laws that changed the landscape of city life once again.