Tenement Life in NYC essays

Tenement Life in NYC essays Over spring break I had the opportunity to visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and take the Getting By tour. I really enjoyed the setup of this museum, as it gave me a true feel that I was almost traveling back in time to see what things were like for immigrants around the turn of the 20th century. It is hard to imagine just how rough the conditions were, considering a small apartment building such as the one we toured would be the home of several families per floor, each with numerous children. Add to that poor ventilation, thin walls, noises and smells coming from outside (and probably other parts of the building, too). It is amazing to me that for the immigrants living in these tenements, these living conditions were a step above what they could afford in their old country. I began to think about Engles writings on Manchester that we read earlier in the semester, and how he described probably the most horrid living conditions I can imagine anyone suffering through. Compared to these conditions, the tenements of New York must not seem that bad, if for no other reason than the fact that they were not shunned and hidden away like they were in places like Manchester. It seems that what saved many immigrants in the early 20th century was the tight community they formed, both up in their apartments and down on the streets and in the storefronts. They formed a community that, if it exists at all in New York today, is extremely rare. It is fascinating that in this city, it seems to take extreme hardships (think back to September 11, 2001) to bring people together. ...