Summary of Joanne Reitano’s “The Restless City”, Chapter 5 – The Empire City
In this chapter, Reitano talks about the growing economic gap between the rich and poor as a result of corrupt politics and unlivable working conditions. Reitano discusses the issues of New York city in the late 20th century and how they led to increased social reform.
During the late-nineteenth-century, America was growing increasingly complex industrial. Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, one of the most successful books of that era, managed to portray “old values” in a world that seemed increasingly impersonal and immoral.
The book was a rag to riches tale that managed to show the city in a fascinating and positive light. It was seen as an optimistic novel for the time, giving people hope that the poor can rise up economically and socially.
Stephen Crane, the author of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, had a contrasting view. Unlike Alger, Crane portrays the harsh consequences of social Darwinism. Unlike Dick, Maggie falls victim to the city and its hold over the poor.
New York was growing for the best and the worst. Nicknamed the Empire City, New York was the center of finance, trade, and industry. It housed the rich and attracted poor immigrants.
New York was the center but it was not perfect. the city had many problems at the time that needed to be addressed. Among them was the gap between the poor and the wealthy. The era was dubbed the Gilded Age and was seen as an era of social struggle and strife between the rich and poor. Authors like Mark Twain challenged myth and reality when addressing the social and economic gap, questioning Alger’s viewpoint about whether one can really go from rags to riches.
The wealthy class in New York City included robber barons who ran monopolies on their companies and who controlled a majority of the wealth in the city. Rockefeller was one of the most important and powerful of the businessmen at the time. Although he had humble beginnings, he expanded his company through ruthless methods and made himself a wealthy man.
Because of growing companies like Rockefeller’s, the government began to reassess their role in the economy and struggled to control trusts. As the economy boomed, so did the infrastructure of the city. Iconic changes to New York included the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
With the influx of new immigrants came a set of new issues that needed to be addressed politically. Corrupt politicians entered the office by taking advantage of the needs of the poor. A good example of this is politician William M. Tweed who was described as having New York City under his thumb. He took on several positions in Tammany Hall. Tweed rigged the votes so that he could continuously hold office. Despite his unethical rise to power, Tweed helped New York City by funding several public projects.
Tweed was exceptionally wealthy and powerful during the time period. His fall began with the Orange Riot in 1871 when there was a conflict between the Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics. This was soon followed by evidence that proved Tweed was stealing money from the city. Tweed was removed from office and later arrested. After Tweed, there focus on creating a good government and honest politics.
As changes were being made to improve politics, changes were also being made to improve social conditions. In an effort to expose poverty and the economic gap in New York, journalist Jacob Riis publicized his book How the Other Half Lives with very graphic images to appeal New Yorkers. He managed to capture the very worst of the city. At the same time, he increased awareness about the unsanitary and overall terrible conditions faced by the city’s youth.
Now that the problems were known, efforts were being made to fix these problems. The mayor worked with journalists like Riis to make improvements in the city. This included changes to the police force and public schools.
Jacob Riis was not the only one making changes. Josephine Shaw Lowell was improving prisons workhouses and job programs. She supported Riis and his projects and completed several projects of her own to help women rise to leadership positions.
Overall, efforts were being made to improve working and living conditions. Several organizations were created and privately funded to support the poor. To Jacob Riis and historian Alan Nevins New York City was very philanthropic.
At this time, concerns about labor were on the rise. The financial panic in 1873 along with wage reductions and unemployment caused workers to ask the government for relief. When the government refused, workers went to the streets to protest. However, the police took to the streets and violently stopped protesters.
There were as many as 1200 strikes in New York City alone and ongoing conflict with the police force and judicial system made it more difficult to achieve labor goals. With the help of Samuel Gompers and Henry George, people strived for better hours wages benefits and working conditions.
Even young newsboys were trying to improve working conditions and wages. To Jacob Riis, the role of the newsboys in striving for better labor conditions mirrored the current culture of society. For New York, labor was one of the primary concerns in the late 20th century. To Riis, the Empire City was growing by starting to care for the poor and working-class.
By investing in improving labor, New Yorkers were investing in improving living conditions and were adopting the optimistic mindset of Dick — that maybe things will change for the better.
