Discussion & Reflection

When I first picked up Shaun Tan’s The Arrival I was surprised to find it under the children’s picture book section at Barnes and Noble. I didn’t know what to expect from the book, I certainly didn’t expect to connect to it emotionally the way that I did. The first time I looked through the book, I just quickly skimmed through it, not paying attention to the details. By doing this, I was a little confused. Sure it is a story about a man who leaves home, goes to some new land, and then eventually brings his family over as well. But what exactly is this strange land? What are these animals, strange foods, and odd buildings? What is this language? After going through the book again paying more attention to the details I realized that being confused about this land is the whole purpose to the story. These surreal details are meant to make you feel as if you too are traveling to a different country where life is different than what you’re used to.

The one surreal element of the new world that interested me the most was the language. It is completely different than anything we are used to. It is clearly not a western language because it is not a modern western alphabet. This takes away the typical stereotype that immigrant stories about those who moved West typically to America. This land could be anywhere because in truth, people escaped to many places. Shaun Tan’s father for example didn’t emigrate to the United States, he went to Australia.

Another aspect of this brand new language that I connected to was the fact that no reader could understand it, just like the protagonist. With no words at all the reader is able to connect with the protagonist and still understand the story. We are put in this new country where we point to words we don’t understand, words we don’t know how to pronounce, or how to read. The only way to communicate is through signs and images. It helped me connect my own life to the protagonist’s. My parents moved here from Albania and they didn’t understand any English at all. I was still a toddler at that time so I don’t remember much, but they’re stories about how they struggled so much because of miscommunication always makes me so much more appreciative of how easy I have it now. Reading this picture book I finally was able to understand what my parent’s meant by looking at something and having no clue what it meant. Just like the strange language in the book, English too was once strange for my parents.

This sense of attachment that I created with the protagonist is what made this book so meaningful for me, and what makes it so much more than any children’s picture book. It is a story that everyone lives through in one way or another, even moving to a new school, or town can leave you feeling confused and alone at first. You are able to live through the protagonist and see the story of the life of any immigrant unfold. We learn to get accustomed to this strange land and see that everyone has different experiences within it. Overall it’s not just one person’s or one ethnicity’s immigration story, it’s every human’s immigration story.

In Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, the vivid illustrations within the graphic novel color the journey of a young immigrant who leaves his family behind in order to venture out and make a living in the great unknown. Throughout his stay in the foreign world, the man encounters various figures in learning how to adapt to his new surroundings; in particular, an elderly man who shares the protagonist’s job in the factory. The old man’s tale of his war-ridden voyage back home, only to find it in complete destruction, creates a powerfully saddening yet nostalgic undertone at that point in the novel. However, the image that follows that anecdote, and the one that rang most potent to me, was the image of the protagonist and the elderly man surrounded in a field of white, bird-like creatures, illuminated by vibrant sunlight.

This image struck to me for several reasons. First, the image marks as a significant turning point in the novel because of the shift in color scheme. In the previous parts, the novel is colored in primarily gray, black, and white; portraying the dark fears of the protagonist in a different world as well as the ominous stories of emigration from the other people he encounters in his travels. The use of bright yellow and brown tones provides a period of relief from the dark and vaguely depressing nature of the protagonist’s experiences in the new country, and for once substantiates a sense of hope for the rest of the plot. In drawing this image, Tan shows that not all hope is lost during the immigration process, and acts as a reminder to both the reader as well as the protagonist about why people emigrate in the first place. There is something beautiful to be found even in the darkest of places and this image encapsulates the essence of that message.

Not only does this image symbolizes the light at the end of the tunnel, but it also serves as a transition from the uncertain aspects of immigration and recreating oneself to the tangible memories and achievements of the immigrant mentality of working to sustain oneself as well others. While coming off as a bit fantastical in nature, the image of bright lights and leisurely moments act to ground the plot in the subtext of what is going around the protagonist. In this scene, the protagonist and his elderly coworkers enjoy some free time and play simple games; the simplicity of the scene is juxtaposed with the harsher realities of immigrant work and adjusting to life in an alien area. Tan introduces another component of the multi-faceted system of city life by both physically and culturally distinguishing between the urban grind and lax suburbia. The image is vastly open, with the two figures seen miniscule in size to the natural environment around them. The perception of depth in the image shows that the subjects are in the background, but the focal point in the foreground and the flying creatures that inhabit the field. Tan also uses the rule of thirds by drawing the huge sun diagram in the right third of the image, thus drawing more attention to it due to its location as well as its visual enormity.

This image encompasses all the traits of what the “Immigrant Dream” is: to create a world where life is better for oneself and their loved ones and where success and stability are within reach through hard work. There is a sense of glory that permeates throughout the image of the figures in the sun and the field and that feeling is something that so many immigrants strive to establish when making the jump from homeland to land of opportunity.

Henry Burby

MHC 10201

3/25/16

 

Street Life in a Strange Land

Many stories attempt to tell what it is like to disembark in a totally alien land, and try to portray the alienation of most immigrants who truly know very little about their new home when they first arrive. Though many are very successful, the The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, takes a different, and very effective strategy. It puts readers in the shoes of an immigrant, and allows them to experience a new land themselves. The sequence of eight images, of the street life around the protagonist are equally strange and alien to the reader as it is to the immigrant, and approximates what it might be like to walk the streets of a totally foreign city, without any prior knowledge of its culture, flora, fauna, clothes, etc. The experience is made more realistic by the fact that, accept for the last, each image, is from eye height, and presumably shows the protagonist’s vantage point. Each picture presents the reader with some new element to wonder at. First is the newsboy, selling papers printed with strange symbols which the reader cannot understand. This is a recurring theme in the story. From the title page, the reader is unable to read any of the words in the story. this is exactly what happens to many immigrants, who have no experience with the native language of their new country. The language may be fascinating, or even beautiful (It is both in this story), but if it cannot be understood, it presents a serious problem for a visitor. One example from this story is when the protagonist takes the job putting up signs, and accidentally pastes them upside-down. Simpler issues include not being able to read maps, or understand documents, two more issues for the protagonist. The second picture introduces the strange animals of the new country, and their relationship to humans. The animal seems to be a cat/lizard/owl hybrid of some sort. In the modern first world, it is easy to find images of, and information about, all the discovered animals on the globe. However, in the past, and today in poor areas, this was much more difficult. The reader has the same reaction to this creature that a turn of the century Malaysian immigrant would at first sight of a New York City pigeon. The separation between the protagonist and his surroundings is heightened in later images by the introduction of strange clothing, devices, and food, all which mystify the reader and the protagonist. However, the most powerful element is the little boy standing next to the man being shaved. He stares directly into the eyes of the protagonist, from behind the sheet around his father’s neck, possibly for protection. His unusual hat seems strange to us, but the protagonist’s fedora seems to be equally bizarre to him. While everyone else in the scene ignores, or doesn’t notice, the protagonist, this boy, possibly because of his young age, looks unabashedly at the weird man in the dented, brimmed hat. The reader never learns how intelligent the animal companions are, but it is worth noting that the cat/lizard/owl also stares, possibly for the same reason. In any case, the feeling of not entirely friendly scrutiny is the same in both images. In the final image, the reader separates from the protagonist’s perspective, and sees what the natives do: a confused, lost looking man, trying to find his way around.

The scene where Vito reaches America is extremely poignant and powerful. It creates a sharp contrast with other depictions about the trip to Ellis Island, which are usually characterized as beautiful, joyous and hopeful. Instead, in this film, the camera pans over the faces of immigrant after immigrant and all of the faces are somber and worried. They are clustered together and forced on this tumultuous journey and there is not much joy to be had.

The way the film shows this scene is very interesting. The music is cultural and not necessarily sad or triumphant. In fact, there is a kind of ominous tone to the music actually, which I suppose sets the mood of the film, which is that America is not necessarily the land of the free and beautiful, for some especially.

In addition, the people on the ships can see the skyline of New York, but their view is blocked by the harbor and other ships. When they get off the boat they are forced through equal parts humiliating and infuriating customs. So it is as if their status as immigrants literally gets in the way of the hopes and dreams of their new lives in America. This is also seen later when Vito gets to his room facing the Statue of Liberty. His window is dirty and smudged but he looks out at the monument and sings a bittersweet melody in Italian. The idea is that he cannot access the America that was projected to him and so many others like him, (“give me your tired and poor and restless, etc) and that that image is stained. From his perspective, it is as if he is too “dirty”( the window) to access that version of America that can give him equal opportunity.

In Alger’s novel, Ragged Dick, he shows his view of New York, which is that people are able to shine above from little. Alger’s book showed that it was possible to break barriers, and to rise, supporting the rag-to-riches myth. Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Street shows the other side of this. In his novel, the character of Maggie, who he describes as capable of rising above if given the chance, is unable to do so due to circumstances and is dragged to prostitution, despair and death.

New York during the time the novels took place was known as “Empire City”, the nation’s largest and grandest metropolis. It was a master of finance, trade, and industry. It was also an attraction for many immigrants, and served as an economic market for the world. However, New York was also very corrupt. Many people tried to bring order to the “distended society” but mostly in vain. According to Hewitt, a respectable mayor, the city was imperialistically destined to succeed naturally; it only depended on its inhabitants whether they allowed it or not. Hewitt’s opponent, Henry George was less emphatic than Hewitt. He thought that with the increasing wealth, there was a struggle of the deepest poverty, struggle for existence, and idleness. He warned that if the problems were not addressed then there would soon be people on the streets and under such circumstances, progress is not real.

Mark Twain coined this time the “Gilded Age”, a time where greed was the token of realm but everything that shined was not gold. He also wrote a story that questioned the standing idea of the time that the rich were deserving and that the poor were undeserving and inferior. The social contract at the time was defined in means of survival of the fittest and material wealth, with many supporting Social Darwinism.

Economically, the city made many accomplishments. However, most of the methods used to create huge dominating businesses were unpleasant, with  owners being called “robber barons”. Robber barons of the time include Rockefeller (oil), Vanderbilt (railroads), and Carnegie (steel), among others. With many of these robber barons establishing their businesses on Wall St, Wall St. became the home for new wealthy businesses.  Rockefeller stood as an example of the rag to riches myth. He believed in Social Darwinism and thought that it was normal to eliminate competitors.

Rockefeller’s competition endangered so many businesses that people and the government began to reassess the social contract and government regulation. They began to put regulations on these trusts. Initial regulations were weak and trusts continued to grow, specifically in NY. In 1892, in fact, 1/3 of millionaire’s lived in NY. Economically, NY was so strong that it was called “the center around which other regional metropolises orbited, the great organizer of American commerce.”

With economic progress, the city also progressed physically with gas, electricity, railroads, mansions, and bridges. The majestic Brooklyn Bridge was an example of the progress and served as an urban symbol. Another great icon of the time was the statue of liberty, which of course became America’s symbol of freedom. The growth of the city however, did not come without corruption. In fact, with the Tweed Ring incident, it earned the title as “the worst governed city in the world.”

William Tweed emerged as a powerful man in the Gilded Ade, who provided a functioning, but corrupt, political system to the City. He had served various elected and appointed positions and because of his connections (and access to bribes and gifts), he was able to dominate the Democratic party and Tammany Hall. He represented the City’s shift from only patrician politicians to one open to middle class men. While he promoted democracy, he was also very corrupt. He had friendly judges naturalize new immigrants for votes, have people vote under different names, and have gangs sent out for opposition voters.  However, even though he was corrupt, Tweed did have pro-city bills passed. He secured allocations for schools, public baths, hospital and many other things. He also made a lot of money through his empire, and his extravagance sometimes offended New Yorkers.

Eventually, due to corruption, a movement began within Tammany and soon enough violence erupted on the streets.With the Orange Riot of 1871, in which Nativist attitudes of the 40’s and 50’s resurfaced specifically between the Catholic Irish and Irish Protestants, Tweed was no longer in control. This occurred because of Tweed’s failure to keep his Irish Catholic supporters. A year later, before an anti Irish Catholic parade of the Irish protestants, Tammany feared that a riot would break out. He therefore tried to stop the parade but in vain. The parade carried out with 1500 policemen on all side of the Protestants. Irish Catholics proceeded to throw stones and bottles at the marchers. Soon enough, the soldiers (mostly Catholic) began to fire. Bloodshed ensued and many casualties were taken. It was called the Tammany riots. Tweed’s corruption was finally proven when Tammany Ring’s bookkeeper passed away and the new bookkeeper gave Tweed’s the accounts to New York Times.

Eventually Tweed was arrested for all his actions and sent to jail where he stayed till death. Tweed showed to Americans that the powerful men of the Gilded Age were mostly all corrupt and that greed could negatively affect democracy.

The Gilded Age, although a victim of corruption, was not only a time of greed and disinterest in human suffering. Many were concerned of the “Social Question” and opted to help the poor. Even well-to-do influential New Yorkers decided to help. One of the main people who played a role in the urban problems was Jacob Riis. He was a journalist who took graphic photographs of the suffering he saw in the Five Points. Asking New York, “What are you going to do about it?”. Many different reforms began to take place as a result of Riis’s urging. In 1901, NY became the first city to require schooling for children under 12.

Riis also spoke against the evil of color causing Blacks to stand up for themselves. They fought against segregated schooling and won in 1900, when Roosevelt signed a desegregating school law for the state. During this time the upper classes were also learning about the urban problems. Lee Lowell serves as a perfect example of this. She was a woman from an upper class family who dedicated her life to charity and helping others. She advocated for a living wage, joined the Social Reform Club, and helped Riis in a children aid program among other things. She also served as the president of the New York Consumer League, which helped middle and upper class women boycott stores that exploited female workers.

Settlement Houses also came through and were supported by mostly upper and middle class men. Organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Ethical Culture Society also emerged. Due to the generosity of the rich, the City soon earned the name the “most charitable city in the world”. Riis called this time “the awakening”.

Through the Gilded Age people learned that they cannot only rely on themselves, but also had to rely on each other. This marked the transition from individual action to collective action. New York began to form labor unions. They stood behind the idea that no one would help them if they didn’t help themselves.On January, 1874, they formed a mass meeting from Tomspkins Square Park. Police withdrew permission of the rally at the last minute, and 1600 of them peppered the rally. The event turned violent with the police attacking the people rallying. Some people praised the police for saving NY from the riot, while many others were upset with police brutality. Three years later, police brutality appeared again when people planned for a national railroad strike. Henry Ward Beecher, also known as Brooklyn’s preacher, spoke harshly of activists seeking better pay. He said that people should be certainly given enough to live, but that a dollar a day was enough.

During this time, Samuel Gompers emerged as the nation’s leading labor organizer after playing part in the cigar makers’ strike. He believed that strikes were crucial for self advancement. He also believed that only coordinated protest and organization by workers themselves would be effective.

Labor activism began to surge, with 1200 strikes in NY city alone in 1886. Activists fought to reduce long shifts specifically. Central Labor Union was one of the large union leagues that formed. They organized walks and blocked roads and also participated in boycotts. The state responded with orders to arrest leaders and rioters on the basis of “conspiracy against trade”. Employers also called on police to help them against rioters.

CLU then turned to politic with Henry George as their candidate for mayor. George spoke for a better government, social justice and the abolition of industrial slavery. Tammany and the Democrats in turn supported Abram Hewitt. Through Tammany’s manipulation of the polls, Hewitt ended up winning. However, George was deeply respected for his campaign in and out of the US. Also after the election, more labor candidates entered politics, running for various offices. There were so many of them, that soon enough Tammany shifted to being pro-labor and reaching out to labor.

However, the labor’s successes were brief, as Gompers had once predicted that they would be due to the divisions between the people fighting for its control. Gompers was determined to separate the unions from politics. He began the American Federation of Labor, also known as the most important labor organization in American history.

Due to increased child labor in the late 19th century, newsboys began to speak up for themselves. In 1899, they met at City Hall Park and called a strike. While their organization did not last, the boys were successful for four major reasons. These reasons were that they were able to cooperate due to an established community, the gained sympathy of adults, they were able to spread to the city, and lastly because they had newspapers covering them. Riis had always supported betterment for children as he knew that they would be the adults of the future.

19th century New York City, home to social reformers and labor union leaders, manifested that having the ideals of the working class– integrity, diligence, and a little luck– would help you move up in the ranks. Several men including Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and Horatio Alger published newspapers and books gave a more welcoming and promising portrayal of social darwinism. Other writers like Stephen Crane, however, chose to depict the unfavorable consequences of survival of the fittest. New York, at the times, was as powerful and prosperous, as it was corrupt and impoverished. Mark Twain deemed this era the Gilded Age because although social darwinism shaped Americans to work towards material earnings, these things were merely gilded.

New York City’s economy surely benefitted from robber barons like John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gould, and J.P. Morgan. Some of the wealthiest names in the country lived in New York. Eventually, the city had the capacity to greatly impact American economy due to the spur of business and innovation. Growing up on a farm and working hard to become a successful businessman, Rockefeller would seem to embody the working class ideals. However he soon owned a monopoly over the oil industry and people like this caused the gap between the rich and the poor. On the surface, New York was the center for growth and opportunity, but in reality, a large majority of its inhabitants were impoverished and the political leaders of the city were corrupt.

William M. Tweed was one such leader. Through immoral modes of getting votes such as bribery, Tweed was able to put several of his men in noble government positions. He never became mayor, but he worked on the campaigns for nominees of the Democratic Party and Tammany Hall. In this way, positions for office were dictated by Tweed. He controlled the system. Not only did he bribe voters, but he also gained the favor of businessmen who provided Tweed supporters with work and Tweed made money off of them as well. Riots between the Protestants and the Catholic Irish immigrants surfaced New York; they were deemed “the Tammany Riot” because Tweed often bribed immigrant for their vote. Tweed’s corruption surfaced when his bookkeeper died and the new bookkeeper exposed Tweed’s ways. He was arrested and died in jail at the age of 55.

This instance showed New Yorkers that corruption plagued their political system. Jacob Riis was the one to show the city that poverty was unfortunately just as prominent. An immigrant from Denmark, Riis came to the Five Points via the New York Tribune and took photographs of the living conditions in that area. In 1890, he published his renowned book, How the Other Half Lives. The book depicts lives of immigrants and poor people in slums, not prostitutes and criminals like they were previously made out to be. Riis’s work called for social reform. The mayor at the time implemented public bath houses and better sanitation. Education reforms required children under the age of twelve to attend school. Women’s rights was another area for improvement. Josephine Lowell took part in boycotts and worked to provide a standard of working conditions for the overworked women in stores.

New Yorkers realized that there was power in numbers and labor unions were a way to fight for their rights together. Samuel Gompers  formed the Cigarmakers’ Union in 1877 and led organized strikes. Unfortunately, no matter how much Gompers wanted to keep labor unions and politics separate, protesters backed Henry George for mayor because his policies included labor reform. However, the democratic nominee won the election due to Tweed’s rigged voter system.

Perhaps the most effective labor union was the Newsies. The fact that the group consisted of young people who were able to negotiate with the big newspaper companies brought light to the children being the future of progressivism in New York.

Chapter five poses three main questions about the Gilded Age in New York City (1865 1899): a political, a social, and an economic question. A running theme throughout the chapter revolves around Horatio Alger’s novel Ragged Dick. Alger’s work was very influential during this time period. He focused on the “rags-to-riches” notion that was very apparent in the city. This was a period or rapid modernization. There were many positive aspects to this modernization but also some negatives. People were becoming better informed about what was going on in their society through literature such as Alger’s or other inexpensive newspapers or novels. This lead to a push for social reform. Many people greatly profited from social Darwinism but others saw the negative consequences of this. Although the city as a whole was progressing, there was much conflict within. The gap between rich and poor was rapidly expanding. This uneven distribution of wealth created conflict within the society. People called robber barons and urban bosses took advantage of the malleability of society and dominated business into their own empires. Some of these robber barons were the poster children for the rags-to-riches concept put no all could be so lucky. Men like Rockefeller had a ruthless approach to business and used social Darwinism to rise in the ranks. Once the government identified the monopolies as a problem they began to try and regulate. They needed to find “harmony between capital and labor in the pursuit of progress” (Reitano 83). There was also an influx of new immigrants which contributed to a rapid increase in population. Brooklyn faced problems with immigrants, crime and corruption.

The chapter begins with the political question. It focusses on Tammany hall and how it worked. There was quite a bit of corruption in NY politics at this time. People would rise into power from nothing and take advantage of the rest of the city for their own purposes. One very important figure was Boss Tweed. Tweed started as working class Scottish immigrant and rose to power very quickly. “Tweed’s success represented a shift of political power away from the old formal party structure. . . to a new grassroots system” (Reitano 85). Tweed and his followers soon dominated to entire state political sphere. They did do some good for society by improving schools and other public infrastructure. A cartoonist named Nast often made cartoons about Tweed to expose the corruption in his system. This outraged the general public and even lead to violence. A particularly horrifying riot was the Orange Riot of 1871. It was caused by religious conflict between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics. After having to deal with much violence and massacres Tweed eventually lost his power. His corrupt ways were revealed and although he had done some good it was not enough. Tweed’s actions opened up people’s minds to what was going on in American politics.

Next is the social question. Although there was much affluence in the city at his time it was coupled with extreme poverty. Some looked down upon the poor. There was a sense of optimism for them as they saw the opportunity but there was also potential for conflict. Jacob Riis was an extremely important photographer of the slums. He has a “humanistic” approach to photography and tried to capture real life in the slums. He used some very interesting and imaginative camera techniques to create images that were impactful on the public. His book, How the Other Half Lives, was a huge hit and was a great way to bring attention to these issues. It made people rethink their view of the slums and caused them to empathize a bit more with the poor. Some nativist sentiments resurfaced during time which targeted poor immigrants. In response to the tensions in the slums the police force was strengthened. There were also campaigns to fight disease. Public education was a main focus for improvement of society. Education was views as a ladder of social mobility. Some issues arose regarding racial segregation in public schools. There was also reform in labor to push for better working conditions for women and children.

Lastly, is the economic question. The laborers had had enough and decided to organize. The notion of the American Dream had faded in many people’s minds and they decided that they needed to take direct action. Unions grew rapidly. Many saw strikes as their only option to make any change. It started with the railroad strike in 1877. Some feared that these strikes would lead to “Communist riot”.  Other riots followed soon after. Many were short lived but the unions eventually became stronger. The Central Labor Union was important because it “brought together a variety of workers’ groups. . . it endorsed a wide range of strategies” (Reitano 98). These organizations were initially looked down upon and put down by the police. After seeing little success, the CLU decided to take a different approach; a political approach.  They nominated Henry George to represent them in government. George put up a pretty good fight in the election and although he was not elected this showed the government that the unions were a real threat. Other, stronger, unions formed after this. The most important one was the American Federation of Labor which promoted “business unionism”. Later came the newsboys’ strike which was also influential. Their “strike attested to the complexities of economic change.” (Reitano 103).

In his novel Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger wrote of the American Dream as if it was the country’s faith. Set in New York City, Alger championed the individuals and old values while ignoring the changes in society that made it increasingly “impersonal and immoral.” Alger’s presentation of New York, the “center of America’s late-nineteenth-century modernization,” as the height of social mobility due to the social conscience of the elite that allow for negotiation. Along with the 19^th-century newspapers, Ragged Dick promoted the Social Darwinism approach to capitalism that dictated that anyone of a certain grain of character can rise up, even in the worst conditions. This depiction of New York City was contrasted by Mark Twain’s The Gilded Age and his short story parody of Ragged Dick.

The myth of American opportunity was fed by New York’s monumental accomplishments that were far beyond its time. From Rockefeller’s domination of oil to Vanderbilt’s advancements in railroads to Carnegie’s steel trust, Wall Street became a promise of success and wealth to American businesses that came there. A farm boy, Rockefeller took a Darwinist approach to business competition and consolidated businesses to create trusts in oil; the same model was used to consolidate trusts in steel, lead, salt, sugar, tobacco, whiskey, and more. Trusts threatened the competition that motivated capitalism and prompted government regulation in business. However, the regulations were not accomplished before a third of America’s millionaires lived in New York City.

In addition to Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty was an urban icon of the late-nineteenth-century. Upon its completion in 1886, it became a symbol of welcoming to immigrants, as described in Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus.” The influx of immigration, the consolidation of businesses, and the political corruption that ruled the city shaped New York into an Empire in the late-nineteenth-century.

The political corruption is almost entirely attributed to Tammany Hall, run by “Boss” William Tweed. Tweed himself never held the position of mayor; rather, he amassed a great wealth and used his influence to rig elections. By naturalizing immigrants before elections, using repeaters, and dispatching gangs to keep opposing voters away from polls, Tweed had his cronies serve as governor, mayor, city comptroller, and city commissioner. Tweed used this power to complete Central Park, to build the Brooklyn Bridge, and to construct the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Despite his illegal activities he used to gain power, in many ways, he helped the city. That power, however, began to slip when violence erupted on the streets, seemingly at the hands of Tammany. In July of 1871, a conflict between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics boiled over in July during a celebration of the Battlye of Boyne. The anti-Catholic songs resulted in a bloody two-day battle in Elm Park in which eight people died. The next July, Mayor A. Oakley Hall issued fifteen hundred policemen and over five thousand infantry and cavalry for the celebration. These soldiers responded to the skirmishes between Orangemen and Irish Catholics by targeting the Catholics. Newspapers responded by pinning the riot on Tammany, using the Tammany Ring bookkeeper’s replacement to infiltrate Tammany’s operations. They discovered that Tammany stole millions of dollars from the city for construction projects. After many trials and escape attempts, Tweed was finally arrested and the “Boss” era of the gilded age was put away.

The grandiose operations on Wall Street and massive industrialization of New York City not only outshined but also created the issue of immense poverty and class conflict. Jacob Riis played a central role in revealing these issues through the publication of How the Other Half Lives. Using a magnesium powder flash and a direct engagement of New York slums, Riis took striking pictures and gathered startling statistics that inspired “the discovery of poverty.” The author placed the children of the slums at the center of the discussion on poverty; to him, Ragged Dick lacked the reality of dirt, disease, and hunger that he observed in the slums. The realization that thousands of children lived on the streets led to the city’s focus on crime and education. Reformer William L. Strong was elected mayor and launched programs to fight disease, set up public baths, and created the city’s first effective street cleaning and sanitation removal systems. Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt improved the police department. Tammany saw the discussion on education as an opportunity; immigrants and teachers joined Tammany, viewing education as a ladder of social mobility. In 1901, New York became the first city to require all children under 12 to attend school. One year earlier, Governor Roosevelt signed a law desegregating schools in the state.

Meanwhile, Josephine Shaw Lowell led women in the suffrage movement as well as social reform. While first a believer in Social Darwinism, Lowell modified her position after realizing the suffering the poor faced. Her leadership in the NYC Consumer’s League demanded acceptable working conditions, and stood against the exploitation of female workers. Similar movements in Chicago followed, as Florence Kelly led protests against child labor. New York’s embrace of settlement houses and the improvement of the Charity Organization Society led Jacob Riis to declare it “the most charitable city in the world.”

New York’s leadership in the development of labor unions captured the movement away from Alger’s individualism and pioneered collective action. Trusts and tenements threatened the American Dream with low wages and overworked laborers. The ignorance to laborer’s struggles resulted in a rally at Tompkins Square in 1874 of laborites and socialists. The rally was violently ended by the police. Many in the city, including the mayor and the police commissioner, rejoiced the silencing of the laborers. However, the media attacked the police for their brutality and urged self-control. History repeated itself at the same location in 1877. Moving forward, class antagonism had manifested itself in physical presences, as the wealthy paid for armories to built in response to labor uprisings. Samuel Gompers improved the labor movement with organized strikes. In 1877, he spearheaded the Cigarmakers’ Union efforts to remain on strike while providing for thousands of families. Furthermore, his work in the short-lived Central Labor Union brought lessons on embracing differences to achieve a common goal. Eventually, police brutality and judicial restraints in defending protestors pushed labor unions towards politics and backed Henry George for mayor, who rejected Tammany’s offer of election to Congress if he pulled out of the race. George’s central message remained in labor reform, while his rival Abram Hewitt embraced Alger’s Darwinist views. Hewitt won in November; some speculate that his victory was a result of a rigged counting by Tammany and the denunciation of labor unions by Catholic Priests. George amassed a great percentage of the vote, however, startling many and popularizing him in Ireland and England.

In 1899, the newsboys unionized and called a strike. This strike was well-organized and gained a lot of support, partially due to the appeal of the cause. It spread from Long Island City into Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City, Newark, and Yonkers. The message of this strike appealed to social consciences and bolstered the labor union’s efforts. As Riis predicted, children were central to New York’s social reform. The same children would grow up with these social values and shape the quality of life for their children. Riis believed this awakening to poverty would be the true measure of “metropolitan greatness.”

Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick tells a rags-to-riches tale, and reinforces the idea that it is possible to make it to the upper classes even if your life begins in an impoverished state. On the other hand, Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets was about a girl who was a product of social Darwinism’s bad side, in that she was unable to rise above her poor beginnings.

In the late 19^th century New York City was becoming an epicenter of power and prosperity, and earned the name the Empire City. Respected industrialist, philanthropist and mayor Abram Hewitt believed that New York was bound to be the greatest city in the world no matter what, but philosopher Henry George, Hewitt’s major opponent in the 1886 mayoral election, believed that New York needed to reform its governmental systems to prevent the city from reaching its demise.

The Empire City’s economy revolved greatly around robber barons like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, who were aggressive and ruthless businessmen who made the city America’s economic empire during the Gilded Age. Rockefeller was the quintessential robber baron, complete with the rags-to-riches story. With control of 90 percent of America’s petroleum refining businesses, he moved his Standard Oil company from Cleveland to New York in 1882. Due to his Darwinist ideals, he felt it was normal to eliminate competitors, and that even in business it was about survival of the fittest.

Soon, consolidation in business became common place and the Great Merger Wave swept through America. As a result, government began to further regulate business practices, but since these regulations were initially weak, merging continued to flourish, and by 1892 a third of the country’s millionaires lived in the New York area, and by 1900 it was home to two-thirds of the nation’s biggest businesses.

To keep up with the city’s blossoming economy, the new riches of New York began to shape the city accordingly. For example, the Brooklyn Bridge was built and opened in 1883, which combined art and technology to exemplify the city’s innovation. Another example is the Statue of Liberty, which replaced the Liberty Bell as America’s symbol of freedom when it was completed in 1886. But as New York City grew, its political atmosphere became increasingly more corrupt as the city came under control of the Tweed Ring.

Between 1865 and 1871, William M. Tweed was the master of the city. He was raised in the working class and entered politics in 1848 after organizing a volunteer fire company. He went on to hold many positions including congressman, senator, and school commissioner. With the ability to control various jobs, contracts, and licenses, he became the country’s first true political boss. While he promoted democracy by reaching out to the working and middle classes, he also subverted it by rigging votes in his favor to ensure his success. By 1868, Tweed ruled both the city and state of New York and had plenty of his comrades in various government sectors and was very powerful and wealthy.

Cracks in Tweed’s armor did not begin to show until a rebellious movement developed in Tammany and violence subsequently erupted in the streets. The 1871 Orange Riot erupted when Irish Catholics protested and fought against the Irish Protestants celebrating Boyne Day. Newspapers across America supported the Protestants in their anti-Catholic sentiments and their right to march. The New York Times used the riot as an example of how poorly Tammany ran the city, and finally when the Tammany Ring’s book keeper died, he was replaced by a Tweed opponent who gave information of Tweed’s dishonest practices to the Times. The news became widespread on July 22, 1871, and within months, Tweed faced disaster.

On September 4, the city’s prominent men gathered to reestablish their own power in the government and address the issue, and a Committee of Seventy was set up to help stabilize New York’s economy and government. Tweed attempted to flee once to New Jersey and once to Spain, but eventually died in Ludlow Street jail at age fifty-five. The truth about Tweed left the country to make sound governmental practices a national priority, and to ensure that the masses were attended to.

But even still, the difference between the wealth extremes in New York posed problems for the people and society, and many debated over the causes of poverty. Journalist Jacob Riis played a key role in undermining social Darwinism and informing the public of the true reasons for poverty. He traveled to the Five Points daily as a police reporter for the New York Tribune, and began photographing the awful conditions he witnessed and showing them to church groups in New York. He then published How the Other Half Lives in 1890, which further shed light on the issue of poverty. Creating a new Committee of Seventy, New York reformers elected reformer William L. Strong as mayor from 1894 to 1896. And in 1896, the struggle against Tammany had carried over into public school reform and the state reorganized New York City’s schools under a centralized system. In the town of Jamaica, working-class African Americans fought against the racial segregation of schools, and in 1900 Theodore Roosevelt signed the desegregation of public schools into law.

Shaw Lowell was a good example of an upper-middle-class American who became more educated about poverty and changed their views accordingly. As the first female commissioner of the State Board of Charities and head of the New York Charity Organization Society (COS), she refused to partake in services that would encourage government dependence. But after discovering how low wages really were and how they prevented people from rising up socially and economically, she began to advocate for a living wage. In 1891 she became president of the New York City Consumers’ League, which focused on unfair working conditions for women, and by 1896 they got New York state to set minimum standards for working conditions. After this, many other public organizations set their sights on combatting poverty in New York City. Settlement houses, the Salvation Army and the Children’s Aid Society were organized.

After a financial crisis in 1873 led to a surge in unemployment and wage reductions in 1874, laborites and socialists gathered in Tompkins Square Park on January 13, 1874. Since the police had revoked permission for the rally last minute, protestors were met with unexpected violence and assault by the police. A peaceful protest for the national railroads held in July of 1877 was also met with fierce and violent opposition from the police.

In 1877 a cigar makers strike was organized by the Cigarmakers’ Union under Samuel Gompers. He felt that the only way to combat unfair poverty and working conditions was to have protests that were organized by and for the people, and by late October he had over fifteen thousand strikers and their families to support. And while the Union raised money to aid these people, funds dwindled into December, and by the end of January the strike collapsed.

In 1886 labor activism peaked when the Central Labor Union (CLU) organized a horse car drivers’ strike. Their biggest weapon in their fight against unfair pay and hours was boycotting, which surged to an amount of 165 in 1886. But when boycotts were deemed illegal and a bomb killed seven policemen at a protest in Chicago in May, the repression of unions greatly increased.

Taking action for their cause, the CLU nominated popular reformer Henry George to run for mayor in 1886. Tammany offered George a seat in congress if he dropped out of the race, but he refused, so Tammany and the Democrats nominated Abram Hewitt, who had a more Darwinist point of view. George worked around the clock publicly speaking and campaigning, while Hewitt preferred to keep his campaign more formal. Despite many accusations of cheating and manipulation in the polls, Hewitt won the election. Even though George lost, his campaign was important because it was one of the most serious challenges to the current order and government at the time, and it led many other labor candidates to enter politics. Gompers later formed the American Federation of Labor in 1886, which was the most lasting legacy of the George campaign.

However, the Brooklyn Trolley Strike of 1895, in response to severe wage cuts, proved that there was still much left to fight for. And despite great support by the community, the strikers were met with violence and brutality by the police, and the strike collapse after five weeks. But in 1899, newspaper boys or “newsies” gathered in City Hall Park to form a union and call a strike against child labor and its unfair practices. They prevented the sale of newspapers and in two weeks they won their fight. The reason for their success had a lot to do with the fact that they were children and gained a lot of sympathy for their cause.