The city is always changing. In the book Five Points by Tyler Anbinder, it brings up a specific instance where, in the span of about twenty years, a neighborhood and its’ inhabitants had completely changed. From 1850 to 1870, the mostly Irish neighborhood had been completely taken over by the Italian immigrants. This ability of the city, to change and grow according to the people who live there, is what keeps it alive. The city adapts to the needs of the people.
The tenements also started changing at this time. To make them safer, they needed a window for each room. However, these small provisions did not do much in terms of making the tenements safer. Jacob Riis saw firsthand the cramped, unhealthy living spaces the tenements were while on the police raids. Jacob Riis himself was a perfect example of a successful immigrant of that time. In the reading this week, we learn about Riis’s life. It seemed that everywhere he turned, he was shut down or discouraged from making it here in America, just like many immigrants. He went from job to job, was hoodwinked, penniless and unlucky in love. However, with enough perseverance and enthusiasm, he managed to make it in America. With his success came the love of his love, Elizabeth. Stories like his were what made the idea of moving to America so tantalizing to immigrants from all around the world.
Although some, like Riis, were able to make a name for themselves, others were left to live in the filthy tenements such as Mulberry Hall, which was once a Church but was converted into what would be come one of the worst tenements in 1873. The tenements, even with these minor reparations, were filthy, and practically inhabitable. Despite the appalling living conditions, people still managed to live in these incredibly cramped apartments. They all had the same driving dream: they wanted to have a better life for their children.
