I knew I recognized Riis! Anbinder introduces his chapter on changes in Five Points by telling the story of Jacob Riis, a journalist and author of How the Other Half Lives, whom I recognize from history class in high school.
But, getting to the point, Anbinder goes on to explain the ways that the Five Points neighborhood changed drastically in terms of institutions and population. It seems that the New York of the 19th century is moving just as fast as the New York of today, something we can witness ourselves in our own neighborhoods. He also writes of the laws introduced and the attempts made to increase the quality of the tenements. They still needed to be cheap and affordable, but they were changed in order to make life bearable. These attempts were absolutely feeble, for they did next to nothing. What I found most interesting in this selection is that the slum actually shifted. Instead of it being Five Points, it moved just a little ways north to “Mulberry Bend.” But, if the entire country has identified the issue, and attempts have been made to fix it one area, why were the same issues started up somewhere else? Why can’t reform target the problem at its source, taking it out once and for all. These (almost pointless) laws didn’t do much and problems just spread.
