Urban Lives

The nineteenth and twentieth century was a time of great growth for America. It brought significant changes to the society in United States. In 1800, the population in U.S. was over five million people and by 1900 that number went up to seventy-five million. The country was industrialized and urbanized. This large growth was allied to the migration of European immigrants to the new world. Cities not only grew in terms of population but also grew with skyscrapers pushing cities upward and new transportation systems extending them outward. Along with the European immigrants, the Japanese, Jews, and Germans were also immigrated to the United States. However, these people were not welcomed to America with open arms; instead they were discriminated against and glared upon in this so called free country.

America was moving away from a traditional agricultural economy to the industrial based economy. Therefore, the 19th century was the beginning of the industrial revolution and as American cities began to industrialize, infectious diseases emerged too. So, how was the life of poor immigrant in 19th century? Urban areas where poor lived who could not afford fare to get into the cities. They had to live close to where they worked. Inner cities were very crowded with too many people staying in one room in the apartments. The cities were very bad places because of the large amount of people crowded to the new industrialized urban areas, spread of diseases who made quicker than previously. Then, there were sewer systems or city garbage disposal systems set up like today. Things were being just thrown out of the windows on to the streets. At this time the automobile was not in mass production and they had rides of horses and buggy. These horses were identified as using restrooms when and wherever they felt like. They would just leave the horses that would die on the road which was a big problem. Industrialization and urbanization left their mark on how people spent their daily lives and used their leisure time.

Until industrialization came, there were only two classes the rich and the poor. After that industrialization created the new wealthy men and the middle working class. The differences between the lives of common wealthy men and the poor man could the not be compared. The rich had all the up-to-date accommodations a person could have in that time than the poor did. Compared to the poor man living in just enough room to sleep and that was it, and nine out of ten poor men slept in his bed was not the only man to do so. The landlord would rent the same place out to many other people. Poor's would share 2 bedroom apartments between 4 to 5 families. The poor immigrant workers lived in the homes which did not provided the welfare of basic living such as water, electricity, nor indoor plumbing. The wealthy people stressed laissez-faire; meaning that if the poor were poor then that was their destiny. They were treated poorly and were