Progressive Era: Social Problem E

Urbanization

Urbanization

One of the most influential effects of the Industrial Revolution was American urbanization. Urbanization is the movement of people from rural to urban

environments. As factories were expanding and becoming more efficient in the late 1800s, thousands of jobs were made available and employers were

looking to fill those jobs with cheap labor. In hopes to benefit from the booming economy, millions of Americans and immigrants flocked to American

cities, such as New York City and Philadelphia, in search of jobs. In 1860, only one in every five Americans lived in a city. By 1890, one in three

Americans lived in cities, resulting in significant overcrowding.

As the population continued to grow, city living became troublesome. Because space was so limited in cities, already established buildings in the oldest

sections of the cities were divided up to create apartments. These small apartments were called tenements. Many tenements had no windows, heat, or

indoor bathrooms. In addition, tenements were often shared by multiple families, sometimes cramming more than ten people in one small living space.

Eventually, reformers fought to improve tenement conditions for thousands of Americans, requiring windows in every apartment. However, the reforms

did not solve the problem, but instead led to new problems. To install the windows, the apartments were ‘pinched’ in the middle, decreasing the square

footage and giving the apartment a dumbbell shape. Thus, the new tenements were known as dumbbell tenements. The windows looked out into a small

shaft, providing little to no light or ventilation. In addition, because of the number of apartments opening up to the small shaft, the noise level was

extremely high. Some families threw their garbage and human waste into the shaft, which ultimately led to a foul smell seeping into all the apartments.

Air shafts often became a breeding ground for rats, other small animals, and even disease.

Not only were the living spaces crammed, but the city streets were also over populated. With a growing population, problems with sanitation emerged.

Rotted garbage filled the streets, in addition to human wastes from lack of city plumbing. Water had to be carried by hand to peoples’ homes and was

often polluted by sewage. As a result of the unsanitary city conditions, diseases, such as typhoid, smallpox, and tuberculoses spread easily. Moreover,

pollution from factories filled the air, causing respiratory concerns for city dwellers.

Lastly, due to the overcrowding and stressful living conditions, violence and crime ran rampant throughout the cities. Lack of police enforcement and

street lighting provided an ample environment for crime.

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Dumbbell Tenement Floor Plan Document 5E

This picture is of an airshaft of a dumbbell tenement in New York City, taken from the roof, c. 1900.

Document 6E

An illustration of an outdoor toilet, shared by tenement dwellers, in New York City, 1903.

Document 7E

Hester Street, New York City- 1908

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New York City tenements

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