Immigrants, Tenements and Associated Health Problems (1800’s)
1800’s – The Story of the Five Points
The area that was known as the Five Points was located in what is now today’s Chinatown. The Five Points is an example of how the poor working class people of New York lived. It was a scene of dilapidated wood buildings with foul pools of water and waste in the streets. The area was created around the Collect Pond, which was somewhat of an attraction because naturally occurring ponds was rare in Manhattan (Roman 2010). Because the early city lacked zoning laws shops and industry stood side by side while animals roamed the streets (Roman 2010). The pond provided a water source for the residents, but also was the dumping ground for slaughterhouses and breweries (Roman 2010). In order to accommodate the rising numbers of immigrants, landlords started to create smaller and smaller units in the existing buildings leading to massive overcrowding (Roman 2010). Tenement structures became the primary living places for immigrant workers and the poor.
The pollution from the commerce combine with the massive population causing an overflow of waste from outhouses resulted in a cholera pandemic. While cholera was not solely in the Five Points, the majority of the people who died in the 1832 outbreak were in the area. At the high of the pandemic in July there were 100 deaths per day, and more than 3500 people died (Roman 2010).
The Five Points was eventually erased with the creation of the park at the corner of Worth and Baxter in 1897 which erased streets and raised the buildings (Roman 2010). Parts of the park can still be seen today.
The pollution from the commerce combine with the massive population causing an overflow of waste from outhouses resulted in a cholera pandemic. While cholera was not solely in the Five Points, the majority of the people who died in the 1832 outbreak were in the area. At the high of the pandemic in July there were 100 deaths per day, and more than 3500 people died (Roman 2010).
The Five Points was eventually erased with the creation of the park at the corner of Worth and Baxter in 1897 which erased streets and raised the buildings (Roman 2010). Parts of the park can still be seen today.
December 16, 1835 – The Great Fire
While the Great Fire that burned City Hall was not necessarily caused by overcrowding and horrible living conditions, it did show how unprepared the city was [infrastructurally] to deal with a massive disaster. The existing structure to battle fires was poorly organized and comprised mostly of volunteer groups with poor equipment (Lankevich 1998). On December 16th, temperatures reached sub zero which resulted in frozen water pipes. All the city could do was watch as the 17 block area around Wall Street burned to the ground (Lankevich 1998). The fire destroyed nearly 700 structures, making it the largest blaze in New York City’s history (Lankevich 1998).
As a result of what happened to Wall Street, in April 1836 the city voted to start construction on the Croton Aqueduct System which would improve water flow for the city. The daily flow reached 35 million gallons. Conditions improved, health problems decreased, the cost of insurance for buildings dropped, and the danger of fire was reduced (Lankevich 1998, p.82).
As a result of what happened to Wall Street, in April 1836 the city voted to start construction on the Croton Aqueduct System which would improve water flow for the city. The daily flow reached 35 million gallons. Conditions improved, health problems decreased, the cost of insurance for buildings dropped, and the danger of fire was reduced (Lankevich 1998, p.82).
1892 January - Ellis Island became the new immigration station, replacing Castle Garden
Ellis Island was originally purchased from Samuel Ellis by the State of New York in 1808. Throughout the industrial era it became somewhat of a landfill/dumping ground, until authorities decided to take the burden off of Castle Garden, which was too small to accommodate the surge in immigrants. The island became the primary immigrant receiving spot, seeing over 12 million immigrants from all over the world (Lankevich 1998). Ellis Island finally closed their doors to immigrants in 1954.
By 1897 around 1,500,000 had gone through the processing (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1111). Germans from the Silesia and Ruhr regions accounted for 27% of those who came into the island (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1111). Irish immigration also picked up due to the agricultural depression. By the mid 1880’s people of Irish ethnicity composed 40 % of the city population (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1112). The next largest population was the Germans, followed by other Eastern Europeans and Italians.
Ellis Island had a major impact not just on New York but the rest of America, in terms of a labor force. These people flocked to the United States in search of jobs and freedom. Ellis Island is largely responsible for the massive population booms and overcrowding across American cities. Immigrants arriving and staying in New York started to cluster into different ethnic neighborhoods. The remnants of these ethnic clusters can still be seen in places around the city such as “China Town”, “Little Italy”, and “Fleshing” which has been historically a Jewish neighborhood.
By 1897 around 1,500,000 had gone through the processing (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1111). Germans from the Silesia and Ruhr regions accounted for 27% of those who came into the island (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1111). Irish immigration also picked up due to the agricultural depression. By the mid 1880’s people of Irish ethnicity composed 40 % of the city population (Burrows & Wallace 1999, p. 1112). The next largest population was the Germans, followed by other Eastern Europeans and Italians.
Ellis Island had a major impact not just on New York but the rest of America, in terms of a labor force. These people flocked to the United States in search of jobs and freedom. Ellis Island is largely responsible for the massive population booms and overcrowding across American cities. Immigrants arriving and staying in New York started to cluster into different ethnic neighborhoods. The remnants of these ethnic clusters can still be seen in places around the city such as “China Town”, “Little Italy”, and “Fleshing” which has been historically a Jewish neighborhood.