New York City (NYC) was a primary gateway for Europeans, Russians, and Asians, especially in the early 20th century. Nowadays, people of European ancestry constitute around one-third of the population, as well as Hispanic communities, whereas African Americans account for one-fourth. However, by the early 1900s, the black community made up roughly 2% of the city’s population. The situation had changed when freed slaves fled Sothern states in search of better working and living conditions. Even though the lives of immigrant people were related to struggle, the challenges they faced were often not comparable. Consequently, their attitude and actions in response to challenges differed.
The most vibrant entry point for European migrants to the city was Ellis Island. An impressive number of people entered the country from 1892 to 1924 – over 14 million people (Burns, 2016, para. 3). Individuals underwent medical examinations while their racial qualities had been assessed. Children were separated from parents and kept in overcrowded facilities because of the revealed illnesses. Millions of people had to earn a living and were ready to go for a low-paid manual job. Working conditions, coupled with inadequate wages and long shifts in garment and construction industries, did not meet even the essential safety criteria. Among all the immigrant workers, women suffered the most, especially with the growing demand for dresses, underwear, and other textile products. In the 1910s, several fires inside garment factories took the lives of Italian and Jewish women due to the absence of safety measures.
European immigrants started to form labor unions in order to fight for their rights and ensure justice. However, women were powerless to change legislation as they did not have the right to vote. Step by step, more women immigrants started to engage in political and labor activism. The suffrage movement took action, which resulted in the foundation of age Earner’s Suffrage League affiliated with the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (Pastorello, 2018). Led by Rose Schneiderman and Leonora O’Reilly, the league fostered the introduction of the Smith Bill to limit the number of working hours for women and children. People of color experienced different problems on their immigrant journey.
Another gateway, Angel Island, has been excluded from the discussion on the ethnic origin of American immigrants. Around 340 000 Black Caribbean and Asian people entered NYC through this entry point (Burns, 2016, para. 10). These people felt vulnerable because of their skin color or other non-European features. Consequently, they had to organize in communities to protect themselves and sustain the culture. That is why New York is well-known for its cultural enclaves, such as China Town or Little Italy. Black communities used various forms of art to express the intent to grapple with racial discrimination. For example, the Black Arts Movement emerged in 1965 in Harlem, united poets, musicians, and filmmakers (Tinson, 2018). This movement is marked by attempts to eliminate the impact of westernization and colonization on people of color.
New York was not the only immigration hub at that time since Angel Island in California received the flows of people of color. Immigrants of the European and non-European descent had to overcome different obstacles. Russia, Jewish, Italian and Irish communities were more empowered to protect their working rights in comparison to African, Caribbean, or Chinese ones. Moreover, women were the first victims of irresponsible manufacturers who did not ensure proper safety. Hence, labor and suffragist movements expanded throughout the city to seek political power. On the contrary, people of color formed residential areas and expressed their burden through art.
Periods of Progress and Decline in NYC History
The early 20th century is a period of rapid social, economic, and political transformations that have defined the working class’s life. Mass migration, technological change, the rise of financial markets, and the pace of urban development have shaped the American working class. The industrial era posed new challenges, including unsafe working conditions and the lack of labor legislation, technological endeavors, and new business models. Historical periods of progress and decline, such as World War I and the Great Depression, led to social changes and reforms. The government had to learn and adapt to difficult circumstances by providing equal opportunities to all citizens.
The economy of the country was booming before and during World War I. Growing garment and manufacturing industries required an influx of workers. Simultaneously, the scientific revolution and unprecedented automation made a shift toward people with higher education and training levels. The workers, already divided by race, gender, skills, and skin color, realized the need to demand the protection of rights. They formed labor unions, which later allowed for the creation of the suffragist movement inspired by Rose Schneiderman (Pastorello, 2018). Thus, the transformed nature of work brought an opportunity for individuals to organize in solidarity to gain real wages and enhance their political power.
At the beginning of the century, New York started to form itself as the nation’s financial capital. The corporate elite wanted to control competition in the emerging laissez-fair market through the consolidation of enterprises on the New York Stock Exchange. The availability of financial instruments and banks attracted corporations and millionaires to establish headquarters in the city of New York. Consequently, the physical landscape started to change, igniting the rise of skyscrapers and real estate cost increase. However, the government failed to initiate policies to cease the monopolization of wealth by a group of a few influential businesspeople (Inequality, 2016). The working class showed discontent with the rich elite groups supported by radical politicians. In addition, the segregation of black communities became more notable, while Harlem became the center of resistance.
The Great Depression is the most overwhelming downturn in American history. In the 1920s, the secretary of commerce, Herbert Hoover promoted ideals of voluntary regulation of the economic sphere (Walker, 2017). As a result, the stock market collapsed, crashing industrial production and leaving millions of people unemployed. This crisis had almost swept the whole working class as industrial production declined. Newly elected president Roosevelt came up with a plan to reinvent the country’s economy and social policies. The New Deal assigned the leading role of handling the crisis to the federal government. It introduced the retirement system, minimum wages, mortgage protection, and, most importantly, improved the infrastructure. Public libraries, schools, parks, sewage systems, and power plants were reconstructed to secure comfortable living space (Walker, 2017). Roosevelt’s plan provided citizens with a social safety net and an upgraded urban environment.
The working class experienced an array of ups and downs during the 20th century. Fast deployment of the automatization process increased the demand for skilled workers. However, there was no protection for those who did not meet the criteria. Labor unions and political parties acted on behalf of an unskilled workforce that did not have protection. The flourishing financial markets collapsed in the late 1920s and revealed the problem of insufficient governmental regulation. President Roosevelt redefined the role of the federal government to boost the social welfare system and reform the infrastructure.
References
Burns, C. (2016). Ronald H. Bayor’s encountering Ellis Island.
Inequality. (2016). A new look at a forgotten egalitarian.
Pastorello, K. (2018). A vital force: Immigrant garment workers and suffrage.
Tinson, C. M. (2018). Retrieved rhythms: The last poets, Harlem, and black arts movement(S).
Walker, R. (2017). The new deal lives on in the city.