How the Other Half Lives and Race Riot

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migrants, and instead saw them as an economic opportunity. This socio economic imbalance led to racial tension, housing and employment shortages, and ultimately the Chicago Race Riot of 1919.

As demonstrated in Riis’ How the Other Half Lives, the New York elite took complete advantage of the immigrant workforce, and had no qualms in doing so. Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” was an example of social darwinism within society in which if one was deserving of wealth, it would naturally find them. These ideals essentially justified mass manipulation of the work force, causing “the half on top [to care] little for the struggles, and less for the fate of those who were underneath, so long as it was able to hold them there and keep its own seat.” The wealthy showed little to no sympathy for the impoverished because it was thought to be their own fault for being poor. Riis describes the living conditions for the immigrants as “Crazy old buildings, crowded rear ...

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white unions and black strikebreakers was only a mild precursor of the violent racial crisis that would explode.”(114) This turmoil would turn into the Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Even if a black worker were an “expert... it is next to impossible for him to secure membership in a union in Chicago.” (114). Additional precursors for the race riots were due to the unfair treatments of blacks in housing, policing, and employment which would lead to extremely violent turmoil. Big Bill Thompson, the city's police chief was extremely oppressive and discriminatory towards blacks. To the blacks had “come to view” the police as essentially a “representative of white hostility”(33). ...

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