Lower East Side Manhattan Tenements

Immigration, Immigrant Housing: Lower East Side Manhattan Tenements

Immigration, Immigrant Housing: Lower East Side Manhattan Tenements by ReadWorks

Illustration by Lynn M. Hanousek

Immigrants faced many challenges once they moved to America. Many did not have family or friends here. They could not speak the language and felt awkward with American culture. They took any low-paying jobs they could find to survive. But perhaps the biggest challenge immigrants faced was housing. As immigrants poured in during the late 1800s, they had no housing laws to protect them. This allowed landlords to offer immigrants tiny, filthy apartments.

Perhaps one of the harshest places immigrants lived in was the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The conditions in these tenement slums were horrible. It was common for several families to be cramped into a two-room apartment with no sunlight or ventilation. There was often no electricity or plumbing. Toilets were in the backyard. Usually only a few toilets were used by as many as 30 families in a building.

Running water was often in the backyards of these tenements as well. Residents would have to carry buckets of water to their apartments, sometimes up six flights. They needed water for cooking, cleaning, and for personal hygiene. Sometimes the water was contaminated because the toilets would leak into the well. People got sick from the dirty water. Several diseases broke out in the tenements and thousands died.

Tenement life had other grave dangers besides disease. The front door to the tenement was rarely locked. Anyone could come in off the street whenever they pleased. Also, there was no lighting in the front hallway and stairs. Without windows it was always pitch black, day and night. This made climbing up and down the stairs a very dangerous activity. Robbers and other criminals were also a threat. They would sneak up on people in the dark and attack them.

It took a very long time before housing laws were adopted to stop these abuses. The new laws forced landlords to install plumbing and electricity. Landlords were also ordered to make their building safe. They had to make sure hallways were lit. They also had to provide fire escapes for everybody.

Times were very hard for people emigrating to the United States. Immigrants had to have strong determination and strength to overcome the challenges they faced. Thankfully, today's immigrants have housing laws to protect them. They are less likely to endure shoddy housing and disease as the price they have to pay for liberty.

Advanced Definition transitive verb 1. to bear up under or function in spite of.

Somehow we endured the desert heat.

Those prisoners who were unable to endure the punishments perished.

2. to put up with or tolerate.

He endured her criticism for years.

intransitive verb 1. to exist through time; last.

A star endures for billions of years.

2. to bear up under adversity, or to function in spite of it.

The peasants suffered, but they endured.

Spanish cognate endurar: The Spanish word endurar means endure.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. Thankfully, today's immigrants have housing laws to protect them. They are less likely to endure shoddy housing and disease as the price they have to pay for liberty. 2. For the next 1,000 years, the survivors and their descendents endured freezing climates and near-apocalyptic conditions. That period, says Fagan, was "the most critical in human history." In such harsh conditions, the survivors had to be extraordinarily resourceful.

ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved. ReadWorks Vocabulary - overcome overcome o·ver·come

Definition verb 1. to win against; defeat.

He overcame many problems.

She overcame all the other players.

2. to cause to be weak or no longer conscious.

He was overcome by fumes.

The chemical fumes overcame him.

Advanced Definition transitive verb 1. to defeat or quell in a conflict; succeed in a struggle with.

I think this is a problem we can easily overcome if we work together.

We'll have to overcome many obstacles in order to accomplish this goal.

With this bold plan of attack, they hoped to overcome the enemy.

2. to cause to be weak or inactive, or to lose consciousness.

He struggled to speak, but the drug quickly overcame him.

3. to emotionally overwhelm or render inarticulate.

We were overcome by the powerful images of suffering in the film.

4. to equal and then surpass.

I overcame his lead on the last turn of the race.

intransitive verb 1. to win a victory.

We shall overcome.

1. These experts can help you learn to overcome a phobia. 2. Sharon Robinson talks about what students need to overcome their problems. 3. Many have overcome great odds to rise to the top of their fields. 4. Immigrants had to have strong determination and strength to overcome the challenges they faced. 5. Jordan always believed that if people worked hard, they could overcome any barriers and become successful. 6. Most people who seek treatment completely overcome their fears for life, according to the American Psychiatric Association. 7. Recently, Anthony and his choir mates have been helping many people overcome feelings of grief and loss. 8. "We found that dyslexics who succeed had overcome an awful lot in their lives by developing compensatory skills," says Logan. 9. One captain thought it was best to continue west. The other captain disagreed and headed east. His ship eventually was overcome by bad weather.

Definition verb 1. to continue to live after something very dangerous has happened.

The plane crashed, but many passengers survived.

2. to continue to live and grow or continue to exist.

This kind of plant can survive in the desert.

These wonderful paintings have survived for centuries.

Advanced Definition intransitive verb 1. to continue to live despite serious immediate threat to one's life.

They were trapped in a cave for days, and it's a miracle that they survived.

Only a few of the passengers survived when the plane went down.

2. to sustain life or remain in existence or use.

These adaptations allow the plant to survive in the desert.

Only a few of the artist's later paintings survive.

This method of dyeing fabric still survives.

3. to continue to live following the death of another.

The deceased's wife and two children are surviving.

transitive verb 1. to live or continue beyond or in spite of.

She survived serious illness last winter.

Two of the teenagers survived the car crash.

Parts of the building survived the fire.

2. to outlive (someone).

She survived her husband by ten years.

Spanish cognate sobrevivir: The Spanish word sobrevivir means survive.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. Some animals can survive only in a cave's unique ecosystem. 2. Roses could never survive at the South Pole. The ice-cap climate is too cold and dark. 3. Many of my friends were not Jewish. They survived. But members of my family in Poland perished. 4. Huge blooms of algae erupt and use up all the oxygen in the water--oxygen that other sea creatures need to survive. 5. Competing in these races is not only about being a fast runner. It is also a test of a competitor's ability to survive extreme conditions. 6. Blood service professionals are the link between blood donors and people who need blood to survive. They hold blood drives and then help get blood to where it is needed. 7. In 1774, they passed several measures known as the Intolerable Acts. They closed the Boston port and made it difficult for the major city to function. Other colonies, especially Maryland, helped Boston survive by sending food and supplies. 8. Blaine does more than simple magic tricks. He also does some very risky stunts. In 1998, Blaine let himself be buried alive. Blaine spent a week in a coffin. He survived on a little water and oxygen from a tank. 9. So even though they can be very cute, you must always be careful around mother cats and kittens, and you must respect their safe spaces. Remember that these cat families are only doing what they need to do to survive. 10. One fun fact is that photosynthesis results in an end-product; a plant "breathes out" oxygen during the process. And oxygen is something we animals need to breathe and survive. So, although plants and animals use energy differently, we are connected in the process. 11. But when people discover that they have cancer, they naturally want to treat it. And cancer therapy itself can be risky. Older, less healthy people, in particular, might not survive the surgeries or the aggressive drug treatments used to treat cancer. 12. The cost of maintenance and upkeep for the bridge is also a factor in the building process. If materials picked need to be washed regularly, or if they don't survive much wear and tear, then a lot of money will have to go into the upkeep of the structure.

ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Definitions and sample sentences within definitions are provided by Wordsmyth. © 2015 Wordsmyth. All rights reserved. Immigration, Immigrant Housing: Lower East Side Manhattan Tenements - Comprehension Questions

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is the reason landlords offered immigrants tenement slums?

A. There were no housing laws in the 1800s. B. The immigrants did not have family here. C. The immigrants took low-paying jobs. D. The immigrants did not speak the language.

2. How does the author organize the information in this passage?

A. The author explains the events of the emergence of housing laws in chronological order. B. The author provides evidence to support a central argument. C. The author compares and contrasts housing in the 1800s. D. The author provides information in groups about a central topic.

3. What evidence can be used to support the statement, "New housing laws made people in the homes more safe."

A. "They had to make sure hallways were lit." B. "They also had to provide fire escapes for everybody." C. "The new laws forced landlords to install plumbing." D. All of the above

4. What can be concluded about the purpose of housing laws?

A. Housing laws were put into law to protect landlords. B. Housing laws have never been very popular, but may be necessary. C. Housing laws were put into law to ensure that all people had safe and adequate housing. D. Housing laws were put into law to protect immigrants only.

5. Read the sentence:

"It was common for several families to be cramped into a two-room apartment with no sunlight or ventilation."

What word could best replace cramped as used in this sentence?

A. packed B. allowed C. beaten D. placed

6. The main idea of this passage is

A. Landlords were guilt of breaking many housing laws in the 1800s. B. Lack of sanitation was a cause of many deaths in the 1800s. C. Immigrants faced many challenges once they moved to America, notably low-income wages. D. Immigrants were forced to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions before housing laws.

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

The toilets would sometimes leak into the well; ______, the water became contaminated.

A. instead B. beforehand C. except D. consequently

8. What can be concluded about most tenement landlords based on the information in this passage?

9. What other challenges besides the housing conditions did immigrants face?

10. Re-read the last line of the passage. What does the author suggest about immigrants' hopes for coming to America in this last line?

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word survive?

A. give in B. remaining alive after an cataclysm C. give up

2. What is another meaning of the word survive?

A. live longer than B. to give a sign of C. to bring to an end

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. We hope that these rules and many more new ones will help us _____.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

4. Reproduction is essential to the _____ of all species.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

5. They celebrate because they have _____ another year in the desert.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

6. But no more _____ were found.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

7. More people are _____ the mining accidents because of the new safety rules.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

8. For life _____ by feeding on other life.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

9. The polar bear is one such _____.

A. survives B. surviving C. survivor D. survived E. survivors F. survival G. survive

10. Please write your own sentence using the word survive.

11. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word survive so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word endure?

A. enter as debit B. accept gladly C. to put up with

2. What is another meaning of the word endure?

A. speak to B. to last C. to cut

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. A marathon is as much as test of _____ as a test of speed.

A. endure B. endurance

4. There were still many trials to _____.

A. endure B. endurance

5. Please write your own sentence using the word endure.

6. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word endure so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word overcome?

A. throw a glance at B. win a victory over C. decide by reasoning

2. What is another meaning of the word overcome?

A. to be present B. set up for use C. get on top of

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. Who _____ out of this house?