How The Other Half Live

 

When moving to America, many immigrants were under the impression that they would be met with welcoming arms, improved standards of living and better job opportunities. However, this couldnt have been further from the truth as when they arrived they faced the exact opposite. 

Conditions were direty and overcroded, often with 5 or 6 to one small room, a situation the immigrants did not expect when traveling. In addition, there was limited opportunity for education for immigrant children who would often be forced to beg for money to help scrape together enough money to pay the rent. This image depicts two boys, both barefoot on what looks to be a pavement and are wearing clothes that are clearly too small and could do with a wash. this image clearly illustrates what life was like for many immigrant children, uncomfortable and dirty. 

Although these living conditions would have been extermely difficult for the immigrant children, I imagine it would have been much harder on the parents. They would have moved their families to America with the undersatdning that they would have a better quality of life. However, on arrival it would have become clear that thsi would not be the case. I can only imagine the guilt a mother must feel having to send her 12 year old son out to work or begjust ot be able to pay rent and then barely having enough money left over to feed the family later, as well as living in constant fear that they wont have enough money for rent, leaving them homeless and in a worse position. 

In this day and age, it is hard to imagine living in such dirty, overcrowded and uncomfortable conditions, but seeing these images it is clear that the life immigrants led in America was far from what was expected and promised.