8urbanpoor

=Period 8=

The Problem(s)
 * As the development of large-scale industry grew in the United States, so did the population. The city offered jobs in factories, offices, etc. The city became the center of wealth and poverty. The “newly rich”, who had just recently acquired their fortunes, built huge mansions while the “middle income” group lived in small apartment houses.
 * A huge class of poor people lived in **slums.** Most of these people were newly arrived immigrants who were coming to America in large numbers from poorer sections of Europe to seek better opportunity.
 * The slums were usually the older sections of town made up of **tenement** buildings, or very small, crowded apartments.
 * Disease, such as typhoid fever (caused by polluted water and milk, tuberculosis, typhus, cholera, and small pox were common. Streets were filthy, as the collection of garbage was infrequent and did not exist. Most streets were unpaved and littered with manure from the horses. Fires were common occurrences in the slums and many cities had either small, ineffective fire departments or had only volunteer departments.
 * Many of the city’s problems were not dealt with seriously partly because city government was inefficient and corrupt.
 * Unfortunately, many of these city governments were able to stay in power because they could count on the support of large immigrant groups who received jobs and other favors in return for their votes.

The Solution(s)

 * Clean up the slums
 * Provide better housing for people living in them.
 * Started garbage services/improve them
 * Fire codes more enforced
 * Roads were paved.
 * The state encouraged and helped build better methods of transportation besides the horse cart.
 * The Settlement House Movement, which included centers for recreation, education, child care, and temporary living quarters for homeless people, was encouraged and aided by the cities and states.
 * Other charitable organizations, like the Salvation Army, provided temporary help in the slums until bigger problems were solved.
 * Free medical clinics were built and staffed by doctors who were be paid by the cities.
 * A city government should be run more like a business free of politics.
 * A commission form of government is one of the suggestions. This would include a commission of around five people who would be elected on a non-party basis. They would run the entire city.
 * Another possibility is a city manager plan. The people could elect either a commission or a council which would then hire a non-party professional person to manage the city just like a business operation. He would have a salary and his job would not be dependant upon election.

The Citations
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