Immigration – Life in the Tenements
Once immigrants made it through Ellis Island, they had to find jobs and a place to live. Many immigrants found these things through family members who had already settled in America or through other people from the “homeland.” Many large immigrant communities were formed in NYC during this time period, particularly in the Lower East Side. People lived in apartment buildings called tenements. Today you will be exploring the history of one tenement building and some of the families who lived in it.
STEPS:
1. Click on the link to go on the virtual tour of the LES Tenement Museum: http://www.tenement.org/Virtual_Tour/index_virtual.html
2. Take your time reading the text and really looking at all of the images (what do you see? what can you infer?).
3. Explore all of the links.
4. After you have looked through the whole exhibit, choose one family to focus on: Gumpertz, Rogarshevsky, Confino, Baldizzi, Levine. Answer the following questions in complete sentences in your NB.
5. Who were the members of the family who lived in the apt?
6. Where did the family immigrate from (what was there home country)?
7. How did the family make a living?
8. Would you say they had an easy life or a hard life? Why? (Give specific examples from the tour)
9. Would you say that America offered this family opportunity? Why or why not? (Give specific examples from the tour)
If you finish answering the questions about one family, you may choose another family for extra credit.
