d in some countries. The main exception was England which thrived on industry as the US did. Workers were encouraged to go to the US because of pamphlets that gave such promises as “Good work, a free life, a good life for all.” The demand of factory workers was constantly growing, and immigrants decided to take their chance. As one immigrant said, “We have nothing to lose, for we have nothing. The US is our greatest and only chance.” Immigrants came to the US expecting a higher standard of living but were forced into poor living and working conditions. The vast majority of immigrants, who lived in cities, lived in tenements. These were apartment buildings that were shabbily constructed and contained extremely small apartments. Twenty four to thirty two families were packed inside these six to eight storey structures, often referred to as dumbbell buildings due to the air shaft between the buildings that made them look like dumbbells from above. The residents were highly susceptible to disease, and life expectancy was significantly lower, by about 10 years, in these areas. Up to 4,000 people lived on some city blocks. Families had one, maybe two, small rooms. They had no privacy as the walls were thin as well. As one immigrant put it, “I can't even talk without my entire building knowing what I said, the walls are so thin.” Bathrooms were also usually outside, although around the turn of the century, some began to appear inside. Tenements were also susceptible to fires. Due to the required air shaft between buildings, the air got trapped which caused more fires. As the material that tenements were made of was very susceptible to fire, widespread fires were common. As one immigrant described it, “I watched it and as the flames struck it, the entire block seemed to go up in a flash. It was horrible.” Working conditions for the immigrants were also horrific. The immigrants ...
