2. Order and Disorder
From Farm Town to Metropolis
• 1800 to 1900 population grew by 50x in Manhattan
– Going from a small farm town to a bustling city
• 1825 Erie Canal opened, creating it to become a port
– Created areas solely for commerce
– Thousands of small factories; a metropolitan industrial site
• Created the first police department
• The newspapers told the best stories of New York
– Printing house row created around city hall in response to the
increase of crime
• Barnum created a museum in New York with various sections
to please all social classes and cultures, The American
Museum, inside everyone's differences could be set aside
• According to history, New York was never interested in
immigrants, they hated each new culture as they arrived
3. Order and Disorder
In 1845 to 1855 1.5 million Irish immigrate to America as a
result of the potato famine
300 people per acre, more Irish in one location, besides
Dublin, in the world
Irish and African Americans fought for the poorest living
conditions and least paying jobs
No ethnic group would battle what the Irish fought
Neighborhoods were overrun by abandoned or orphaned
children. Upper and middle class reformists saw this as
a problem because eventually the children would grow
up and vote. They were worried about how the kids
would vote
1857 panic strikes Wallstreet
There were no socialized welfare to help those in need
Blacks and Irish were given eviction notices to make way
for Central Park
“19th Century’s greatest work of art”
An environment were anyone could go to separate and
release themselves from the chaos of the city
The wealthy enjoyed it more than the poor, who needed
it, because it was too far away
Too many rules discouraged people from wanting to go
4. Order and Disorder
• 1860 – Abraham Lincoln arrived in NY
from Illinois to discuss slavery and
became a national celebrity
• The South was fearful of Lincoln and
the North ruining their way of life.
– The South was dependant on the North for
trade
– War eventually broke out between the
North and South
– 1863 first federal draft in a war that asked
whites to fight for the freedoms of blacks,
unless you had $300 to pay off the feds
– The Irish became infuriated because they
believe that this would provide better
living conditions than what they had
acquired
5. City of Tomorrow
• New York has always found a way to rebuild itself.
• After the “Roaring Twenties” New York again saw hardship.
– The economy crashed in 1929, and the Great Depression began
• The Great Depression not only played a economic hardship,
but a psychological hardship
– 1/3 of the nations people were unemployed
– There were still no government socialized welfare systems
– The Empire State building charged $1 to visitors to pay for taxes
– Women and children would dig through trash piles for food
– Shanty towns or “Hoovervilles” sprang up along the East River
and Central Park
• Eventually protests and strikes broke out due to the
governments lack of support or aid.
6. City of Tomorrow
• The personal motorcar was the future of New York
– Trolley car railways were tore up
– Interstates, highways, and bridges were built to connect
cities
• The change in the transportation created public works
programs that created jobs
– Jobs were not only created in New York, but all around the
United States as supplies were needed to create the
massive bridges
• Cities (and people) became connected in areas where
nature had separated them
• Traffic congestion became a huge problem
– Bridges were built to reduce congestion, but they ended
up causing bigger traffic issues
7. City of Tomorrow
• Mayor La Guardia brought the first airport to New
York City during his first year; hence La Guardia
International Airport
• New York’s 1939 Worlds Fair showed what the
future would be like
– Showcasing the automobile, architecture,
corporations, international cultures, and modern
technologies
– Modern technologies like the car, a washing
machine, and a vacuum would make life easier,
thus make life happier
– Largest crowds gathered for General Motors
“vision of tomorrow” tram ride and a large orb
which contained a diorama of New York’s potential
cityscape
– The future world was created not around people,
but cars
• In 1939, war had begun to break out in Europe as
Hitler invaded Poland
• Public works projects continued on full steam
before their resources were put toward the war
effort
8. A Merger That Puts New York on Top
Written By: Mike Clough
A Merger That Puts New York on Top discusses the potential for revitalization
of New York as a result of AOL’s purchase of Time Warner. New York’s
success began with their location aiding in the economic trade center with the
creation of the Erie Canal and its connections with Europe and the South.
Additionally, the first telephone and electricity companies established their
headquarters in Manhattan. Eventually, other areas in the U.S. began to
advance (the steel industry in Pittsburgh, the auto industry in Detroit, the oil
industry in Houston, and the film industry in Hollywood) and New York’s fame
continued to grow as these companies created philanthropic ties. The biggest
challenge to New York has been the advancement of technology with the
digital age. From Redmond, Washington to Los Angeles, California the internet
and digital-age flourished with companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and
Amazon.com. New York hopes to regain its status as internet subscription
based AOL joins with media giant Time Warner to merge not only two
companies, but two separate ideas.
9. The City in the Land of the Dollar
Written By: Witold Rybczynski
• Compares American cities to the those
of traditional cities in Europe.
• Portrays Chicago as the fastest growing
city in America
– Where the first skyscrapers were built
– Successful railroad industry
• On 10/08/1871 a huge fire destroyed
much of the city, but the people saw it
as an opportunity to rebuild and begin
anew.
• Chicago may not have been the initial
home of many inventions, but they put
many technological advances to use;
this included:
– Telephone switchboard, electric lights,
cable cars, electric trolleys, streetcars,
and the elevator
10. The City in the Land of the Dollar
Written By: Witold Rybczynski
• Prior to the invention of the elevator, building
were only a few stories high; or as high as
people were willing to climb the stairs.
• Higher buildings had to be stronger, which led
to the creation of steel-framed buildings
– The first steel frame building was built in 1892 at
22-stories tall and was known as the Masonic
Temple Building
• Industrial buildings, office buildings, and
residential sites all intermingled
• Eventually, due to fire codes, residential areas
moved to the areas around to outskirts of the
city.
– Neighborhood cottages eventually became
apartment buildings in order to house the
increasing populations.
• This created the modern American city that we
would see throughout the rest of the United
States
11. The City in the Land of the Dollar
Written By: Witold Rybczynski
• Chicago wanted to follow in the footsteps of New York
and other great cities by creating a large urbanized
park
– The parks were to be planned by Frederick Law Olmsted
– These parks were also created around the World
– Instead of creating one large park, it was decided the eight
smaller parks would be built
• Parks contained lakes, canals, sports fields, band shells,
conservatories, arbors, zoos, and pathways
• Even though separate, the parks would be linked together
• Chicago’s success eventually led to it be chosen for
the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893
12. Photos
• AOL Time Warner (x2)
– http://www.pcworld.com/article/165737/aol_and_time_warner_a_sympathy_note.html
• Erie Canal
– http://www.fotowerks.com/pages/shop.php
• Abraham Lincoln
– http://www.authorama.com/life-of-abraham-lincoln-1.html
• Central Park
– http://www.central-park-maps.com/print.html
• Chicago Fire of 1871 aftermath
– http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/10/great-chicago-fire-of-1871.html
• First Elevator
– http://foggygates.blogspot.com/2010/03/ancient-gold-juan-gris-bubble-wrap.html
• Worlds Columbian Exposition Ferris Wheel
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Columbian_Exposition
• Great Depression (x2)
– http://morganp11.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/the-great-depression/
• Triborough Bridge
– http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/triborough/
• 1939 World’s Fair
– http://www.google.com/imgres?q=1939+worlds+fair+car&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=AtpBKQGnZl
olDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/historic_tour/history_robert_moses_moder
n.html&docid=0g2xRXNk8hnjNM&imgurl=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/parks_history_imag
es/ph33.jpg&w=250&h=253&ei=qH-3Tp3-
NIaliQLe2ug6&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=463&vpy=191&dur=1007&hovh=202&hovw=200&tx=100&ty=106&sig=112988
021291733596731&page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=137&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
