5 – Severe Overcrowding in Cities
The rise of industrial America really took hold towards the end of the 19th century. In the 20-year period between 1880 and 1900, the population of American cities combined increased by an incredible 15 million. While immigrants made up a sizeable proportion of this growth, there was a significant upheaval within the country as rural people moved to the large urban centers.
In the city of London, England, growth occurred much earlier in the century. The population of the city grew from one million in 1801 to 2.25 million in 1850. Once again, it was a case of rural people moving to a giant industrial center to find work. In many cases, rural individuals had been forced to move because the enclosure of farms resulted in them being kicked off their land. In the case of both cities, the rate of expansion was far larger than either could cope with and overcrowding became the norm amongst what was a predominantly poor population.
In London, one in every three flats designed for four people was overcrowded regardless of class. As you can imagine, the figure was much higher for people who were squeezed together in tenements where they lived in wretched conditions. The city attempted to remedy the problem through the 1866 Sanitary Act, but it did little to resolve the issue. After a hard day at work, a man could expect to come home and live with his wife and six children in a space fit for four people at most.
New York City was the place to be for overcrowding. In 1801, the city contained 96,000 residents; this figure had increased to 3.43 million by 1900. Lower Manhattan’s Five Points was one of the most notorious overcrowding hotspots while the Lower East side of the city contained a large majority of immigrants who lived in squalid conditions. The combination of terrible living conditions and living in close proximity spelled disaster for many people in the 19th century.