Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis was born on May 03, 1849, in Ribe, Denmark. Riis migrated to this country in 1870 on a steamship. . He arrived in New York City. Riis took on demanding jobs as an ironworker, farmer, and bricklayer. These jobs gave him a glimpse of the less fortunate side of America's economic system. However, it was not until he became a police reporter for the NYPD that he discovered the true suffering. Citizens living in extremely poor conditions. He felt compelled to find a way to expose this to the other prosperous side of America. Later on he took photos and published many book eliciting the images to other fellow Americans. Riis was part of the gilded age era. This meant industrialization was at its peak in America's history. Many ''skilled''workers such as women who sewed were no longer needed because of the implementation of sewing machines. Thus making ''skilled''…

Jacob Riis was born on May 3, 1849, in Ribe, Denmark Jacob had a happy childhood, but experienced tragedy at the age of eleven when his younger brother, Theodor, drowned. He never forgot his mother's pain and grief from the tragedy. At only the young age of eleven or twelve, Riis donated all the money he had and gave it to a poor Ribe family living in a cluttered, messy house with little to show of ownership or possessions. The tenants took the money and obliged; when he told his mother, she…

Jacob Riis was a Danish born immigrant that arrived to the United States in 1870. As a police reporter, Riis used his interest in tenement life and knowledge of photography to attempt to bring about social change for the impoverished of New York. His crusade against poverty culminated in the publication of his work How the Other Half Lives, in which Riis presents a thorough analysis of the problems faced by the poor of New York as a result of urban expansion, rapid industrialization and…

BIO: Born in Ribe, Denmark of May 1849, Jacob Riis would pave the way in journalistic photography in displaying the social problems of his age. With only $40 and a locket, he boarded a steamship and made his way to a new future. Emigrating to the United States in 1870 was challenging, but he would have no clue the impact that he would leave. Upon arrival, he conducted a series of odd jobs: bricklayer, ironworker, salesman, farmer. This would give Riis a unique perspective on America, as he…

knew I wanted to keep my topic close to the country I originated from—the Philippines. In my topic, I didn’t want to reference the country literally, so I choose poverty as inspiration because it affects many people in the Philippines. Then, I remembered watching a clip, in America: The Story of Us, about Jacob Riis, a man that encountered and took photos of people who lived in the slums of New York during the 19th century. His work interested me, but as I began to research about him, what…

In late nineteenth through early twentieth century there was about 250 million children working under the age of fourteen. Children were employed in mining, farming, textiles and factories. Child laborers worked long shifts, sometimes up to 14 hours with little break periods. They worked in environments that were unhealthy and dangerous. The children risked losing limbs, being crushed by machinery, burns and exposure to poisonous fumes. Sometimes child laborers were shackled and beaten by…

Jacob Riis’s: Poverty in NYC Jacob Riis was a journalist from the 1800's who aspired to show the upper class the living conditions and lifestyle of the working class. He used photography and technology, modern at the time, to paint a picture of the suffering caused by low wages and high prices, and nailed that metaphorical picture on the metaphorical door of every non metaphorical, wealthy, eccentric high class millionaire in all of New York City. His revolutionary work, and his book, How the…

In the year of 1900, the population of New York City was 3.4 million people. Sadly, two thirds of the people were living in unsanitary and crowded tenements (Tenements). What is worse is that many people did not know the tenements. Jacob Riis, the author how How The Other Half Lives, opened citizen’s eyes about what New York City was truthfully like. Jacob Riis however has not been the only writer to write about the reality of the world. Author’s like Kate Chopin, who wrote The Story Of An Hour,…

the cities. However, newcomers faced hostility, discrimination, and were separated from the white citizens, but where do they settle? In 1890, Jacob Riis, a photojournalist, exposed the living conditions of hundreds of immigrants in New York’s slums in his book How the Other Half Lives. In this essay, an excerpt taken from Jacob Riis’s book will be analyzed to illustrate the issues he wants to reveal to the public. The primary source being analyzed in this essay is an excerpt called The…

evils. I think that this definition shows that reform includes many situations and that it is needed without exception. When we look back into history, there are many situations in which reforming was in the process. We see through large actions like laborers striking against their terrible working conditions and low wages. This is even seen through small actions like homeless shelters, giving a free meal to people. Both needed a contributor, someone taking action, and receivers, that sparked…