File

The Lives of Immigrants
During the Gilded Age of
New York City
By: Darya Klimova, Allison Reich and
Stephanie Stern
The growth of the United States between 18801920 can be attributed to the migration of
people from other countries. Germans, Italians,
Irish, European Jews and the Chinese are
some of the first groups that migrated in waves
to the Americas.
Through teaching immigration, we are able to teach our students:
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tolerance
community
hardships
roles of men, women, and children
the “American Dream”
cultural identity
Our students will be able to:
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identify bias/point of view
analyze waves of immigration and why certain groups came
investigate how specific immigrant families lived and worked
learn to ask questions
interview
Through this unit, our 5th grade SWBAT:
❖ define immigration
❖ learn to appreciate a few of the different cultures that
make up New York City today
❖ explain the obstacles that many immigrant families
faced
❖ learn the contributions of the immigrants to the Lower
East Side
Focus Questions:
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What is an immigrant?
Why did various groups emigrate?
What obstacles/hardships did they face on
their journey?
What are some of the major immigrant
groups that came to NYC during the 1880’s1920’s?
How did the immigrants adapt to life in the
new land?
How did the growth of specific
neighborhoods coincide with the waves of
immigration?
Katz’s Deli
Ferrara’s Bakery
Seward Park H.
S.
Wo Hop
Eldridge Street
Synagogue
1. Katz’s Delicatessen
Ever crave a pastrami sandwich? There is no better place in New York City to indulge
on the famous yiddish tradition, then on the corner of Ludlow and Houston. The
delicatessen was found by 2 brothers from Iceland in 1888. After many years, the
brothers took on a partnership with Willy Katz in 1903. Willy’s cousin wanted to get in
on the partnership, after he saw the success of bringing a community of immigrants
together, so he bought out the Iceland’s share and the delicatessen became known as
Katz’s Deli. By 1920, the deli became the meeting area for the LES to socialize.
Famous actors, singers and comedians from the Yiddish Theatre would dine in the
famous deli which helped the hype of the restaurant. The hype the delicatessen had
back in the 1920’s is still around more than a century later.
Katz’s Delicatessen
Interview the staff: Learn Yiddish…
Directions: ask a member in the delicatessen to help translate each yiddish word, since it was the spoken language in the
restaurant during the Gilded Age
1. Babka _______________
2. Chavver _____________
3. Geshmak ______________
4. Git Yontif _______________
5. Kosher ________________
6. K’velen ________________
7. Mazel ________________
8. Naches _______________
How did it feel trying to pronounce each
word? Does Yiddish have any connection
to English?
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2. Seward Park High School
This school opened its doors in 1905. The school
was originally called P.S. 62. At this time, people
of more nationalities lived here than anywhere
else in the United States. P.S. 62 was located at
Essex, Hester, and Norfolk Streets. The students
of P.S. 62 excelled immediately. In 1923,
Seward Park Junior High became the first
experimental junior-senior high school. This
experiment did not last long, and the school
remained and became Seward Park High
School.
Can you piece together the story of
the graduating class of 1929?
Seward Park High School holds
the records of all of their previous
almanacs (yearbooks), starting
with the year 1929. Locate one of
the earliest almanacs you can find
and write a historian’s point of view
on what life was like in that year.
You should use the pictures and
written accounts to help in your
writing.
3. Ferrara’s Bakery and Cafe
Ferrara is the first American Espresso Bar. In 1892, Antonio Ferrara realized he
needed a place to socialize with his friends after the opera. He opened the bakery
to help bring the Italian community together. Since it opened, Ferrara’s Bakery is
known for its Torrone. It is an Italian candy made up of fibers and almonds. Since
there was no dairy in the candy, it was a common item shipped to Italian soldiers
during World War II. Ferrara’s Bakery has had many famous visitors throughout
the years; Phil Rizzuto (baseball legend) and President Ronald Reagan.
Ferrara’s Bakery
After trying the famous Torrone, does it taste or
remind you of a candy that you eat today? Why or
why not?
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Chinese Immigration
Another group that immigrated
to Manhattan during this time
period is the Chinese. Many
Chinese immigrants worked as
hand launderers. These
immigrants also settled in the
Lower East Side. This area
became known as “Chinatown”.
4. Wo Hop Chinese
Restaurant
Wo Hop has been a popular
Chinese restaurant in Chinatown
since 1928. It is still known for its
original cramped space on 17
Mott Street. It is located down
several steps. Do not confuse it
with the imposter Wo Hop on 15
Mott Street (located directly
above).
Wo Hop Dumplings
Order the famous dumplings from the Wo Hop
menus. Using your 5 senses, come up with 3
adjectives that describe the dumplings.
1.________________________________
2.________________________________
3.________________________________
5. Eldridge Street Synagogue
At 12 Eldridge Street, many Jewish immigrants flocked for the high holy services.
The Synagogue is also known as “East Side J.P. Morgan” named after one of its
founders. September 4, 1887, Jewish Russians and Polish immigrants used the
synagogue to create a place of worship and build a community. This is the first
synagogue in America that Eastern Jews built from the ground up. The congregation
hired Rabbi Aharon Yudelovitch in 1918 to head services. The synagogue closed
during the 1920’s due to the decline in memberships due to the great depression.
Shortly after, the synagogue turned into a museum to celebrate the Gilded Age and
history of the Jewish immigrants during that time.
Eldridge Street Synagogue
Pick 3 aspects of The Life at Eldridge Street Synagogue and write
about what each item represents. (suggestions: spittoon, 50th Anniversary Pamphlet,
Free loan society record, Tzedakah box, cemetery map, Burnt mortgage and/or high holiday ticket)
1.
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2.
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3.
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Tenement Museum
The Tenement Museum, located at 97 Orchard St in the Lower
East Side, was built in 1863 and housed roughly 7,000
working class immigrants.
This tenement was originally owned by Lucas Glockner, who
was a German immigrant tailor and lived on St. Mark’s Place
before moving into his own building.
The building housed 20 families and had 3 room apartments
spread amongst 5 floors. The three room apartment was made
up of a kitchen, a living room/parlor (largest room) and one
tiny bedroom. The whole apartment was about 325 square
feet.
There were no toilets, no showers, and no bathtubs!
Lucas Glockner
He built the tenements at 97 Orchard Street in
1863. Lucas Glockner made a living by
charging his tenants rent each month. He was
an immigrant from Germany. Many other
German immigrants settled at the tenements at
97 Orchard Street, as well.
Kleindeutschland “Little Germany”
Many Germans immigrated to the Lower
East Side before they moved to the
Upper East Side. This neighborhood
became known as Kleindeutschland or
“Little Germany.” Many Germans were
bakers, tailors, cigar makers,
carpenters, and barbers. The people of
Kleindeutschland were far from the
upper class. Most of them worked long,
12-hour days in poor working conditions
just to make ends meet.
The Hard Times Tour
By visiting this museum, our students will be
able to experience what it was like to live in the
late 1800’s in the Lower East Side. They will
learn about the lives of two families, the ItalianCatholic Baldizzi family and the German-Jewish
Gumpertz family. They will have to think about
the many hardships these families had to face
everyday (such as sharing 4 outhouses
between 20 families, little to no work, a foreign
language, being a single mother, etc.).
The Baldizzi Family
Rosario listened to her radio as
she cleaned, cooked, and
anytime she missed her Italian
roots. She would listen to soap
operas and music in Italian, as
recalled by her daughter
Josephine.
Task One: Poetry
Write a poem (in the voice of
Rosario or one of her
children) to describe the
feelings you have about
hearing your native language
on the radio. Are you happy
to hear it broadcasted? Does
it make you uneasy because
you miss your family and
your homeland?
Task Two: What would you bring?
The Baldizzi family brought very little things with
them to America. The size of their suitcase is the
size of what is allowed as a carry-on on a plane.
What things did the Baldizzi family have to think
about before packing? What necessities did they
have to bring?
Your task is to take pictures of items you would
bring (that would fit into a carry-on suitcase) to a
new land. Remember you aren’t sure of what the
climate is in the new land; it’s best to be prepared
for anything. Print out your pictures and paste
them onto cardstock paper. On the back of your
picture, write why you would choose to bring this
certain item.
97 Orchard St. only had 4
outhouses, one water
fountain, and one bucket
to share amongst 20
families.
Indoor toilets were added
to this tenement after
1901.
Task Three: Outhouses, a Water Fountain, a
Bucket, Oh My!
Your task is to write a journal entry of a child who lived in
97 Orchard St. during the years 1880-1901. In your journal
be sure to explain the difficulties of sharing 4 outhouses,
one water fountain, and one bucket between 20 families.
Be sure to include what season you’re in, as the
summertime will be a different experience than the winter.
Describe the smell. Do your parents put a ‘curfew’ on the
usage of the outhouses after a certain time? What happens
if you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night?
Are you scared to go down to the outhouses by yourself?
Resources:
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http://www.eldridgestreet.org/collections/ellis-to-eldridge/life-at-thesynagogue
http://www.eldridgestreet.org/history/history
http://katzsdelicatessen.com/history/
http://www.ferraracafe.com/about/
http://www.tenement.org/
http://www.lespi-nyc.org/history/kleindeutschland-little-germany-in-thelower-east-side.html
(pictures) http://www.google.com/
http://www.sewardparkhs.com/History/
http://www.wohopnyc.com