Analysis of American Life in 1900: A Personal Letter from New York

This essay presents an analysis of a letter written from New York in 1900 by an immigrant to his mother, detailing his observations and reflections on life in the United States. The letter describes the rapid industrial and population growth, advancements in mass transit, and the changing lifestyles, including increased housing prices and access to a variety of foods. It also touches on the evolution of education and the popularity of various sports. The author contrasts the perceived opportunities with the harsh realities of labor and wages, particularly in the South and in factories. Ultimately, the author decides against encouraging his family to immigrate permanently, suggesting a visit for a brief experience instead, before planning to return to Australia himself. The essay references historical sources to contextualize the immigrant's experiences and observations, providing a comprehensive view of American life at the turn of the century. Desklib offers a variety of study tools, including access to past papers and solved assignments, for students to further their understanding of historical contexts and essay writing.

Letter

102, Patrick Building
South Avenue,
New York 10002
United States
30/01/1900
Dear Mom,
I hope you are fine and healthy. It’s good to talk via letter as it was one of your favourite
things during your era. Lately I have been thinking to call all of you over here to stay on
permanent basis. The life in US is pretty exponential and growing at the fast pace. The
industrial expansion as well as the population growth is radical. Mass transit in the form of
trolleys, cable cars and the subways are built and the entire city is beginning to have a
different outlook (Brackemyre, 2015). Commuters who are working began to increase
gradually due to heavy opportunities. Until 1885 things were positive, for old Irish
Americans, America is the land of the opportunity. From Chicago to New York it takes less
than two days and not more than 26 dollars. The travel had become much easier and cheaper
after the years passed to the civil war. The immigrant of today has so many benefits as
compared to those of predecessor. In terms of the lifestyle the housing prices have been
increased in such a way that the house worth $12000 in the year 1890 will be equivalent to
the real dollars in the year 2010, but more than the $360000 in nominal dollars (Visualizing
Economics, 2011). The variety of foods has increased now and people can buy California
oranges as well (Cliff Notes, 2015). The food were shipped via rail, the commercial shopping
were given more preference by the women rather than baking and canning. There is one

grocery chain as well namely; Great Atlantic which started in the year 1886 that provides the
fresh produce of milk and vegetables. The education has also changes its phase and
significant jump can be seen in the enrolment of the schools. Different subjects were taught
such as martial arts, science and history. Arithmetic has also been introduced recently. There
are different sports taught to us such as Golf, tennis, bicycling also become popular over here.
The most spectator sport here is football. Immigration is the exact creation of the America
and now the America is divided into South and North. In south the majority of the work is of
the labour and the service work. Common occupations for men are janitors, waiters and
servants whereas the women are housekeepers, laundresses and waitresses. There are many
people who still own farms and the white collar jobs are distinguished by the class of
education. The western culture and the working factories are harsh and involve long hours
with less pay of wages (Library of Congress, 2017). Therefore after examining the exact
situation, I changed my plan of calling all of you to settle. Though this city is made up of
immigrants yet the fancier this looks the more ugly it is deep down. Hence I suggest, you
come only to gaze some big buildings and memories. The semester is going to end and
thereafter I will also shift back to Australia.
Take Care, Hope to see you soon
Yours Lovingly
By Author

References
Brackemyre., T. (2015). Immigrants, Cities, and Disease. Retrieved from
http://ushistoryscene.com/article/immigrants-cities-disease/
Cliff Notes, (2015). Everyday Life in America. Retrieved from
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/history/us-history-ii/american-society-and-
culture-18651900/everyday-life-in-america
Library of Congress, (2017). America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from
1894 to 1915. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/collections/america-at-work-and-
leisure-1894-to-1915/articles-and-essays/america-at-work/
Visualizing Economics, (2011).Real vs Nominal housing prices. Retrieved from
http://visualizingeconomics.com/blog/2011/03/23/real-vs-nominal-housing-prices-
united-states1890-2010