The Lower East Side is a place from which we in the present can certainly hope to learn from the past. The articles complied in this collection provide valuable sources of information and evidence for studying an urban experience. The value of these articles is enhanced because the authors were all eye-witness observers of life in Lower Manhattan. Moreover, they were all astute and trained observers of human behavior who used their skills of observation and communication to preserve for a later generation the experience of a great people at a remarkable time in our nations history. Support for the research and development of materials used in this course was provided by Saint Mary's College of Minnesota and the United States Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education which provided a substantial grant for the creation of the Lower Manhattan Project which conducted the research and prepared the materials used in the course.
Chambers is acknowledged as the leading social welfare historian in the United States.
Patrick Costello, Professor of English, Saint Mary's College of Minnesota. Costello is a student of urban literature who has devoted much of his attention to American Jewish literature. Chad Gaffield, Professor of History, University of Ottawa, Canada. Gaffield specializes in social and urban history and is an expert in computer-assisted learning. Beverly Stadum, Associate Professor of Social Work, St. Cloud State University.