America: The Story of Us (Part 7:Cities)

The United States of America was built on hardship, sacrifice, and discovery. In 2010, the history channel have created this 12-part docu-series where it talks about many of those hardships, sacrifices, and discoveries.

This is part 7 of this 12-part wiki series about the History Channel's docu-series about America. In this part, we will talk about the rise of American cities and the challenges that we took to make it possible.

## Cities

### Building Liberty

The Episode Begins in New York City where it tells about how New York got the proposed symbol of the city; The State of Liberty.

In the 1870s, the France has gifted America a huge statue to commemorate their alliance during the American Revolution, but it comes in pieces, and nobody really knows what to do with it, and building it would be a monumental task.

But one man has a plan, his name is Joseph Pulitzer, a newspaper publisher who's paper is a popular read in the city. He begins a fundraiser to help build the statue, eventually he would get up to 100,000 donations for the project, an astounding success.

Construction began in 1885 as the concrete pedestal was being built, it was completed in 1886.

Then, the iron skeleton was built so it can attach the outer pieces. It took another 6 months to complete the statue. It'll soon become one of the legendary landmarks of the United States, especially to immigrants who come to the nation.

By the late 19th century, immigrants from all over the world would come to Ellis Island, from Ireland to Poland, and soon would venture to other areas of American looking for a better life. very much like the Pilgrims did so many years before.

### Production of Steel

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The episode now goes to Pittsburgh where another revolution would begin, one of building material.

Entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie discovered on how to mass produce steel, with this price of steel plummets to an affordable level, which is enough to fund some projects.

Building the modern city was no easy task, unlike today where we have cranes that can be attached to buildings, attaching the steel beams was a dangerous job, one misstep could mean serious injury or even death, breaks were too far in between, and rivets were manually put in.

### The rise of inner city crime and other problems

The episode goes back to New York where a problem looms in the shadows of the new skyscrapers, crime and poverty.

Crime and poverty would become a rising problem in America's cities, so law enforcement has to do a better job to crack down on this growing problem.

The New York Police use intimidation and sometimes torture to get criminals to confess their crimes, they even take mugshots of suspects, still there's a problem with this kind of method, criminals can erase their own identities when they move from city to city.

Poverty is also a growing problem for the new cities, so photographers use their cameras to photograph those living in poverty and present it to the wealthy, In the late 19th century, these people living in poverty had to food, no infrastructure (meaning no wires or pipes and thus no toilets) and that meant these people were living in each other's filth. Cities made it mandatory to make sure that those living in poverty can also have access to toilets.

Speaking of filth, it was also a major problem in the modern city. Tons of human and animal waste were littered all over these cities (mainly New York), though sewers were invented by the late 19th century, but this didn't stop the waste from building up, because of this disease was rampant in some of the poorer parts of the city. Eventually, a whole crew of cleaning people were brought in to do this "dirty work", and within a few years, America's cities became thriving metropolises.

### A new light

The episode now goes to Menlo Park, New Jersey to talk about a revolution in lighting.

Here, a man named Thomas Edison tries to come up with something that can revolutionize lighting. Before then, whale oil was the way to light up old lanterns which is dangerous and sometimes unreliable. Edison wants to come up with a new way to light our cities and towns. For several years, and after trying 2,000 times he comes up with a carbonized filament for the incandescent light bulb which were safer and more energy efficient than lanterns. He makes this new light bulb in 1879.

Edison soon shows off his new invention on New Year's Day. Now things can more safely operate at night. Throughout the years other inventors such as Nikola Tesla would find a way to conduct alternating current and thus make electricity work for the common person, and soon power plants were built to supply these cities and towns with electricity for people to use.

### The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire

The episode goes back to New York city to talk about a disaster in one of the shirt factories in the city.

One of the buildings in the city was called the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where mostly teenage girls worked, like the industrialized factory it was, shirts worn mostly by women were made here. But on March 25, 1911 a disaster would take place which would set the workplace safety regulations in the future.

A trash bin ignites all of a sudden, and though there are fire suppressing methods, but they were in vain as the fire pail couldn't put out the rapidly spreading fire, and the fire hose fails to work. The workers and their bosses scramble to escape the blaze, but some of them become trapped as some of the doors were locked, the call was made to get help, but the message never reaches the switch board on the 9th floor. The fire escape had collapsed, and those trapped become desperate as they jump from the 9th floor.

Eventually, help arrives. But even then the hoses nor the ladders were long enough to reach the blaze. In all 146 people died, and this would push for better regulations when it comes to workplace fires and when the sprinkler system was established, it also would save lives as well as making sure that there were enough fire exits and people know what to do and where to go if such an event occurs. Fire fighters also have better equipment since the disasters and now their ladders and hoses can reach high floors.

That'll do it for this part. In the next part, we will talk about how America went down easy street, as well as tensions within enthnicities as well as prohibition. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.