Immigrant Housing: Lower East Side Manhattan Tenements

What is the reason landlords offered immigrants tenement slums?

• There were no housing laws in the 1800s.

• The immigrants did not have family here.

• The immigrants took low-paying jobs.

• The immigrants did not speak the language.

What evidence can be used to support the statement: "New housing laws made people in the homes more safe." (There may be more than one correct answer.)

• "They had to make sure hallways were lit."

• "They also had to provide fire escapes for everybody."

• "The new laws forced landlords to install plumbing."

What can be concluded about the purpose of housing laws?

• Housing laws were put into law to protect landlords.

• Housing laws have never been very popular, but may be necessary.

• Housing laws were put into law to ensure that all people had safe and adequate housing.

• Housing laws were put into law to protect immigrants only.

Read the sentence:

"It was common for several families to be cramped into a two-room apartment with no sunlight or ventilation.

What word could best replace cramped as used in this sentence?

• packed

• allowed

• beaten

• placed

The main idea of this passage is

• Landlords were guilty of breaking many housing laws in the 1800s.

• Lack of sanitation (cleanliness) was a cause of many deaths in the 1800s.

• Immigrants faced many challenges once they moved to America, such as starvation wages.

• Immigrants were forced to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions before housing laws.

What other challenges besides the housing conditions did immigrants face?

• Immigrants did not have family or friends here.

• Immigrants could not speak the language.

• Immigrants felt awkward with American culture.

• Immigrants worked low-paying jobs.