From The Peopling of New York City
Jasper Cunneen
Contents |
About Me
Hi, I am a Macaulay undergraduate at Baruch College. I have not chosen a specific major yet due to my unwillingness to choose a career path and a relatively equal appreciation of multiple fields of study.
I live in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan and have been there for practically my entire life. It is located on the border of midtown and the lower east side, a few blocks away from Baruch. As one can imagine, my commute to school is pretty quick, lasting a maximum of 20 minutes. Originally built for WWII veterans, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village has become a conglomerate of young and old. Met Life sold the rights to the property a few years ago to Tishman Speyer in the largest real estate deal in history, fetching a price of $5.4 billion.
My background is fairly diverse. I am mostly Chinese with some Irish and a dash of German and French thrown in as well. Though I do not speak Chinese, I have traveled there several times, learning a lot about the culture and comparing it with Chinese-Americans in New York City. Even with my heritage, I feel more connected to America than I do to China, Ireland or Germany. I do not celebrate any holidays other than American ones. Then again neither does anyone else in my family.
I enjoy playing basically any type of sport, tennis being my favorite. I have been to the last three U.S. Open tennis tournaments in Queens and plan to go again this year. Traveling around the world is also something I find particularly invigorating. Lucky for me, my mom works in the travel business. I have been to China several times and once to Ireland when I was very small. I have yet to step foot on German soil. I work part-time at a small computer company in Chelsea. The rest of my time is spent with friends and family.
Ideal Community
An ideal community can be situated in any location and can consist of any type of people. What makes the community ideal is the level of communication that takes place. A certain amount of interaction between residents can help build sturdy relationships that support the overall community. Everyone should be treated with respect no matter who they are. Lastly, there should be a communal area where community members can all go. This area should be centrally located and easily accessible to all.
My ideal community lives next to some body of water. It is powered entirely by solar panels and wind turbines. It has an advanced way to recycle waste without giving off greenhouse gases. Everyone either walks, bikes or uses electric golf carts to get where they need to go. There is a large high-quality restaurant in the middle of the community that has weekly events and is open 24/7. There is also a huge gymnasium that houses a basketball court and a tennis court. It also has all of the latest gym equipment. One can either rent out a living space or offer to buy one. Residents are relatively friendly and respect each other’s privacy. A small committee made up of community members act as the community's government. Each member can serve no longer than 1 year before being replaced. All animals are free to roam around and will likely be fed by residents.
Immigration Film Clips
This is a short clip from the movie The Terminal. It is a comedy about an Eastern European man, Viktor Navorski traveling to New York City to acquire the autograph of a jazz musician. This was the last wish of his father. However the problem occurs when Viktor's government is overthrown on his way to America. When he arrives at JFK, he is stopped by immigration because his passport became invalidated due to the political upheaval that occurred in Viktor's homeland. He spends most of the movie stuck in the airport as everything is sorted out. At one point in the clip, immigration officers are shown at their booths asking travelers for the purpose of their visit. That scene showed a striking resemblance to the one in the beginning of the Godfather II where immigration officers, sitting at their booths, are asking for the names of those coming into the country. This shows how immigration has evolved (or remained the same) in the modern world. The airport acts as the new Ellis Island. Immigrants must fill out several forms before they are allowed to enter the United States.
From There to Here
Whenever I am asked what my background is I have somewhat of a difficult time answering. I have never really researched my own family history as much as I would have liked to. I know that I am mixed but what specifically has continually eluded me. Therefore I find this a great opportunity to learn more about myself so that I may confidently tell others about my own history.
I was born in New York City and have lived here all my life. My mother was also born here and so was my grandfather. However, my grandmother was brought to America by my grandfather after WWII, in which he fought. He was a Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy after the fighting had ended. It was in 1954 that he returned from his tour abroad. He is of Irish and German descent and was born in upstate New York. Both his mother and father were also born in upstate New York. He attended Holy Cross College in the 1930’s and later went to Columbia Law. His grandparents on his mother’s side were from Germany. His grandfather, Michael Cunneen on his father’s side immigrated to New York City in 1863 from Ireland. He probably passed through Castle Garden, or Castle Clinton, which served as New York’s immigration hub from 1855 – 1890. Ellis Island hadn’t been opened up until 1892.
My grandmother is a mix of Chinese, French and Vietnamese yet she was born in Mandalay, Burma, then a British colony that is known now as Myanmar. She later moved to May Myo, a town in the Shan hills. She attended Rangoon University in the 1950’s. She gets her French and Vietnamese from her great great grandmother. Both of my grandmother’s parents were Chinese.
Living in the city is not the same as living upstate. So I had to figure out why the family moved into the tri-borough area. According to my mother, my grandfather’s father did not go to college but was self-taught and passed the bar examination to become a lawyer. He ended up becoming a district attorney for the city. My grandfather would later follow that path, himself becoming an assistant district attorney in the city. This relates to our field trip to the tenement museums and what our guide Dan had said about Irish immigrants and their children. They were well organized and usually found themselves working for the government in some capacity. The city also drew my grandfather’s mother, who pursued a teaching career along with her sisters. There is a junior high school named after one of the sisters in Manhattan. It was in the city that my grandfather’s parents met.
My mother was raised in Stuyvesant Town along with 3 brothers and one sister. It is then not surprising that this is where she chose to raise me. But my first home was not in Manhattan but instead across the East River in Brooklyn. Only five months later I was brought to the home where I still live happily today.
Neighborhood Census Tract
When I looked up the statistics about my neighborhood, I was most surprised by the amount of Whites that lived there. According to the statistics, there are 15,112 people living in census tract 44.01. 11,572 of those people are caucasian. This translates to 76.6% of the total population whereas only 35% of New York City as a whole is White. I guess I had not realized how predominantly White my neighborhood was before because I am not at home most of the day. Instead I am traveling around the city, getting a large dose of diversity.
Also interesting is the amount of people over 65 living in my area. I would have thought the number to be higher than the 2,821 (18.7%) that it is. While this is higher than the city’s percentage, I would have thought that due to the neighborhood’s age, low rent and original purpose (built for WWII veterans), there would be a higher concentration of older people living there. The neighborhood is slowly becoming younger, especially now with the addition of NYU dorm space and rising housing costs.
Class Notes
Notes: 2.13.09
- People migrate because of value & resources (pull factors).
- People also came to New York to meet with others. It became a social gathering place as well.
- Before Native Americans used the trails, migratory animals created trails.
- Indians used to hunt buffalo in New York (east to west).
- Factors that brought Europeans to New York City were natural ocean currents & wind patterns.
- Categories of people: Ethnic, race, religion, economic, etc.
- Dutch mostly settled in Brooklyn due to its similarities with their homeland.
- Today, people come to New York because they can find something of their homeland in the city.
- Place: Resources, weather, geography and people.
- People tend to cluster together for various reasons.
- New York City offers art, finance, food, fashion, education, shopping, lifestyle, etc. (pull factors)
- Push factors: economic factors, religious persecution, discrimination, boredom, politics, war, etc.
- Types of settlements: rural, areas towns, small cities, mid-size cities, large cities, metros and megalopolis.
- Many immigrants to the United States do it in a two-step process, first migrating to another country other then their homeland before immigrating to America.
- Census reports are taken every 10 years. Areas defined geographically.
- Foreign-born people are still proportionally less than native-born peoples.
Notes: 3.27.09
- POTS →Theories, Ideologies
- Ethnic Succession
- Social Sciences: History, Sociology, Political Science (accuracy)
- Journalism: entertainment, accessibility, accuracy, reliability, validity
- Comparisons: groups, theories, authors
- Science – is, Ideology – ought to be
- Simulation used in movies and such
Field Trip Notes
 Statue of an Eagle in Manhattan |
 On the ferry |
 Statue of Liberty |
 Ellis Island Building |
 View of the city from Ellis Island |
 Welcome Sign |
 Ellis Island Entrance |
 Great Hall |
- Ellis Island opened in 1892
- Millions of immigrants passed through the immigration center until it closed in 1954
- The actual island was actually made larger artificially to accommodate the facility
- The original building was burned down. It was later rebuilt and made fire-safe
- Immigrants passing through Ellis Island had to go through an extremely stressful process before being admitted onto American soil
- Many immigrants changed their names to ones that were more "American" or because the inspection officer misunderstood them
- Immigrants who were sick were taken to the hospital facility on another part of the island where they were quarantined
- Some immigrants were sent back due to sickness or a lack of proper identification
 Welcome Sign |
 Scaled Model |
 Burial Monument View 1 |
 Burial Monument View 2 |
 Burial Monument Sign |
 Artist's recreation |
 Interesting artwork |
 Tour guide Rasuuuullll |
- The African Burial Grounds were originally used in the 1600-1700's
- Slaves helped build much of lower Manhattan
- The monument was discovered accidently during the construction of the Federal Office Building
- There was a large fight over the site and it gained national monument status in 2006
- It is believed that up to 20,000 African-Americans were buried there
Lower East Side Tenement Museum:
 Welcome Sign |
 Tour guide Dan |
 Vincent and Daniel |
- The tenements housed people from the 1860's to the 1930's
- The tenements went under several renovations during their use to keep up with rising living standards
- There was one bathroom for an entire floor that was to be shared by several families
- Summers were dreadfully hot as there was very little ventilation save for a few windows
- Oil lamps had to be used to light rooms
- Several lamps had to be used to actually light the room significantly
Midterm Essay I
1. Describe, discuss and give examples of the theories/ideologies of immigrant adjustment to American society.
Immigration has long been a part of American society. In fact, immigrants founded America. The process of blending in and adjusting to American lifestyle is both tedious and stressful but nonetheless must be done. New York City has acted as America’s hub of immigration. It is a beacon that has drawn millions to its shores, using attractions such as art, finance, food and education. New York’s many ethnic neighborhoods are also why many immigrants come to this city in particular. All three books zoom in on this cultural capital of the world. All the authors are awed by New York’s ability to hold within it so many different people.
The introduction of Beyond the Melting Pot was very intriguing. The Glazer & Moynihan spend quite a bit of time discussing how New York City has been unfairly left out of studies and research projects even though, by comparison, it is the greatest city America has to offer. They argue that the city’s vastness in all fields intimidates those who even think of taking up the challenge. A contrast between a businessman of several large cities and one of New York sums up this point. “The head of a huge corporation or financial complex in Chicago or Pittsburgh or Boston does play an important role in his city…In New York, the man who heads an institution or corporation of equal size is only one of many.” (Pg. 3, Beyond the Melting Pot) It may be a touch on the arrogant side but it is indeed true. It also makes it that much harder for immigrants in New York to have a real impact on and adjust to the city. Pointed out clearly in the book, it is even harder for certain groups (Negroes and Puerto Ricans) of immigrants.
Nancy Foner’s Ellis Island to JFK was similar it its assessment of African-Americans and in this case Hispanics having a harder time adjusting to life in the United States. This is due to having less of an opportunity for education and constantly being racially profiled by everyone else. It is suggested that other immigrant groups, to assimilate themselves into a ‘white’ American society, use African-Americans. By separating from the ‘black’ culture, groups such as the Jews, Germans and Irish were more readily accepted by the ‘white’ group. This ‘black’ group doesn’t only include those of African-American descent. “A number of sociologists have speculated that the black category itself could expand, as the most unsuccessful portions of some immigrant groups (presumably darker in skin color) assimilate into the existing black population.” (Pg. 229, Ellis Island to JFK) This divide is troubling, especially for a country that harps the idea of equality and has tried to eliminate discrimination.
The concept is also mentioned in Beyond the Melting Pot. “When one speaks of Negroes and Puerto Ricans, one also means unorganized and unskilled workers, who hold poorly paying jobs…when one says Italians, one also means homeowners in Staten Island, the North Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.” (Pg. 17, Beyond the Melting Pot) There is a clear class difference between the ‘white’ group and the ‘black’ group. Foner references a statistic that is even more worrisome. “According to Zenchao Qian’s 1990 census data, 66% of U.S – born Asians marry non-Asians who are mostly white. 40% of U.S – born Latinos marry non-Latinos, again most of them white.” (Pg. 229, Ellis Island to JFK) This data indicates that the ‘white’ group may finally be loosening and accepting more people through intermarriage. Though it appears to propose a bright future, it fails to see that it doesn’t get rid of the ‘black’ category. It may even create more of a gap. Foner goes on to say how intermarriage between blacks and whites is still low, though it has risen from the time of the first great wave. Transnationalism is one of Foner’s closing points and can be related to the other two books. It is an ideology about immigrants staying connected with their homelands. However transnationalism could barely exist with the immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Letters were virtually the only way immigrants could stay in touch with their origins. Old-stock immigrants, as Glazer & Moynihan like to say, came to America knowing that the trip would most likely be permanent. They abandoned their homelands willingly, sometimes leaving behind family members and friends. It caused them to yearn for their own countries as a child yearns for its mother.
Foner’s idea has been solidified with present day advances in technology. The new wave of immigrants is able to stay connected with their country of origin with relative ease. The World in a City devotes an entire chapter to the transnationalistic idea. A man from Cuenca is described as he videoconferences with his family over hundreds of miles. “At Austro Financial Services on Roosevelt Avenue, Jesus’ intercontinental exchange with his children was not all playful. His daughters were angry with him for becoming involved for a time, as other migrants often do, with another woman, even if was now sitting amicably with his wife…In contrast to a telephone, videoconferencing allowed Jesus to see – not just hear – Maribel’s anger and Nadia’s fear.” (The World in a City, Pg. 107) This was an unthinkable option for Glazer & Moynihan’s immigrants. Added to this technological wonder are neighborhoods filled with newspapers and stores of different countries. Berger also mentions the fact the cable providers offer the channels of a myriad of countries and in their language. Ironically, the technology boom has inadvertently made it harder for immigrants to adjust. Immigrants of old had no choice but to acclimate to American society. Today’s immigrants have the luxury and comforts of home without actually being there. They can easily stay in touch with relatives who stayed behind through mail, telephone, e-mail, and as mentioned before, videoconferencing.
While all three books are written at different time periods, similar issues are discussed in each. Joseph Berger’s The World in a City takes place in the present, Glazer & Moynihan’s Beyond the Melting Pot in the past. Foner’s Ellis Island to JFK bridges the two together. Adjustment is one of the most arduous parts of immigration. Some immigrants never fully accomplish the task themselves, instead passing the gauntlet to their children. The degree of adjustment seems to be different for different groups of immigrants. Some have an easier time becoming part of and accepting the culture while others struggle tremendously, though part of problem may have to do with race. As immigrants continue to pour into the city, they will have to figure out how to adjust to a new lifestyle. Without meaning to however, they will also be adjusting the American lifestyle itself.
Midterm Essay II
2. Based on the three readings, which theory/ideology do you think is happening today?
Before one can determine how well immigrants are integrating themselves into American society, a definition of what it means to be American must be conceived. To be an American, one must be able to understand and speak enough English to be able to get by, know what is going on in American culture and politics, and must care at least a little about what is going on in the country. The melting pot theory suggests a complete assimilation of immigrants into American society. In Glazer & Moynihan’s Beyond the Melting Pot, full assimilation was never fully reached by most immigrants of the past. To a certain extent, this idea is accurate.
Many first-generation immigrants arriving from anywhere in the world never become fully American. It has nothing to do with their efforts to assimilate. The mere fact that they have left their own homes to come to America will always be with first-generation immigrants. No matter how hard they try, they will always feel a connection to their country of origin. Whether that connection is good or bad does not matter. What matters is that a connection exists and it will prevent them from fully becoming Americans. This, along with technological advances and a city that can offer the comforts of home to numerous immigrants has stalled the melting pot ideology.
Joseph Berger points this out in chapter 5 of The World in a City. “What chafes at the old-timers is that the Korean storeowners are not beholden to the venerable rules of retailing…The signs the Korean merchants have been putting up above their stores are in large Korean ideograms that non-Koreans do not understand – in many cases with no hint in English of what is being sold.” (Pg. 62, The World in a City) This tight-knit Korean community of Douglaston-Little Neck has become somewhat isolated from everyone else. Koreans enjoy Korean television programs and Korean newspapers that compound this isolation. But this is no anomaly. As we’ve discussed in class, immigrants from each time period have sought to cluster together. Just look at the several Chinatowns and Little Italy’s are sprinkled all over the city. They need to do so in order have any chance of improving their lives. Be that as it may, efforts are still being made to break down these imaginary barriers. Berger interviewed Sehyoung Jang, a Korean dancer who teaches ballroom dancing in the neighborhood to a wide variety of peoples. He does so with his Polish partner, Evelyn Basak. Jang’s goal is to foster relationships between people of all backgrounds. “ I want to put Korean and American people together…If they can dance together and hold hands there will be more relationships. When you dance you don’t care about country or culture.” (Pg. 72, The World in a City) It is a slow going process though.
I find that second-generation immigrants have a much easier time assimilating. They are much more in tune with American culture. They do not feel as connected with their backgrounds as their parents do. It cannot be said much better than Nancy Foner. “Listen to Eric Liu again, describing his two trips to China: ‘I never felt the transcendence the child of immigrants is supposed to experience upon going back…Part of it was that I have no family left on the mainland…Mostly, I was unsure what it was I should have been searching for.” (Pg. 242, Ellis Island to JFK) Second-generation immigrants have the advantage of going to school in America and learning English at a young age. Already having a home in the country takes off an enormous amount of pressure that first-generation immigrants didn’t have.
Therefore it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is taking place today. It seems that at first, the outcome of cultural pluralism is inevitable. This stew pot idea is enforced by the myriad of neighborhoods that have clear affiliations with certain cultures. First-generation immigrants can’t help but remain tied to their origins. As immigrants get settled and begin having families, the assimilationism ideology upstages cultural pluralism. The melting pot does indeed occur, but it just lags slightly behind as newer immigrants replace older ones. If immigration were stop completely then there would eventually be complete assimilation. Since this is highly unlikely seeing as America’s immigration requirements are still some of the lightest, then cultural pluralism must be present.
Berger concludes in his book, “They are merging – conspicuously or inconspicuously – into the mighty American river. It is a very different river from the one that flowed a half century ago, fed by streams and rivulets we knew little about only yesterday, but still it rolls mightily and charmingly along.” (Pg. 264, The World in a City) Essentially what we have today is a recipe for dough. A mixture of flour and water continually being mixed together will become one entity. This is the idea of the melting pot. But if you keep adding more flour, the ingredients will never completely mix. This is the idea of the stew pot. There may be a time in the future when the world has become so globalized that every city may end up like New York City. But that scenario is not even close to being on the horizon. In the meantime, New York City, and America, will just have to keep stirring what it already has.
Midterm Notes
Notes on Berger: - Journalistic style of writing (entertainment) - Present immigrants - Assimilationism/Cultural Pluralism point of view: Talks about how immigrants are becoming more and more part of New York at the country whether they try to or not. “They are merging conspicuously or inconspicuously – into the mighty American river. It is a very different river from the one that flowed a half century ago, fed by streams and rivulets we knew little about only yesterday, but still it rolls mightily and charmingly along.” – Pg. 264 - Equally tries to talk about every immigrant group although he himself is Jewish - Tries to appeal to a wide range of readers - Uses interviews throughout his book - Makes references to celebrities to draw attention o John McEnroe grew up in Douglaston o Woody Allen grew up in Midwood - Makes references to fellow journalists - Used 2000 census data as one of his sources - Goes to many community organizations to get facts as well - Uses professors and specialists as sources o Joseph Salvo (Director of the Planning Department’s Population Division) o John H. Mollenkopf (Director of the Center for Urban Research at CUNY) o Dr. William B. Helmreich (Urban Ethnographer at CUNY) - Kind of takes the reader on a tour of NYC immigration
Notes on Foner: - Sources include census data, historical accounts, surveys, biographies, novels and memoirs. - Compares old (1880 – 1920) immigration to new (mid-1960 – Present) immigration. Old immigrants were mostly Italians and Eastern European Jews while new ones were more mixed Asians, Latin American, West Indian and Europeans. - Old immigrants had to “assimilate” into the white society and could because it was easier for them to do so. New immigrants cannot join the white group because of obvious physical attributes. However, America is changing so drastically that the definition of white will change. Interracial marriage for example is a key mentioned in the book. It is occurring at a much higher rate now then it did in the past. Ex: According to Zenchao Qian’s 1990 census data, 66% of U.S – Born Asians marry non-Asians who are mostly white. 40% of U.S – Born Latinos marry non-Latinos, again most of them white. Foner suggests that the white category could come to accept lighter colored people including “light-skinned Hispanics.” Successful Asians could also join the group as well. - Or the white category could lose its importance and size all together due to the mass influx of different cultures. The black category would expand and include the less successful of other races. “A number of sociologists have speculated that the black category itself could expand, as the most unsuccessful portions of some immigrant groups (presumably darker in skin color) assimilate into the existing black population.” – Pg. 229 - Uses statistical tables in her book for more validity - Refers to Assimilationism for all races barring the black population. Jews and Italians used their differences with blacks to get closer to the whites. - Immigrant girls are better off than boys because they have chores and responsibilities which lead to better school work. The boys are more independent which conflicts with schoolwork. - 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants are more assimilated into American society. (schools, less language barriers) Transnationalism is a “one-generation” phenomenon. - References Glazer & Moynihan’s “two by two” analogy - Examines more in depth the reasons for coming and the differences between those who are coming. - Uses many more statistics than Berger - Does not have anything on religious practices of immigrants, or Middle Eastern immigrants. - Also mentions Salvo as a source and interviewee - Compares women of old to women today. Today women work out of the house even if they are married where as women of the past would work until they were married. By 1990 nearly 75% of married women with children under 18 worked. Makes very supportive arguments for women who support themselves, maybe even more so than men.
Notes on Glazer & Moynihan: - Multi-Culturalism perspective. Suggest that the melting pot ideology had failed. - Old-immigration - Have an interesting introduction in which they wonder why New York has never been the focus of a detailed study when it is the most important city in America. New York’s immigrant populations are so much larger than that of other cities yet they are not scrutinized as much as they would be in other cities. - Irish, Italians and Jews are on the higher levels of society whereas Negroes and Puerto Ricans are on the lower levels. - Immigrants try to assimilate with the “old-stock” or WASP’s who are of descent from people here before the revolution. American people had an idea of what it was to be American. For some reason the German population was placed above Irish in terms of closeness with the old-stock. This gave future German immigrants a better chance than Irish ones. Races in New York have developed word associations. Ex: “When one speaks of Negroes and Puerto Ricans, one also means unorganized and unskilled workers, who hold poorly paying jobs…when one says Italians, one also means homeowners in Staten Island, the North Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.” – Pg. 17 - Germans were assimilated into the white society. They were protestant and held sympathy. Adapted easier to the mercantile system. - Claim that Americans still don’t have their own identity. “But the American nationality is still forming: its processes are mysterious, and the final form, if there is ever to be a final form is as yet unknown.” – Pg. 315 - Religion and race will be key factors to shape America
Midterm Questions:
1. What were the similarities and differences between the three books in terms of style, theme and information?
2. Using the three books as references, describe which ideology you think is occurring today?
3. Describe, discuss & give examples of assimilationsim in each of the three books.
