Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Thurman, Heather Victoria
Language:	English
Published:	University of Dayton / OhioLINK 2020
Subjects:	American History American Literature slumming immigration nineteenth-century poverty child labor upper-class working class New York City
Online Access:	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1591283630830989

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spelling	ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-dayton15912836308309892021-08-03T07:15:11Z Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City Thurman, Heather Victoria American History American Literature slumming immigration nineteenth-century poverty child labor upper-class working class New York City How does American citizen rhetoric affect the immigrant, particularly the immigrant child in the 1880s? How large of an impact does the exploitation of poverty and ethnicity have on those who occupy the slums of different time and place? These are a couple important questions that this creative piece attempts to answer through critical analysis and research on late nineteenth century New York City. “Where We Call Home” explores slumming experiences through the lens of children and their understanding of the world around them. This work explores children's reactions to the environment they are placed in, forced to confront issues such as poverty, identity, and immigration in The Gilded Age. June, a wealthy thirteen-year-old finds herself lost in the slum of Lower Manhattan where Amerigo, an Italian American boy who calls the slum his home, agrees to help her. Through their experiences together, June questions her upbringing and the anti-immigrant rhetoric she’s been taught by her parents. In the end, it is June’s life as an upper-class white American that fails to provide her with a familial connection, while Amerigo shows her that wealth is not an indicator of happiness. Through the use of historical fiction as an educational tool, the themes and social issues explored in this creative piece help shine a spotlight on current issues of immigration, ethnicity, and racism that are still prevalent in the United States today. By providing an alternative way to understand and evaluate history, historical fiction is able to transcend the boundaries of time by providing connections and opportunities for change in the modern era. 2020-06-22 English text University of Dayton / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1591283630830989 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1591283630830989 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection	NDLTD
language	English
sources	NDLTD
topic	American History American Literature slumming immigration nineteenth-century poverty child labor upper-class working class New York City
spellingShingle	American History American Literature slumming immigration nineteenth-century poverty child labor upper-class working class New York City Thurman, Heather Victoria Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
author	Thurman, Heather Victoria
author_facet	Thurman, Heather Victoria
author_sort	Thurman, Heather Victoria
title	Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
title_short	Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
title_full	Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
title_fullStr	Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
title_full_unstemmed	Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City
title_sort	slumming america: exploring childhood experiences in nineteenth century new york city
publisher	University of Dayton / OhioLINK
publishDate	2020
url	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1591283630830989
work_keys_str_mv	AT thurmanheathervictoria slummingamericaexploringchildhoodexperiencesinnineteenthcenturynewyorkcity
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Slumming America: Exploring Childhood Experiences in Nineteenth Century New York City

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