New York's Brutal Back Alley Slums (Double Alley in the 1800s)

The back alleys of 1800s New York were dark, dangerous and overcrowded. The filthy Fourth Ward of Lower Manhattan was a working class district which, in the late 1800s, turned out more criminals than all the rest of the city together. You will discover some incredible characters that lived in the horribly crowded and dirty tenements found in these alleys. This is the story of the people condemned to live a brutal life in New York's back alleys.
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The White Death (Slum Life): • The White Death (Slum ...
Slumming it in the Tenements: • Slumming it in the Ten...
Battle for New York's Slums: • The Battle for New Yor...
Hell Holes of the Five Points Slum: • New York Cellar Prison...
New York Tenement Slums: • New York Tenement Slum...
Dangerous Gangs of New York Slums: • Dangerous 'Gangs of Ne...
Check out American Slums and Tenements (Playlist):
• American Slums and Ten...
Check out Victorian documentaries (Playlist):
• Victorians
Check out Edwardian Documentaries (Playlist): • Edwardians
Check out Worst Jobs in Victorian History (Playlist): • Worst Jobs in Victoria...
Check out Criminal Past (Playlist): • Criminal Past
Check out Victorian workhouses (Playlist):
• Victorian Workhouses
Credits: Narration - markmanningmedia.com
CC BY - Men walking in a long file leaving spoons as they go past by Wellcome Collection; Musei Capitolini by Sailko
#NewYorkSlums #NewYorkSlumsDocumentary #SlumAmerica #SlumLifeInAmerica #SlumLife #SlumUrban #SlumHomes #SlumHouse #TenementHousing #TenementSlums #TenementConditions

[@FactFeast]

Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this and want to support the channel you can do this by using the SUPER THANKS button above! The White Death (Slum Life): kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZrbimp4hZ2Iqbs Slumming it in the Tenements: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGGonqGOltSooqM Battle for New York's Slums: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrdlJqceJ6Uis0 Hell Holes of the Five Points Slum: kzbin.info/www/bejne/emHTnmp7fsuAeKc New York Tenement Slums: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKHSZHRsYricndE Dangerous Gangs of New York Slums: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3ewh6B4ndaCirM

[@guidedmeditation2396]

NY has always sucked.. Just as it does today smelling like sour milk and rotting garbage. Yuck.

[@filomenaantonelli6985]

@@guidedmeditation2396 Come...? New York yuck . Sarà sicuramente in periferia, dove spesso viene abbandonato. Saluti Italia

[@SamMcKinley]

Yes. Most Americans don’t read so they don’t look at history. Just Facebook and tic tic news

[@alisonhilll4317]

Try telling blacks about how the whites were treated by the same bunch of international bankers that are still in power , its over due to take back our central banks from these parasitic psychopaths.

[@petecora17]

😊😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@michaeltimothy70]

My Irish immigrant grandfather lived in them from 1901-1909. Very poor. He was abused, spit on and often homeless as a 10 year old kid.

[@americafirst1282]

That can’t be true, only blacks were hated and spit upon. I’m being sarcastic. My family was so mistreated as well. Italian and Irish immigrants were despised.

[@karithema9ician657]

@@americafirst1282 Wtf did We have to do with this 🤡🤦🏾‍♂️ always on our nuts.

[@ayugoslav5554]

@@americafirst1282 what's up with the Irish ? Aren't they whiter than snow and make good money ?

[@clarencedavisiii1412]

My grandpa was a hobo

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

Me great gramps was a tramp😮

[@dalehammond1749]

My father was born in 1906 and he had many stories to tell of the so-called "good old days." All his adult life he hated anything that reminded him of the past. Near his last years, he was convinced to visit a museum in his home town. It was thought he'd enjoy seeing some things from his childhood. Shortly after entering the museum he started to weep and asked to be removed. He was and later he said that as soon as he saw those things he felt terrible all over. They revived the old nightmares. So much for the myth that everything was better decades ago.

[@filomenaantonelli6985]

Dale Hammond 👍😂💐 Italia

[@DS-nv8bi]

the poor man had a life long childhood trauma to live with. so sorry

[@maried3717]

Although I'm 74, I can well understand your father's reaction and feelings. Bringing up the past is painful for some of us. I don't enjoy talking about my first 40 years of life. My granddaughter stopped asking me about my history because she found it depressing...and it is.

[@finddeniro]

Tough. Poor .Dirty .& Mean.. Normal...do better..

[@SnapCracklePapa]

Your father's memories are personal and circumstantial. They in no way reflect on society as a whole. For every one of those who had bad memories, there are hundreds who feel the opposite. This "myth" argument you've created is the only myth here.

[@sholland42]

It’s ironic that over a hundred years and twenty have passed, and here we are again, in every big city in America. The same rich families then are the same ones now.

[@robrodney1435]

Except all the 'poor' in these big cities now have unbelievable access to food, medicine, education and technology compared to the past. You'll find there is another variable at work.

[@owlthepirate5997]

​@@robrodney1435umm..I think you missed his whole point, dude.😅

[@StDavidpipes]

These wealthy families have existed since the Middle Ages of not before! They control the Banks, Governments and everything!

[@mariussatori1211]

I don't think this person has ever been to a city and their knowledge of cities comes from watching far too much Tucker Carlson. What a dolt.

[@thomashenebry8269]

Perhaps, you should look up the definition of, "ironic".

[@georgedoughty-zr3ed]

No wonder so many people were so willing to brave the dangers and hazards of heading out west.

[@naidaquintela8938]

Come in the right way, you be so welcome. ❤

[@chadimirputin2282]

Makes you really glad and fortunate you live in this day and age having clean running water on tap, showers, baths, hot water, double glazing, washing machines, and clean food.

[@erin19030]

Looks like Kiev today

[@erin19030]

Hey Chadmir, you old bastard , how are ya?

[@goodoldbubba6620]

Yes just like Flint Michigan and East Palestine OH. Great water...

[@mathiefranchuk1624]

I have a sneaking suspicion that lots of us will be having to give up the modern luxuries.😮

[@stuartgmk]

Uhm double glazing ! 😢

[@Andross224]

Exposure to Jacob Riss' photography as an 00's American highschooler fueled my future ambitions as an undergraduate history major. The Good Old Days -- They Were Terrrible! by Otto Bettman featured a lot of Riss' photography as well as lithographic prints that captured my young imagination.

[@FactFeast]

Amazing photos. They transport you back in time.

[@coconutsmarties]

​@thedopestethiopian I agree, we just need more influencers

[@cba4389]

It must have been a dark day when you realized life has always included poverty. People that group think and generalize are the leading cause of it.

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

Sorry to tell you conditions in NYC in many places are still the same. The Whitehall "Hotel" in The Bowery still exists It';s an infested flophouse. There are still 7 others still in operation. . I havent had heat, gas, hot water for 2.6 years. 17 complaints to the City Housing has produced ZERO help. They are corrupt. They repair NOTHING.

[@tula1433]

Umm save up and leave?

[@liamnugent6534]

This voice fits these videos so great it just belongs together and the way this fine voice tells a story magical

[@FactFeast]

It's great you think so. Thanks for listening!

[@brianoneil9662]

I read "How The Other Half Lives" while in school and was morbidly fascinated by the idea that people had actually endured these conditions. Excellent video good sir! Entranced as always by your narration which makes these grim topics all the more spellbinding.

[@FactFeast]

Much appreciated Brian! Thank you.

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

You mean like the hundreds of thousands of homeless people living in filthy encampments, found in many American cities today?

[@bedazzledmisery6969]

I really love that you've expanded your coverage beyond the streets of London and are shedding light on life in New York! Perhaps you can later on try places like Chicago and Hong Kong and etc. Either way, I am pleased to see the evolution!

[@FactFeast]

Thank you bedazzled misery. I'm certainly interested in North American history and have some new ideas to come.

[@Coryraisa]

@@FactFeast: Also Washington, DC as well.

[@janeblue3053]

The housing was deplorable. Fascinating how many people came from that background and became multi millionaires and billionaires.. The homeless today don’t even have deplorable housing . They get free needles to ensure their demise.

[@moondancer4660]

​@@janeblue3053 yes Jane but that is a political issue.

[@moondancer4660]

Why Hong Kong? Let's finish with America and England and Europe! After all it was America that the English immigrated to only to live in poverty here.

[@spadebraithwaite1762]

I once spent a month working with a British paramedic, treating orphans, lepers and unfortunates in Bombay. Dharavi is the biggest slum in Asia. I had already travelled a lot and I thought I'd seen a few things. Bugger me, I hadn't seen bloody anything before that!

[@deanmark11]

Poverty

[@tonisumblin2719]

@@deanmark11 very sad.

[@melissapinol7279]

What infuriates me are these white supremacy types who claim that people in developing countries have lower IQs so white people are more intelligent. They don't take into account the terrible poverty, lack of education, and lack of decent nutrition during pregnancy and afterwards. These poor people's brains are starved. I read somewhere that similar tests were done in Victorian times on English slum dwellers and they took were considered intellectually "dull". The same phenomena over again.

[@prestonhanson501]

My father was born 1936. Hes very alert in his old age. His mind is as sharp as yours or mine. Hes been remarkibily healthy his whole life. The stories he tells us of the old days is incredible. The golden ages when ypu cpuld expect to love better then your parents. You could fully expect to buy a home. Didnt need a fantastic colledge degree just a work ethic. Man how times have changed for the worse he says alot. He says he never thought he would see a day that our country was in such a pathetic state of decay and corruption. My father was a lobbiest for the governer of wyoming. And he says he cant believe the open air crime politicans engauge in. He says corruption existed back then too as it always does. But he said it wasnt as obivious and rampant. He said if they told a lie it was a good one that was believeable or had some truth to it at least. More of a spin he called it. But today they bald face make up clear lies with zero truth to them even when the masses seen for themselves they lie. My dad thinks were headed for a disaster like this country has never seen before due to the fact politicans this go around dont care about the people or their country whatsoever. He says at least back in the day politicans lied here and their but they all were patriots. Their was a line none of them would cross. If it harmed the country or the peoples belief in the country politicans would yeild and back down. He says not today. My dad knows politics very well as he was directly involved in them in the 50s and he says the officals now are basicly criminals in it for themselves

[@ethanwilliam9944]

Another wonderful piece. It's so great to watch your channel blossom. You've put in such hard work. Keep them coming. Your narration is perfect and your voice is so unique. Thanks again for a rare glimpse into the past.

[@FactFeast]

You’re very kind. Thank you so much for being a regular viewer. It’s such great support that keeps me going!

[@debbylou5729]

We were in NYC because my husband had some meetings there. We tried to fit some things in and went to the 5 corners area….I can’t remember the exact address but there was a museum that represented what the housing was like there in this era. It was amazing and shameless. A university advanced degree student showed us around and we were amazed to hear the ‘new and improved history’. There were never ‘tenements’ there. They were really nice, new modern apartments for the time. Each one had a window and the sun and air were abundant due to windows in the wall to the ‘kitchen’. I was completely amazed at her version. We were then brought to the ‘courtyard’ with a beautiful water pump in the center. 20 feet away were the 4 outhouses that the owners ‘cleaned regularly’. She had one problem….me. There weren’t a lot of tourists so we had to wait to get a reasonable number of people to take. I used my time in the bookstore section of the tourist trap. I bought 2 books on the 5 corners. Everything she told people was just a lie to change history. The model of the room wasn’t accurate in the least. The time period involved had the multiple level hovels the area was know for. It was built before the regulation that said that at least one door OR window had to open to the outside. She said only one family lived in one ‘apartment’. This is when I became her nightmare. I wasn’t rude, I simply said, well, it says right here that many families lived in one unit, that a family might have 6 or 7 strangers paying for a night. The ‘kitchen’ was a small counter …..bring your own bucket or container. There was no ‘wall’ between the two. It was a half wall with a window at the top. The ‘bedroom was large enough for maybe a twin bed and a walking area people placed pallets, blankets or nothing on the floor to use. The room was MAYBE 8x10. I didn’t mention this until we were in the ‘courtyard’. I began by commenting on the fact that the only windows on the four stories opened to the courtyard…..where the toilets for 60 people were located…….right next to the water pump and the place people put garbage for pick up. Judging by the number of people asking for the name of the books, they didn’t believe her either

[@garylancaster8612]

I'm quite surprised that she took that angle. Usually a museum which is about the "horrors" of the past play up all the danger and squalor for the shock factor.

[@tikitavi7120]

New York is governed by woke imbeciles who think showing white people suffering goes against their narrative of white privilege.

[@Griboslaw]

Looks like some is trying to romanticize the past

[@maryannsegal2807]

We had a similar disappointing tour. Very annoying.

[@Goldenretriever-k8m]

how do you know there were tenements there? they were only in certain places and many of them are still there. they are all over the lower east side still for example. just renovated from those days obviously

[@mars56100]

My partner’s Father was born in the 266 Elizabeth St building shown in the beginning of this video!

[@FactFeast]

He must have known the descriptions of Riis well having lived it.

[@aidanlynn]

Why was it always the EAST end of places that were filled with poverty? The lower east side, the east end of london, the east end of glasgow.

[@FactFeast]

There was a lot of poverty in west London too, particularly in the late 1700s into the 1800s. St. Giles, Seven Dials and Drury Lane for example. As London expanded rapidly east in the later 1800s, more areas fell into poverty because of the poor housing conditions, amongst other factors.

[@sentry8535]

May explain where that famous saying came from : " Go West Young Man "

[@strgazerlilly]

For everyone who thinks that this is in the past in the United States let me explain something about the facts concerning this topic that you may not be aware of because she'll shock there are people who live without power and they don't post to the internet and no I'm not speaking of the Amish. I'm only going to speak about the places that I have been and seen with my own eyes ok. In the mountains of Kentucky there are many people who are living without power or running water. They are using hurricane lamps and oil for light, fire places for heat, and I had some wonderful meals from a wood burning stove. The ground doesn't really pass a perk test for a septic tank very often but if you get lucky enough it can or you back fill an area enough for it too which is a nightmare 😅 (we had to backfill) 😅 anyway the granddaughter had to go to the stream 3 times a day to fetch water. We set up a gravity fed water collection system that filtered the water prior to going into the house and we set up a solar panel system for them to be able to run a refrigerator, lights, and A/C including heat on. Unfortunately that was only for one family and there are so damn many that are in need of that kind of help. There are no jobs there. It is the absolute poorest place in America (people who are homeless get better services than they do and that's not a joke) Which brings me to the second point in reality the homeless yes they get services but good grief if they are lucky enough to have a tent can you even imagine having a thin piece of nylon as your only form of protection? Chicago, Los Angeles and even small towns are inundated with more homeless people than they can possibly help house in a night by 40 times over or more. 😢 I think that a good idea would be to get the nondrug addicts into unused hotel rooms for the night so they can sleep and shower safely. You can not expect a hotel to take in a destructive person, but there is no logical reason why the states can't set a nominal basic fee they are willing to pay to cover cleaning costs etc and then fill those rooms.

[@maried3717]

My mother's home. Same thing on HWY 18 in Lucerne Valley desert.

[@SoldierPoet]

Great narration and entertaining content as always! Have a wonderful week. ✌

[@FactFeast]

Thanks, you too!

[@Thefloorsspeakyiddish]

Tartarian and Old World orphans growing up trying to do their best in a land they were dumped and abandoned in

[@toupac3195]

Unfortunately in 2023, every major city is worse off with slums. So much for futuristic dreams.

[@KinEllKokabel]

I’ve only been subscribed for a few weeks. Rlly enjoy listening to this narrator as I potter around doing chores

[@FactFeast]

Great! Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy listening.

[@bobcosmic]

Great upload, informative and straight to the point about New York way back when.

[@FactFeast]

Glad you found the history interesting! Thank you.

[@bobcosmic]

@@FactFeast I really dig your channel. Thanks for the reply, it's appreciated.

[@jpturner171]

Excellent job!👏🏽👏🏽 I’m glad I found your channel. Regarding the video…very powerful and sad!😢. We are so blessed to live as we do nowadays .🙏🏽

[@FactFeast]

Thank you and welcome to the channel! There’s lots more content like this here and more to come.

[@marg233]

Wonderful (history) channel. Mayb ayy some point u cld add closed captions for us w poor hearing🥰Thank You

[@chadimirputin2282]

They are available you just need to wait for them, takes a few hours for them to be added to the video.

[@rosarodriguez693]

I grew up in Jacob Riis houses in the Lower East Side 🤗 Love to here stories of old New York

[@FactFeast]

Fantastic! Thank you. Lots more stories from New York on my channel.

[@peterhamlet1415]

The ugly truth of America's "hospitality" to foreigners. When has it ever been free or easy?

[@user-hj1mk7zy6t]

Wow! Thank you for this amazing documentary. The writing and narration were exceptional.

[@FactFeast]

Thank you for listening!

[@erin19030]

The simple things of life, adore them as they can be taken away at the rich mans will.

[@mikehunt9884]

as horrible as it looks these people had a bigger sense of community than we do. Everybody knew each other, these days i don't know the names of the people living around me.

[@jumpinjohnnyruss]

That makes it sound even worse than it did before.

[@correlationstonone]

They had no choice but to band together. With modern resources and given the choice, people seem to prefer their privacy and interior lives to community. This is most likely because for every story about how wonderful community there is an output of organized criminality, group prejudice, or petty exploitation that engendered distrust.

[@chloeew4627]

Almost nil random shootings , so different from today’s ghettos and hoods .

[@bigzach7778]

​@@chloeew462713% ruined everything 😢

[@truthadvocacy]

@@chloeew4627 poor but not violent

[@benisaten]

I really enjoy these type of videos. True history is totally fascinating. I feel if more people really understood history and how things used to be, they might be more appreciative and quit whining about nonsense and their little inconveniences.

[@FactFeast]

Thank you! You can find lots more content about American slums on my channel.

[@JRS-iq9pz]

Unfortunately, I think most big cities around the world had these problems. London was known to be like this at that time.

[@stephanblack4558]

It is like this again in Philadelphia, sad but true.

[@DS-nv8bi]

and LA and Pheonix and Vancouver and

[@jhanturandall2519]

History repeats itself

[@majicogarcia8417]

No, it is not anything like that. The poor in Philadelphia have access to running water, food and antibiotics, public transport and welfare.

[@ayugoslav5554]

@@majicogarcia8417 yet they're more addict than ever...

[@tomjones2056]

Biden has let in over 5 million and counting illegally. It’s a fire sale, and you aren’t invited

[@siriusvenus8708]

My grandfather owned a business on the lower East side---but in the mid-30's not back way in the squalid days but more of the up-and-rising "new wealth" types. Gangsterism still abounded, however but on a more gentile form (or maybe NOT)....My grandfather was very happy to get out of the area even though he did quite well--(working with those "types" on the Waterfront, which he had to do owning an import-based business--rubber for toys, for example coming from overseas, Asia, etc). It was impossible to not be entangled with Mafia if you wanted to own or run any business in that area.

[@flagbabygirl]

The truth is that the past was so much harder than anyone realizes. Most people suffered , most people went without , and a precious few lived off their backs. The truth is this generation will soon know similar circumstances if things don’t change. We are headed right back to these times and people today are not hardened and strong like those of the past. Most people let alone children can’t even cook or clean. Most have no idea how to purify water, sew clothing or cook a meal without a microwave. This is horrific and these peoples lives were terrible but at the least this is what they knew. Today we don’t stand a chance if the power went out for any amount of time. The scary part is our enemies know this …

[@willywonka7812]

Who are the enemies, and who are the 'us' here? Because I upvoted you first, before realizing you were doing some kind of American exceptionalism fearmongering

[@BozezandBabsSchneiderKeepEyesO]

The poverty back in the 1800s is what poverty should look like. Unlike today's poverty which looks more like a zombie apocalypse in 2023.

[@drive-byguitarlessons1858]

Just found your channel. I love the content. This was a beautiful, yet stinging depiction of that time in that place. I’m eager to watch more of your videos.

[@FactFeast]

Thank you and a warm welcome to the channel! There’s lots more American and UK history content like this here for you …and more to come.

[@deniseshephard3347]

Thank you for taking us back in time and making sure their stories are never forgotten but also how the other people lived and struggled on a daily basis

[@stalag14]

I don't think I would last very long back then. Unbelievable conditions

[@WinstonVanCoon]

I've had similar thoughts. Do you you think people living within Manhattan's 4th ward during early decades of 17th century USA; ever thought, I wouldn't last very long if alive while the British Monarchy still ruled over the US? Maybe people born into conditions which appear unbearable to us, adapt to them. We've been through a lot as a species. Life comes with pain and joy, but the will to survive, hasn't been lost -- even during the harshest conditions.

[@DR-xt9ux]

Worse today in a different way

[@ittybittykittymama7582]

I know I wouldn't have! The ailment that torments me with pain filled days would snuff out my meager life with glee.

[@prestonhanson501]

You be fine with an ar15

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

Humans lived in effing Siberia

[@lynnemurphy114]

Sad times..hasent changed for some ☘️

[@indiosveritas]

​@donnae9566 Of their own making.

[@truthadvocacy]

@Donna E Most end up on the streets because of lack of work. Why are you avoiding the economic angle of runaway capitalism?

[@truthadvocacy]

@Donna E 40 million Americans are food insecure, while others waste food on a daily basis. Millions live in substandard housing and even cars. This is USA.

[@TheDavejmcknight]

Excellent speculation!

[@normanbrown9225]

A Lot of RESPECT to All Those People of that times Cause they had to SURVIVE in CITYS THAT Their DESENDANTS WOULD BE BORN THERE

[@Kaytecando]

Cholera was common. This is really what it was like . Great job.

[@FactFeast]

Thanks for watching. It’s appreciated!

[@barryjames3747]

Poverty is relative to time, location and culture.

[@indigatorveritatis219]

Fun Fact: Jacob Reese, shown at 16 seconds in, would go on to co-star in the 1980's hit sitcom "Cheers"

[@FactFeast]

I get it!

[@joeypoil9370]

If you turn the volume off a closely look at the pictures, you'll see some very curious things

[@conmckfly]

Just imagine NewYork in September heat THE WORST.

[@Joey71420]

You speak really Good.

[@FactFeast]

Thank you 🙂

[@keetahbrough]

it's amazing to me that ya'll know these conditions still exist, ya'll traffik their children but pretend it's alright because everyone thinks poverty is a natural scarcity rather then the human engineered system it is..

[@w8biatvrepeater638]

A lot of words but the images speak volumes.

[@robertafierro5592]

My father was born in one of those little buildings on Cherry Street..he was born at home. My Grandfather was a barber. He was a Veteran of WW1.

[@Rebelartist83]

Mr narrator not sure if you've read a tree grows in Brooklyn or not a good book and it's exactly like this and would remind you of this .. I'm disabled myself and can't see too good but alot of landlords still prey on the poor and disabled even now I had a really scummy land lord once the even sadder irony is back then there was a place called Perkins school for the blind est 1820 Americas first blind school you can have a entire video on that alone but had those guys had $$ Perkins would have taken them and gave them skills ect and a possible home and job but sadly not everyone had the $ to go and free state blind schools haven't been est yet at least not everywhere and now it's reversed you can't be over 21 and go to a free blind school..not too much has changed except better sanitation and access to food but the 1% is still getting away with junk..and cops are still apathetic..to a point..I'm gradually getting visionless myself and trying to stay productive..but I like your narrating and listening to these stories.. please excuse my lack of punctuation my eyesight isn't the best..the irony as I listen to this

[@Poppaea-Sabina]

Fire escapes were required on buildings in NYC back in 1867 yet I don't see any in these pictures. I can't imagine sleeping on a coil bed without a mattress on it.

[@Yourdoomawaitsyou]

Reminds me of when my high school canteen ran out of meat pies , Just total shock and horror ......Somehow me and my friends managed to catch an uber down to the local store and lunch was saved , We still can't believe how brutal of a regime the cafeteria was to have allowed this cruelty to take place 😭

[@intercommerce]

Oh, the horror!.....😢

[@nancya.nelson5810]

What?

[@DmillzSubClub]

I watched this whole video because I was drawn in by his voice, reminds me of Patrick Stuart when voicing professor Bullock on American Dad. Keep these coming great education

[@FactFeast]

It’s great to know you enjoyed listening to the story. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@moondancer4660]

I once knew a woman who came to America from England during World War II well actually after the war was over they came together back here, married. He was dirt poor but of course he didn't tell her that. By the time I met her over 30 years ago, her husband had been dead ten years already and she was still dancing on his grave! Lord she hated that man! Anyway, I remember her saying one day that she felt like she had come to this country just to clean up other people's dirt because he was always moving her around because he couldn't pay the rent so she was always having to clean the next place they moved to.

[@kathy571]

Why didn't she go back to England?

[@buddyrojek9417]

😂gold digger London mole

[@plantfeeder6677]

What an ungrateful being. I'm sure life in England would've been so much better for her. At least in America she wasn't held back because of her birth statis. Industrialization contributed heavily to this influx of immigrants to the big cities. Later on the great Mississippi flood of 1927 sent sharecropper black families by the thousands up north to the cities looking for work. Thus the big migration to the north by southern blacks. "The Gangs of New York" was an very accurate portrayal of life back then even though it was an overexaggerated depiction of the violence.

[@timothy2935]

Yet doesn't sound like she worked lol sounds like she's a bigger loser than he ever could have been.

[@larryb982]

These pics of the kids, they look like a tough bunch kind of kid's you wouldn't want to mess with.

[@truthadvocacy]

🤣🤣🤣

[@josenavas9968]

I do agree, it important to understand the present to go back to the past. Thankfully we have a photo graphic record.

[@heatherwhittaker6169]

If one does not know history it will repeat itself.The unfortunate educational system in the United States is ensuring it is well on its way.

[@irissteck511]

Great. Thank You!

[@FactFeast]

You are welcome! Glad the history is interesting for you.

[@NewArchipelago]

Excellent video

[@FactFeast]

I really appreciate that. Thanks for the visit!

[@sarahhall738]

After the Canadian plains my grandma's mum and her parents and brothers and sisters lived in Flushing meadows village until father died and they returned to England. I think at that time flushing meadows was mainly marsh and feilds.

[@myrtellelee2857]

There are still slumlords and squalor.

[@kitrichardson2165]

It’s funny how things are coming full circle in New York

[@toshiojohnston3732]

Because again poor exploited immigrants are ruining this city and nation.

[@Grnfinger]

Seems you'd be better off living out in the rural area and not in the filth of the city. Suppose the work was in the city at this point in time.

[@TheUluxian]

There's a Riis museum in Ribe, Denmark that's just amazing. Definitely put it on your itinerary if you find yourself in that part of the world.

[@FactFeast]

Thanks for the information! This is interesting to know. I’ll look at the details.

[@alanleemaxwell831]

Stale beer? How did they cope?? Very informative and well put together, thanks mate 🙏🇬🇧👍

[@edwinharrison5992]

How does beer get stale ? Its fermented wheat barley and hops which technically is food gone bad 😂

[@ksavage681]

@@edwinharrison5992 Open one today and leave it out on the counter for a week or two then drink it.

[@williamlacentra2808]

The worst areas was called at the time-----the five points area--which is where and around todays State and Federal courts bordering Center Street----leaning toward the lower east side ----that slum was raised as a result of Jacob Riis's work documenting the depressed and destitute and dangerous .....He has Today many named streets and even a park named after him in Queens New York..!

[@FactFeast]

Yes, he wrote of terrible living conditions in Five Points. See my video on New York ‘cellar prisoners’ about basement tenements there.

[@Bizarro69]

Ah yes, the so-called good old days.

[@amiller7986]

The days before this were the real good old days. Who built those buildings that have fallen into such disrepair..those that were far more advanced that's for sure . We are seeing the results of the last reset..the mudflood.

[@StevenLeeStudios]

@@amiller7986 I was looking for a comment like this. All these people look clueless and out of place. New york was built on top of another old city. Tons of pre mudflood buildings there still exist. They have done tons of construction revealing the layers of missing building floors deep below surface level. Tons of other cities all around the world have cities built over cities and these cities would have tons of human bones in them, as if they tried burying the people with the city they were trying to erase.

[@nessodap8409]

@@amiller7986 care to explain?

[@jerrydeem8845]

I will admit, that the English language was much more descriptive back in the early 1900s. Nowadays it's been degraded to rap lyrics, excessive profanity, and x gen slang. Know where I'm coming from daddy o, it's way too jive for me......enjoyed the content, so thanks.....uh....I mean cool.

[@buddyrojek9417]

😂yea, the intelligence of Europeans who read , shows

[@rhysmc3926]

Imagine the smell of body odor

[@frontandcenter7941]

Wheeeewww. I would like the smell of kitty kat though. You know what I'm saying.

[@MaureenDeVries-wd9mh]

Gross!

[@davidcoley8500]

Damn this is really well written.

[@FactFeast]

Riis’ writings evoke a sense of the past.

[@earthbndmissfit]

So they've been talking about income inequality for a long time.

[@mijiyoon5575]

These unfortunate people were to be helped not mocked ... sent to trade school so they could rise up if they were able to go &t hen to work & the ones too ill, old should have been better taken care of. It would have been cheaper to provide care than not ... just like now in the US & elsewhere

[@truthadvocacy]

euthansia

[@AKing69]

There were no trade schools back then.

[@ShannonPost1]

I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic narration and startling photographs throughout this film. However, the filmmaker does a disservice to photographer Jacob Riis when he uses a blend effect to superimpose other still photos and moving videos over Riis' pictures. The matte cutout of the beggar over an iron fence 45 seconds into the film is a cheezy effect and is almost comical. Riis' pictures are powerful enough to stand on their own...so let them. One is brought to tears by the stark images of the children, especially; their despair is palpable. Each image in Riis' collection tells a gut-wrenching story on its own, and collectively they create a brutal narrative of slum life. The film could benefit from overhead maps of old New York to give the viewer a sense of how these neighborhoods were connected to each other. Some photos were not left on screen long enough, and I didn't understand why the filmmaker used so many illustrations. But overall I liked it. "Double Alley" is a powerful film, not only because of Riis' photographs, but his accompanying eyewitness account of one of the most shameful scenes in U.S. history.

[@Raoul215]

How do you think these people would react to know that people in 2023 are seeing their pictures on a handheld device that plays moving pictures?

[@mattsheezy5469]

We are so fortunate that these images exist, it’s like a window back in time. I wonder if these poor kids fell victim to predators, or if that’s a product of our modern sick society 🤔 They probably knew they’d be killed immediately.

[@nessodap8409]

Bad things have been going on for ages bro… nothings new under the sun

[@DS-nv8bi]

it happened then

[@plantfeeder6677]

They were probably on the otherside working for the slime. Ever read Charles Dickens? Oliver Twist in particular?

[@dtschuor459]

I’m touched by your work and the voice you’ve given to the millions who suffered lives of privation and abuse to carry on as best they could to survive the bitter lives thrust unto them with little hope of escape.

[@toshiojohnston3732]

That's why gen z and millennial get such a bum rap because they know right from wrong not like the gutless boomers and gen x who tolerated so much because of that overated word respect and now that the Ole timers born before 1940 are dying the boomers and gen x are showing their true colors and letting everything fall apart talk about 2 faced.

[@Albion89]

I love dark 19th century stories. I'm not English but I really like that accent when you read! Good channel Best about 19th century on KZbin

[@FactFeast]

Wow, thank you! I'm glad you like them.

[@toi_techno]

My grandfather was from a street in Malden (Essex, UK) which had the nickname Dagger Lane. The past was grim.

[@FactFeast]

An ominous name for a street!

[@chadschulze7892]

amazing what humans can tolerate.

[@at0m71]

I won't subscribe to much, but I'll gladly subscribe to anyone who consistently produces this kind of high-quality content. The narration in this video made for a particularly immersive viewing experience. Cheers, and please keep up the excellent work!

[@FactFeast]

Much appreciated!

[@Davidf8L]

I'm just glad they abolished the crime and poverty and now it's such a happy place, really???

[@truthadvocacy]

😂

[@TreeLuvBurdpu]

People moved into industrialized areas because it was so much wealthier and nicer than in rural areas. The same reason the photographer went there and not rural Mississippi.

[@DanJackson1977]

Yeah, doesnt it look nicer? So much wealth and opulence on display here.

[@ayugoslav5554]

Cope

[@dickjohnson9582]

4:22 is that kid, lower right, about to cut the cats tail off??

[@Ira88881]

That’s not the kid’s left hand holding a knife. It’s his foot. But yeah…it looks like what you said!

[@damonmelendez856]

Cats are an invasive species

[@quiksix25]

1800s NYC was a crazy place but probably any big city throughout the world was a wild place in the 1800s

[@daisick7953]

You lucky, lucky bastard, I lived in a cardboard box in the middle of the highway 📦

[@jackransom.]

damn good narration, as well as the images to accompany it.

[@FactFeast]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the presentation.

[@8ballphil150]

this is what you get with massive uncontrolled immigration . the rich get richer and the poor get poorer . cheap labour . if paid at all .

[@sunshinepatsoph4219]

New York is getting back to the life in back allies

[@ayugoslav5554]

It never stopped. The 90s had the highest recorded murder rate in NYC

[@kristofs8893]

Life for the working class has not changed much in Big Metropolitan Cities! It is still pretty disgusting to live in one of them. Flats and Terraced houses were designed for the poor mainly. I used to live in London as a student/working class. Lived in a terraced house (house share with other 4 people). Walls are thin everyone can hear one another, shared kitchen, shared bathroom, shared privacy(:D), 70%-80% of income is just to eat, work and sleep somewhere. Hygiene has improved in most of these households and living standards went up a bit, but the working class lives in poverty in every 1st world countries' big cities of (USA, UK, FRANCE, GERMANY, AUSTRALIA etc). Without good university degrees to live in a class-based country life is pretty much just struggle till death! PS: Very nice video BTW.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

Nonsenses I’m a working man, own my own home in London , make good money, have free healthcare if needed

[@BeckBeckGo]

And Yanks had the gall to express shock about Victorian England.

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

Peace From Louisville. Have you ever done Kowloon Walled City or Gary Indiana? Those are SCARY.

[@FactFeast]

Not yet. I’ve got several videos about American slums.

[@wavefromthebronx]

I enjoy old nyc vids more then anything ...the landscape, the architecture, love it , always treasures to find when i go to the city from the Bronx

[@FactFeast]

You can find more videos about the slums of New York on my channel - there’s a playlist.

[@PrincipledUncertainty]

And we cry about the price about eggs

[@monkeynumbernine]

I've never wanted to go to New York

[@jhenelle8605]

It's a lot of rats here in NYC too

[@Perfidious_Hollow]

Thanks!

[@FactFeast]

Much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed it.

[@KattEyl]

Thank heavens there were reformers who shone the light on these horrible conditions and the unscrupulous landlords.

[@Rebelartist83]

I love this channel and glad your expanding your content..and Charles Dickens apparently hated his early visit to America and he's a early social reformer and the irony is all our ideas about social reform and social work we get from him and jack London and other like minded others like them my family's been here for ages and I'm in Tx but a good many crossed over to Ellis island and very well ended up in places like this I bet the British and Irish immigrants were shocked we had places just like home yep we had our own poor and work houses and the five points isnt much different than the EastEnders area my friends in the UK are finally getting our history is also theirs and we're more related than they realize I guarantee nearly every American and native American can probably trace their family to good ol Cardiff or bristol or Antrim and even eastern Europe..it's not as far fetch as one think

[@FactFeast]

I have a video about the Five Points slum which mentions Dickens’ visit. Jack London’s travels through East London are really interesting and you can find a lot of it on my channel too. I’m glad you enjoy the content, thank you.

[@larryb982]

Great job on narrating

[@FactFeast]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brianedwards7142]

Unlike most photos of the time the one at 33.59 has smiling people in a posed photo. Apart from Mum and Dad grinning my eye was drawn to the older of the little girls with her head to one side and apple cheeks. Her grandchildren (if she had any) are dead I reckon after long lives. Mind officially blown.

[@Lonesome__Dove]

John jakes has a great series callef the Kent family chronicles. In the last book "the Americans " you really get a good idea how people lived in NYC in the slums in the late 1800s. Highly recommend that book, the entire series is phenomenal especially if you're a fan of historical fiction.

[@siriusvenus8708]

I may have missed this in the video, but I'm not sure who wrote this prosaic piece of writing or when it was written. I hear strong echoes of Dickens' depiction of the back allies of London, in books like A Tale of Two Cities. I think the author, if this had been written back in the mid-19th century, was an avid reader of Dickens who was like an international superstar at that time.

[@myradioon]

Jacob Riis a famous photographer who's photos and writings helped change building codes in NYC. His famous book is "How the Other Half Lives".