Jacob Riis and the Fight for Better Living Conditions

During the late 19th Century, millions of immigrants came to the United States in search of new opportunities. Many settled in crowded urban neighborhoods, where families often lived in poorly maintained tenements with limited access to clean water, electricity, and sanitation. Journalist and photographer Jacob Riis documented these conditions in New York City, using photographs and firsthand reporting to reveal the challenges faced by impoverished residents. His 1890 book, How the Other Half Lives, brought widespread attention to urban poverty and helped build support for housing reform.

Riis’s work exemplified muckraking journalism, which used investigative reporting to expose social problems and abuses of power. His reporting influenced reformers, including Theodore Roosevelt, and contributed to growing demands for improved housing regulations. The New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 introduced stricter standards for housing construction and conditions. Riis’s work illustrates how journalism and photography can shape public awareness and help drive social and political reform.