HIST 131

Primary Source Analysis: Charles Loring Brace, “The Life of the Street Rats” (1872)

Context: In 1872 Charles Loring wrote an essay detailing the lives of the children who were living in poverty during the Nineteenth century in New York City. Charles also references to what extent the children would go to survive amongst the masses. How the poor had no home, their belief that the capitalist’ were tyrants. The author is trying to make known to those unaware the extent of what the problem is, and what he feels it could become.

Content: At the time of this writing there were masses of people who were living impoverished and in unfathomable conditions. These people referred to by the author as the dangerous classes primarily consisted of native-born Americans. Much of the time they were affiliated with criminal organizations where pickpocketing, robbery, and murder were central themes in their daily lives. Areas such as “Misery Row,” Loring explains as the worst in regards to criminal activity where a “fever nest” existed. Many lived in tenement housing, where rooms were often overcrowded and filth-ridden. Due to circumstance, the parents fell to habits of drinking, and children were left to beg or steal for survival. Although crime was common, some children found ways to survive through menial jobs such as brewery labor, bootblacks, and sidewalk sweepers.

Consequence: Although small paying jobs could be found they were looked upon as not worth the time. Easier and shorter avenues for making money such as crime became preferred over low paying jobs. Even when lucky enough to make a decent days pay, according to Loring, the wages were spent on gambling, and booze. The police called these poor creatures “street rats” in that just as rats they infest an area but are quick to disappear when caught. The author conveys a message that because of the inability to capture, or the lack of change to the plight of these individuals they would permanently ruin society by destroying the foundations upon which it was built such as a god fearing, law abiding, working class.