Chicago Groupings

In general, most areas of Chicago according to these maps were heavily racially grouped. This is most noticeable with the Italians, African Americans, and the "Bohemians" (a nationality I'm a bit unfamiliar with). There seems to be some correlation with wealth as well- there are several streets in which the Americans own the outward homes, and in general wealth increases as you move toward the street on the map. A few things surprised me- by and large the italians seem to be very poor, though they often lived in neighborhoods with the English-speaking Irish and Americans. Contrastingly, only half of the "colored" areas were poor- half seemed quite affluent, which is surprising given my understanding of the prejudices and circumstances of the time.

In the attached readings, there are several ways described in which people stay seperate and intermingle. Religious practices often set cultures apart, such as the greek easter procession and the simple street shrines of the italians. Groupings prevented a lot of intermingling, as did work schedules- the main time for social interaction would have been at the end of the factory shifts, and most workers were content to head straight for home. The children of these workers had plenty of time for interaction, as during the day the streets were packed with children of all nationalities, playing with a freedom unbounded by social constraints and nationality- who probably had to be around each other either way due to the lack of open space.