1890 Census Forms and Questions

The gathering of information for the U.S. Census has changed dramatically over time. Beginning with the first census in 1790, areas with a population of less than two persons per square mile were designated wilderness. A "frontier line" was drawn dividing the wildeness from populated areas, and maps were used in census to show where the population density was high or low. New immigrants to America moved out to the frontier because land there was either cheap or free. During 1890, gathering accurate information was difficult due to migration, immigration, the Civil War, and the American Indian population on and off reservations.

Question: Why do you think "Indians not taxed" were an exception in the instructions on enumeration?

"Indians not taxed" were those not living in settled areas and paying taxes; they were living on reservations under the care of Government agents. In my opinion, the Indians who were not living in settled areas were an exception because the government wanted to incorporate into the U.S. Census only those Indians that had become a part of the "ordinary" population. These were the Indians living within the white population. The government wanted a separate count, not to be included in this population, for those who were not considered "civilized". But later, by the 1940's, all American Indians were considered to be taxed.

Question: Why do you suppose the government wanted an enumeration of surviving Civil War soldiers and widows?

The simple answer is that they wanted to count their casualties. However, it was extremely difficult to gather accurate information for those soldiers who were casualties of the Civil War as; for example; many were buried in mass graves and were not accounted for by the Union Army. Further, there were soldiers from both sides who were not enumerated due to political tensions in the South, which, as one could imagine, could become somewhat problematic. For example, Confederate veterans were enumerated, but the Census Bureau later crossed their names out from the census.

A Discussion of a Classmate's Blog

The Urban Surgeon's blog by Bilal, has a variety of interesting and provocative entries. As you enter this blog you are presented with a picture of a surgery in process. This is a fitting portrayal and analogy of a city going through the necessary steps to repair many of its injuries that have long been neglected. In so doing, it is restoring the health of some of its neighborhoods to vibrant and productive communities. An unfortunate comparison, albeit a brief one, could be the long term neglect of one of America's once great cities, which is that of Detroit, now being called "Notown". To further this analogy, there maybe no surgery that could repair the injuries that Detroit has sustained.

One of Bilal's interesting blogs is a poem entitled, Chicago, written by Carl Sandburg, a surgeon through poetry. He had grown, over the years, increasingly concerned with the plight of the American worker and has written approximately 55 poems just on Chicago. A provocative entry by Bilal is his entry on Hurricane Katrina. The picture alone is a telling reminder of one of the many struggles people had to endure. As Bilal had notes, "It just goes to show how unorganized things can be. No one would think that this could happen in such a developed country as the United States. But, I guess that just goes to show that almost anything is possible". Yes, anything is possible as for the failure to humankind, but what is also possible is for "surgery" to repair Louisiana to its neighborhoods again.

U.S. Census

The 2000 Census that I have reviewed is of the Village of Barrington and its Census Tract for the area in which I reside. The Village, at the time this census was conducted, was over 96% White, 2% Asian, .6% Black, and a small percentage of other races. the Census Tract, which encompasses a small area but is tracked farther south from the Village, is comprised of 87% White, 10.1% Asian, 2.3% other races and again .6% Black.

As I look at the demographics of the Village of Barrington and the Barrington Census Tract I have seen certain realities. For example, people self segregate especially according to ethnicity and/or race. An example of this is in the Barrington Census Tract data as it relates to the Asian population. There is a huge collective migration of various Asian groups to the South Barrington geographic area. The confluence of this Asian migration is a great example of self segregation. It is also clear, that it is based on economic strata in the convergence of the Asian population to South Barrington, a predominantly wealthy community. From a sociological perspective this is of no surprise.

Photographing Chicago

The tapestry of Chicago is varied from the cities expansive and rejuvenated lakefront parks, to the beauty of its skyline. I have always marveled at the magnificence of Chicago's skyline especially from the many bike rides I have been on along the lakefront. I have enjoyed photographing these features from Lincoln Park to Soldier Field. In viewing the attached websites, http://www.revealingchicago.org/; http://www.picturingchicago.com/; and http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/index.html, as well as one that I have discovered on Chicago's neighborhoods, http://www.panoramio.com/ and http://www.odysseyphoto.com/portfolio/Chicago/Chicago-Neighborhoods.html, I have discovered a new found appreciation in the tapestry that makes up Chicago. I have always known Chicago's reputation of being a city of neighborhoods but now I am beginning to realize why because of the intense diversity that our city has to offer. So what I will hope to be photographing more of will be the richness in the many diverse communities that make of this wonderful city.

Videos of Chicago Skyline, Downtown and more

I found these exciting Youtube videos of Chicago's magnificent skyline accompanied by some great music. Also check out the other related videos that are listed on youtube. I hope that you will enjoy this great journey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYFwUi7kDiI - great view of Chicago's skyline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cb5XXlmw7c - Chicago skyline, downtown and more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ53mphPjr8 - Chicago skyline

Water and Urban Life

Throughout history, people have been drawn to locations along or near waterways. At its simplest level, it is because we all need water to survive. In terms of economy, we need water to transport our goods and services. But to do that we also need a social order as well as a belief in ourselves that we can create economic systems while meeting our overall needs. This natural migration created the beginnings of our urban tapestry. These locations have provided hopes and dreams for so many that have migrated to these areas. But it can also be a source of frustration due to the affects of pollution that can ravage our lives. We have to decide how we want to move ourselves forward.

I hope that the website attached will give you the same degree of enjoyment that it provided me in learning more about the geographic, social, cultural and overall historic roots of Chicago. Have fun as you tour the history of the lakes and waterways that has helped to shape the urban life of Chicago. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/300020.html

"What is Gentrification?"

In the words of sociologist Ruth Glass, London, 1964, who coined the term "Gentrification", she states that;

"One by one, many of the working-class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-classes - upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages - two rooms up and two down - have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences....Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed ."

It has been my observation that we have seen Chicago neighborhoods experience the same process that Ruth Glass reported in her studies of what occurred in London. In fact, there are several neighborhoods that I lived in from childhood into my early adult life that I can no longer afford to live in because these neighborhoods have become more expensive than much of today's suburbia. Specifically, it is the same process of gentrification that is causing major demographic shifts throughout Chicago and its suburban areas.

Not all of this is negative. While it must be recognized that many disadvantaged people are being displaced, I believe that it may provide those individuals an opportunity to move from the desolation of the failed social engineering experiments of the Robert Taylor homes and Cabrini Green, to cite just two examples, to scattered site housing throughout the suburban areas.

In Tom Slater's article entitled, What is Gentrification?, he eloquently states, "Wondering how it affects all kinds of people, comparing the neighborhood's past and present, thinking about who wins and who loses, and more importantly what can be done about it, are steps towards making a difference".

The "Creative Class"

In the article by Richard Florida entitled, The Rise of the Creative Class, he reports that in order for cities to prosper and grow it is necessary to attract and retain people of the "creative class". Florida states that the creative class is a "fast-growing, highly educated, and well-paid segment of the workforce on whose efforts corporate profits and economic growth increasingly depend". he goes on to say that these are individuals who "share a common ethos that values creativity, individuality, difference and merit". Florida continues that "places like Austin, Boston, Washington D.C., and Seattle are places that are more tolerant, diverse and open to creativity. As creativity becomes more valued, the creative class grows".

I agree that is it important for cities to be open to the benefits that the diversity of a creative class offers. People young and old of all walks of life need to feel that they 'fit in' to a community which then strengthens the foundation of that community. It is where they love to work and live and can be themselves. Cities and regions that have a large population of individuals of the creative class are, as Florida comments, the most affluent and are the fastest growing. These are people who value diversity "in all its manifestations". Clearly, it is the case that members of the creative class add a certain vibrancy and enthusiasm. As a nation we would be well advised to cultivate more creative class communities through stronger and more consistent support of educational opportunities and economic support, e.g., public infrastructure projects such as parks which contribute to a variety of outdoor recreational activities. But equally important are, in part, creative community features, as Florida cities, the inclusion of a strong historical and cultural foundation.

Bridge Blockade after Katrina

Generally, the events that unfolded in the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina may go down in history as even more catastrophic than the hurricane itself. With that said, the bridge blockade could very easily be near the top of the list of unfortunate events. As some people have argued, there was a strong element of 'racial profiling' that led to many of Louisiana's victims being neglected, humiliated, dehumanized and in fact still are suffering today.

As I contemplate the article entitled, Bridge Blockade after Katrina from our text Urban Society, I am both ashamed and appalled that the event even occurred in the first place but even more horrifying is that the people who created the blockade still unapologetically defend their decision. Their defense is really pitiful in that their claim was that it was all in an effort to prevent the spread of looting. Also they indicated their lack of available resources, but where these people were coming from they had none. People were attempting to travel over the bridge in an effort to escape deplorable conditions, many being children, elderly and others in wheelchairs. As Rev. Jesse Pate, pastor of the Harvest Ripe Church in Gretna, has said, "...but during that time, (law enforcement) valued property over the lives of those people. And that's where the tragedy is". My contention is that the reason why the Cantwells, who are white, were not allowed to cross the bridge, along with others, was that it would prove that the Jefferson Parish law enforcement officials were racist.

We are a nation, which supposedly, stands as a leader in an effort to help those in need all over the globe. But what happened to our policies here on our own soil? Why did it take our government so long to respond and provide for its citizens? We must never let this unfortunate lack of respect for human kind to be allowed to ever happen again.

"Predatory Lending" - shame, shame

As I was reading the article on Predatory Lending, in our test book titled, 'Urban Society', I was applauded and yet not too surprised. What we had for some time prior to last years near financial meltdown was the result of a sort of 'Wild West Show'. In other words, a no holds barred, with an anything goes home loan lending practice mentality to meet the objective of maximizing short term lender profits. It is typical of a classic Wall Street mentality; which is looking only at next quarter's profit reports.

Historically, redlining was the practice of not lending to certain demographic profiles or specific geographic areas, e.g., inner city neighborhoods. The idea of 'redlining in reverse', as discussed in our text, became an unscrupulous lending practice, i.e., predatory lending to many of those same demographic profiles and geographic locations that had been previously ignored or out rightly rejected as a potential customer base. So now, 'the chicken has come home to roost' and we are all paying the cost of the absolute, unconscionable greed of an all too unregulated lending industry.

One of my favorite things to do in the city is ride my bike along the lakefront.