Students participating in the Fall 2016 New York City (NYC) Program visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan on Sept. 7. The Museum is housed in a building, constructed in 1863, that originally contained 22 apartments before it was eventually abandoned as a residential space.
During the guided tour, the students learned about the living and working conditions of immigrants to this part of New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Throughout the tour, students made connections between immigrant experiences and shifts in U.S. labor markets that occurred during the time period. In particular, it was noted that this area of Manhattan was an important part of the early garment manufacturing industry in NYC, which changed dramatically during this period.
The topic of the Fall 2016 NYC Program is Global Labor Markets and this trip served as an introduction to the topic and as a reminder that examples of labor markets can be found throughout NYC
After the tour, some students, along with the program’s director, the Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics Derek Jones, rented Citibikes and explored the area surrounding the Museum.
