Detroit became one of the most important cities during the Prohibition because of the connections the Purple Gang had to Canada, and the mass amounts of alcohol that they were able to smuggle into the United States.
Project Topics: Immigration
Underlying Tensions: The Chicago Race Riots of 1919 and the Chicago Commission on Race Relations
The Chicago Commission on Race Relations released a study in 1922 called The Negro in Chicago: A Study of Race Relations and a Race Riot trying to figure out what the reason behind the Chicago Race Riot 1919. The Commission came to the conclusion that the riots were based on three things: housing, labor conflict, and racial issues.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration (also known as The Black Migration) in 20th Century Chicago.
Daily Life in Chicago Tenements
Overcrowded, poorly built, and unsanitary, tenement housing was one of the worst places to live, yet for so many it was their only choice. Newly settled immigrants as well as working-class families struggled to make a living and had to do so in deplorable conditions. There would be those that tried to change the situation, but their successes would only be temporary. Low-income housing is still a struggle for many today, and the roots of the issue can be traced back to those early days when tenements were the only option.
Construction Techniques and Demand: A Firestorm in the Making Chicago’s Great Conflagration of 1871
Today, Chicago stands as a beacon of industry, a center of transportation, and a hub of international finance. One of the most magical cities in the country, Chicago evolved from a desolate trading post of some thirty souls to a city of more than three hundred thousand in 1871. The city of Chicago literally grew […]
African American Public Housing
The creation of Public Housing for African Americans in Chicago in the 20th Century.
Prohibition and the Rise of Organized Crime in Chicago
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution instated Prohibition throughout America. While it was rallied and put forth by puritanical values, its greatest profits would be the organized crime, corruption, and gangster culture that it created. While bootleggers, speakeasies, and organized crime would grow all throughout America during Prohibition, Chicago was a standout with its […]
The Hull House’s Impact on the Community
Jane Addams impacted the Chicago immigrant community through her work at the Hull House.
Chicago’s Diverse Food Processing Industry
The diverse food processing industry and migration into Chicago.
Chicago’s Catholic Immigrants and Church Architecture, 1850s to 1924
While modern Catholic immigrants into Chicago are from Central and South America, Chicago’s Catholic churches, built from the 1850s to 1924, reflect the European immigrants who were their original parishes. The reasons behind the styles, though, are less straightforward.
