Jean Garvey
Sample Progressive Person Outline for Jacob Riis
Background Information/Formative Years & Experiences:
 Born in Denmark on May 3, 1849; the 3rd of 15 children
 Immigrated to America in 1870 at 21
 Spent several months in America homeless and unemployed on streets of New York City
 In 1874, he was hired as newspaper errand boy, worked up to job as reporter and taught himself
photography
 In 1877, hired as crime reporter for New York Tribune and Associated Press, covered Mulberry Street,
notorious N.Y.C. Lower Eastside slum area
 In 1888, became photojournalist for the New York Evening Sun
 Died May 26, 1914
Writings, Speeches, Quotes:
 Published:
How the Other Half Lives; Studies Among the Tenements of New York (1890)
 Children of the Poor (1892)
 Out of Mulberry Street (1898)
 The Making of an American (1901) his autobiography
 The Battle With the Slum (1902)
 Children of the Tenement (1903)
 Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen, (1904)
 Quote: Ended his magic lantern shows with “My dog did not die unavenged.”
Political/Social Philosophy:
 Democrat who became Republican when Theodore Roosevelt became President
 Social Darwinist but also Welfare Reformer, Christian Evangelist
Area of Reform and Changes They Sought:
 Slum clearance, sweatshop and immigration reform: pushed for legislation & regulation
 Clean water legislation in New York State
 Child Labor Regulations and Education Reform to improve schools for Poor Children
 Settlement Houses for Immigrants and Homeless
Accomplishments & Failures:
 How the Other Half Lives became bestseller, exposing the problems of tenement buildings, slums and
sweatshops
 Toured cities across American with his magic lantern shows of photographs of N.Y.C. slums
 Campaign for Clean Water in New York stopped Cholera epidemics in the city
 Began the Tenement House Commission
 Founded the Jacob A. Riis Settlement House
 His prejudice against Jews, Italians, and Chinese is evident in his writing.
Fascinating Facts & Controversies:
 One of 1st photographers to use magnesium flash to light his photographs in 1887
 Gave New York Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt a walking tour of the slums of New York City;
the two became close friends
 Known as Emancipator of the Slums
Impact on History:
 Use of flash photography and other improvements changed photo-journalism
 How the Other Half Lives exposed poverty in America and led to legislation creating housing
regulations, sanitation laws, working conditions, and child labor laws
Jean Garvey
Sample Questions for Jacob Riis
1. Why did you immigrate to the United States when you were 21?
2. Why were you unable to find work when you first came to the United States? How did you survive
those first years?
3. How did you become interested in photography, and why did you start using flash photography?
4. What motivated you to publish How the Other Half Lives?
5. Can you explain what a magic lantern show is and how it works? Why did you tour the country with
your show?
6. At the end of each show you say, “My dog did not die unavenged.” Can you tell us this story?
7. At times you are very critical of immigrants to America, yet you have spent most of your life fighting
for a better life for immigrants. Can you explain your criticism of Jewish and Italian immigrants? How
are they different from immigrants such as yourself?
8. How did you become friends with Teddy Roosevelt? Do you agree with him on domestic and foreign
policy? Why or why not?
9. Other than your accomplishments in photo-journalism, what 3 accomplishments are you most proud
of and why?
(Sources Cited for both projects should be on a separate page divided by progressive person and
reporter. Student name should be on each page).