CULTURE |
COMMUNITY |
COMMERCE |
|
|||
|
East Harlem: Schools
New York City had a rather rough start in getting a system of schools set-up. After settling a political dispute with funding for parochial schools in the 1840’s, more public schools were at long last built. Most of the schools were elementary level, but by 1897 three high schools were erected. However, it seems that when one problem was solved, another would instantaneously emerge. Schools were unbearably overcrowded, filthy, and unprofessional as noted by critics. Legislation was passed concerning the overcrowding, but it was to no avail. Perhaps the most important legislation was The Compulsory Education Act of 1895. The act required that children attend school up to age twelve. New business enterprises required basic education, which had an eighth grade minimum and even further if possible. If those children did not get many job offers with their education and skills, it was likely that they moved to where jobs were available (which was north).
The history of El Barrio’s schools in many aspects coincides with the earliest ethnic groups to move into the neighborhood. In the 1880’s, contractors, developers, and immigrants explored the potential of Harlem. In the 1870’s there was an explosion of Italians arriving in northern Manhattan. The already established Italian immigrants moved to Harlem due to the burst of job opportunities. Many jobs were available in construction and in the New York City transit lines. From 119th to 104th streets and from Third Avenue to the East River, Italians comprised an average of 80.3 percent of the population. Areas beyond these borders were very ethnically diverse. Some communities had up to thirty-four other ethnic and racial groups (based on Leonard Covello’s analysis).
The Manhattan School for Science and Mathematics, formerly Benjamin Franklin High School
Click Here for footage from Our Walking Tour
(Divx codec is needed to view this movie clip, please go to http://www.divx.com/divx/download/ to download the required codec)