Passages from Text & Reminder

First, in the context of talking about London, I quoted the following passage which made a general and valuable point about the vital link between a thriving city and the advance of cultural ideas (such as Shakespeare's plays):
"First, a dynamic city draws to it people from different backgrounds. As the population grows, the possibilities of permutations and combinations of ideas and lifestyles became legion. Second, a thriving city is usually a wealthy city, and there has been a very intimate historical link between wealth and the development of cultural ideas. Simply, wealth supports leisure. Creative artists with wealthy patrons or buyers for their work can literally afford to develop their art in ways that would be impossible if leisure time were not available. In addition, the rich demand drama, architecture, and music, thereby enhancing the creative arts in another way."

Second, in commenting on the tensions and violence stemming from the influx of so many immigrants to our major cities around the turn of the 20th century, I quoted the following near the end of class:
"Another problem of the times was that large-scale immigration sparked an increasingly bitter reaction against newcomers. It was not just their numbers. By 1900, immigrants were more often from southern and eastern Europe, more likely to be Roman Catholic or Jewish than Protestant, and more likely to have darker eyes, hair, and skin tone than whites of northern and western European descent. Moreover, these newcomers often had manners and dress that made them stand out as 'different.' These 'less desirable' immigrants added significantly to anti-city sentiment because, even more than earlier arrivals, they were overwhelmingly urban settlers."

Next Tuesday I will then pick up with the final segment of this historical overview of the city -- The North American City of Today: 1950 to the Present -- which I will cover in a bit more detail and which we will be reading about, of course, when we get into the books.

REMINDER: Please don't forget to post your urban impressions, the first blog exercise NO LATER THAN NEXT MONDAY, SEPT. 15TH. And remember, it is worth 5 points.