Summary Of Robert Putnam's Essay 'Bowling Alone'

In the late 19th century during the Industrial Revolution, the increased demand for manufactured products and consequently the increase of new jobs, as well as the allure of the city, led many families to move to the large overcrowded cities. As they moved to these cities, it often was a time of trial and adversity due to small houses or tenements, low income

Leonard argues also that this at some point is a question of morality. Stating that “Stay home Thanksgiving night. Go shopping after getting a full night’s rest. Sure, you might miss a sale or two. But you’ll be a better human being.”

They entered America legally through Ellis Island in New York or Angel Island in San Francisco, yet others entered illegally and found a way to remain hidden from the law. Before the elevation of Big Business in America, Europe had been industrializing throughout the entirety of the 1800s; therefore, after this rapid urbanization the immigrants supplied new technology, ideas, and more support for better factory conditions. Clearly, the growth of the number of immigrants in America created a demand for similar advancements in

Nativism is described as “the political idea that people who were born in a country are more important than immigrants”( "Nativism Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary"). Nativism was most seen during the 1870’s through the 1920’s. Nativism was a major cause in middle-class disputes since middle-class workers feared that the immigrant workers would drop wage prices and that they “...threatened social stability”(The Many Faces of Immigration). Many Catholic immigrants were blamed for the overflow of immigrants in the poverty sections of cities.

As American factories and farms started to produce more goods businessmen and legislators began to create a faster and cheaper way to get goods distributed to consumers. Around 1820, Americans began to build canals and steamboats, railroad, and extend roads linking the Atlantic Coast with new states in the Trans Appalachian west. Canals and Steamboats shrunk the distance of carrying goods from one place to another and could haul the most cargo for transportation. A well-known waterway called the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic Ocean and cost 7 million dollars.

When the Bubonic plague hit, a new change in values occurred. With millions dying, the now less plentiful peasant realized they had more bargaining power. Peasants demand more from their rulers or began leaving there lords and going to more plentiful places for work. A middle class began to develop, and along with the Magna Carta, the middle class had representation in politics. People began to value their selves more.

All around the world, there is a rapid increase in urbanization which primarily results in the physical growth of urban areas. Therefore cities are growing quicker and as a result, they are changing economically, spatially and socially. Properties within cities are becoming increasingly more expensive with an escalation in demand and therefore older buildings are being revamped as new economic groups enter the neighbourhood. Gentrification is the process whereby younger, middle and upper-income households migrate into the centrally located urban neighbourhoods, such as Woodstock in Cape Town, and the accompanying upgrading of rundown properties that previously had filtered down to lower-income tenants (Levy, D; 1984). It is also linked to the consequent changes in the neighbourhood’s character and culture which can result in the effects and benefits of gentrification not being evenly shared and distributed.

According to Labor Department statistics, “People of color are nearly twice as likely to be out of work as Caucasian Americans, even when they have the same degree” (Rassuli 1). Despite the number of immigrants coming to America in search of freedom and new opportunities, citizens see them as “outsiders” and “unwelcomed” (2). These immigrants come to America for a better life, chasing the “American Dream,” only to be “struck down” by American society (2). Imbolo Mbue explores these challenges that immigrants face and expands on the obstacles they have to overcome in her book Behold the Dreamers. Mbue’s characterization that highlights the contrast between Jende and Neni creates a sense of irony that reflects her theme of how the American Dream is not possible due to the obstacles that separate immigrants from American culture.

It makes people be more biased and get enraged over the slightest things, based on Affirmative Action. It is relevant to know this because humans have the tendency to label society and Affirmative Action gives them another reason to do so. “Any time a program is made it allows someone to have a position. That's when a minority of stereotypes is made. Even if humans are qualified, affirmative action bring the idea that people have more attention brought to them due to their color, or their gender.

The two parties are seen as two different “countries” now because they emphasise confrontation over cooperation and have utterly different views on almost everything (Abramowitz). It is not even only about voting anymore, it is about living. About a third of voters of both parties say that the other party is a threat to America’s well-being (“Political Polarization”). Communities are becoming increasingly crowded with like-minded people, not only in states or on a regional level but in the midst of cities and towns (Bishop). Further, education has a profound impact on America’s polarisation: regarding social and geographic flexibility, people with a degree of any grade benefit more freedom than others (Tuschman).

Gentrification connotes the influx of wealthier people into an existing urban area and a related increase in the property value, rent, and changes in culture and character. More often, gentrification is negatively portrayed as the displacement of poor communities through the arrival of rich outsiders. Gentrification arises from an increased interest in a certain urban district leading to many wealthy people buying and renovating houses in the area. The real impacts of gentrification are often intricate, contradictory and vary depending on the type of urban center. In a way, gentrification has greatly altered American urban landscape over the years.

In the words of Nancy Thayer, "The universe is always sending us little messages, causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more." The connectedness that she speaks is that our world is sending us messages about how everything can be connected in someway. As we turn around and think about other connections, we get connected to ourselves. This essay will show you how Caleb Swanigan is connected to racism. Therefore, Caleb Swanigan, also known as "Biggie", is "an American college basketball player for the Purdue Boilermakers" ("Caleb Swanigan").

“People in the United States do not like to talk about class.”(331) There are many myths that are taught today in America such as “The United States is fundamentally a classless society.”(333). Another myth would be “We are essentially a middle-class nation. ”(333). A last example for myths includes “Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.”

It helps lower the population overcrowding issue that jails are currently dealing with (Sullivan). The people in the pre-trial release program get to go home to be with family and keep their jobs which allow them to pay bills and keep their homes. All of this has a huge impact on offenders. Because of the cutbacks and stricter sanctions in the program, pre-trial release is no longer available to a large percentage of offenders (Sullivan). If they can’t afford bail they stay in jail, it’s as simple as

or many years the United States has been considered by many people to be the land of opportunity where anyone can come to achieve a better life. Like anywhere in the world the immigration of people both legally and illegally has helped shape America’s population and economy. In the U.S. there are millions of illegal immigrants that struggle to find a way to live as well as legal immigrants who abide by American law and still struggle to get by. As a result of the large inflow of foreign-born people into the United States, in recent decades immigration has singularly increased the presence of foreign-born workers in America. There have been many heated debates surrounding the impact of these immigrants on the U.S. workforce and economy.