Ragged Dick Research Paper

In the 19th century I think children missed out on most of their childhood as most of them took on jobs such as chimney sweepers, street sellers and farms for example. These were mainly children from poor families who were seen as extra farm hands and were exploited by receiving low pay for long hours and working in poor conditions. Families did not look at how the children were treated and the possible impact

The story first starts off with the narrator telling about his relations with Dick Prosser. Dick Prosser is the Shepperton’s new Negro man. He goes on to tell about all the things that he knows and what Dick teaches him and his friends. From what he hears, Dick was an army man who is recently discharged and looking for work. Not only can Dick cook, clean, and drive but he is also highly skilled in many areas. He is so skilled that he could chop wood in symmetry; each piece being the same size and length. He teaches the narrator and his friends’ thing such as how to throw a ball, shoot a gun, make a fire, kick a ball, and also box. From the narrator point of view, Dick is the idea role model. The children adored him along with many others. No one thought that he could go wrong.

In the 1800s the Industrial Revolution created new jobs for millions of people including children. Many children during the Industrial Revolution were employed in manufacturing and mining. One of the most widely recognized jobs for children was as a “Newsie” or “Newsboy”. This job was held by young children, usually boys, while girls usually worked in mills that produced textiles and paper products. Many newsies had families and homes, and were children who went to school in the day and sold papers in the evening and on weekends to support their families. Many times orphaned, there were as many as 10,000 homeless newsies wandering the streets of New York in the 1899. Some Newsies called “Street Waifs” or children who had been orphaned, homeless,

After World War I ended, the 1920’s brought on dramatic political and social changes. For most people, the 1920’s brought them more conflict. They did not like the new changes and were trying to keep them from happening. However, for a small group of young people the 1920’s was a great time to make progress and move forward from the conservative norm. After women got suffrage, they pushed through the double standards and tried and got jobs in factories and offices, instead of only doing domestic work. African Americans pushed through the discrimination they were facing and moved to the northern states, where they got better jobs and better opportunities to pursue their dreams in literature, art, music, and stage performance.

The 1860s to 1920s was known as the gilded age in the United States of America. Immigrants moved to the U.S. to have a better life but when they arrived, they an unexpected situation. In the gilded age, Robber barons or business owners made a tremendous amount of money. Most of them accomplished this by using monopolies and trusts which led them to gain power and money. While money was flowing in the United States, the lower class population lived in tenements, where diseases would spread fast and comfort was not available. Workers had to work more than twelve hours a day and they could lose parts of their bodies in the machines and therefore get fired. Children worked as much as their parents did. They were in a position of

In chapter 15 of How the Other Half Lives by Riis, it goes over the problems that children faced in the 1890s (Document B). The children were treated like adults and had harsh conditions in the jobs they held and they were not paid much at all for what they did. Adults never cared about the children, Riis basically sums up the chapter by saying that children were treated “awful”. Children were even thrown out of school for no reason except to make room for others. In 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16.

Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger. This story follows a young boy, who through hard work, determination, self-reliance, honesty and good character went from a homeless black-boot to a respectable, high paying job.  This story is filled with examples of what life was like in New York City, telling the us what he would find and experience in it. In Ragged Dick, This was a time of progress, change and falsehood in American History. This is when people really started to chase the illusive American dream, and Alger is trying to capture this rags-to-riches vision. The fact that the book takes place in New York is not enough to understand the full extent of this book. At this time many Americans were going through one of the hardest times in

Life in the 1840’s was very busy for men, women, and children alike. Everyone in the states had to contribute their fair share of work, and had little time for leisure. America was a new country, the colonies had expanded to 26 states, and it was a hectic time for westward expansion. At this time, most immigrants lived a rural lifestyle on small family farms. There were few people wealthy enough to own plantations, which were run by mostly slaves who received no pay, harsh treatment, and had no chance of escape. Tensions were high between the slaves and the immigrants, and the Civil War would be occurring soon. While men did all of the hard labor, such as farming and hunting,

In 1898, many things were happening in America, some of which were good and some of which were bad. I think that the most important thing going on in America at this time is the Progressives. The Progressives were a group that focused on fixing the problems of America, and there were a lot of them. These people were the main reason that work environments became better and caused many people to obtain more rights. They were also a major factor in making people’s living conditions better. Many of these progressives were photographers, journalists, and writers. Using their skills to help the single most important thing in America, the people. How can a nation function and develop if the people coming into it and living in it are living in poverty

It is impossible for the minor characters in Ragged Dick to have a fair chance at being recognized as decent members of society because of the emphasis Horatio Alger Jr. places on Dick Hunter. The better qualities of Dick are constantly being reminded to the reader, giving them little room to disagree with Alger’s heroic portrayal of him. Horatio Alger Jr.’s preference to homosexuality also reflects his choice in excluding any useful female characters in his novel. Minor characters lack understanding from readers because information surrounding them is absent, causing them to be judged on face value alone.

As America became more industrial more people left their farms and small towns to work in the city so they could pay their expenses, whatever they may be. This led to the minimal pay of workers while the owners became wealthy leading to a functional economy. Most would receive little money while the rest lived a life of luxury. Since more factories were opening children, women, and immigrants could now find jobs, which led to more production which gave more money to the owners of the factories. Americans feared that industrialists were changing freemen into “wage slaves.” “By 1920, nearly 20 percent of all manufacturing workers were women, and 13 percent of all textile workers were younger than 16 years old. In 1900, it was estimated that

The early 1900s was a time of many movements, from the cities to the rural farms; people were uniting for various causes. One of the most widespread was the labor movement, which affected people far and wide. Conditions in the nation’s workplaces were notoriously poor, but New York City fostered the worst. Factories had started out in the city’s tenements, which were extremely cramped, poorly ventilated, and thoroughly unsanitary. With the advent of skyscrapers, factories were moved out of the tenements and into slightly larger buildings, which still had terrible conditions. Workers were forced to work long hours (around 12 hours long) six hours a day, often for extremely low pay. The pay was also extremely lower for women, who made up a

Americans in the 1920s were fresh off of World War I and freshly into the Prohibition Era. The American Dream was well defined- a life of wealth, comfort, and exuberance. After a World War I victory, the Dream was thought to be in the near future for every American. The country was seen as a world superpower, wealthy after the devastation of a war fought entirely overseas and brimming with hope and possibility- at least on the surface. Despite the highs experienced by much of the country, it wasn't without its problems. Crime violence was benevolently running the streets and the Speakeasies beyond the reach of full Prohibition, the world was being set-up for The Great Depression, and America was brimming with members of the "Lost

It was a low time for Americans in the 1920's, and for other countries also.

I don't necessarily think that men experience womb envy. I think that most men are happy with their involvement in the reproductive process. Men don't feel inferior because they cannot give birth to children. Most men feel pride and joy when their children are brought into the world, and they like to play with their children and teach them valuable lessons. Women have a more nurturing nature than men, but that doesn't mean that men are not good parents. There are plenty of single dads that do an awesome job. Men are happy with being dads, but don't envy the birthing process.