Ethnic Map of New York City, 2010 Image Source: nytimes.com
If I had the ability, I would create a website showcasing the history of New York City based on the placement and development of ethnic ghettos. The site would open with a map of current New York City showing the highest concentration of one ethnicity per neighborhood. Clicking into the map would take you to the main homepage of the site where there would be options to browse by area or ethnicity. Each page of the website would concentrate on one ethnicity showing their immigration to the city from their native country and the reason, where the majority of these people settled in New York City, what trades they found jobs in, what customs they established in the city and where the majority of these people still live in New York City. For example the Irish page would start with the 1840’s and the first major wave of immigration into New York City, highlighting Hell’s Kitchen on the West Side of Manhattan as one of the more concentrated neighborhoods of Irish during this time period. Many of them eventually found jobs working for Tammany Hall on the police force. It would mention their impact on the Roman Catholic parishes in New York City and show where the majority of Irish people live in New York City today. I’d hope to show this all with as many primary documents as possible to keep it interesting. With this website, I would hope to emphasize the progress of the immigrants in this country to help prove that America truly is the “golden land of opportunity.”