Source A: Living Conditions in New York Tenements

"The tenements were overcrowded and unsanitary. Families often lived in tiny rooms with no proper ventilation or running water. Rats and pests were common, and disease spread rapidly. Children played in dirty hallways, and families struggled to survive amidst the filth and noise. Despite these hardships, many immigrants saw tenements as their only way to live close to work and community." Provenance: Jane Doe, 1905, report for a social reform organization.