.:The Other America:.

The Urban Poor

By 1962, almost one out of every four Americans were living in conditions under poverty level. By this time "The American Dream" was out of the question for most Americans. The majority of the poor consisted of: the elderly, single women with their children, and minority groups (such as African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans).

White Flight

During the 1950's, millions of middle-class white Americans fled the cities to live in the suburbs - dividing them from other races, as well as classes.

Reversely, about 5 million African Americans abandoned the rural South for urban areas.

Due to this "migration" of middle-class whites to suburban areas, the urban poor whites, as well as non-whites, were greatly impacted. They had lost a huge part of their businesses, tax-payers, and property. The cities could no longer support facilities such as school improvements and transportation.

The Inner Cities

The majority of suburban residents were not even aware of the poverty within the cities. Many refused to believe that poverty could exist in such a powerful nation as the USA.

Michael Harrington had lived amongst the poor in the urban areas and had later published a novel that stunned the rest of America. The Other America: Poverty in the United States (1962). He released the shocking and harsh realities of the urban poor to the rest of America. He also showed how widespread it had become.








Urban Renewal

The majority of minorities such as African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans lived in unkempt, overpopulated slums.