City Cleansing

“City Cleansing Discussion”
Post- Civil War America welcomed changes that were the result of new solutions to the old problem of rampant illnesses and plagues that wiped out huge numbers of a city’s population. In “City Cleansing”, Sullen Hoy explored the hasty and frantic campaign for public hygiene that became trend-like in this time period as a way not only to prevent disease, but to boost the overall image of a community as well.
One striking element of this chapter was the women stepping out of their traditional household roles to play an important part in cleaning the city (74). This was one of the earlier instances of women unifying and ignoring social norms to put their effort where they saw fit; they would repeat this later with their efforts during WWII and in their campaign for suffrage.
Another highlight of this reading was the sudden up rise of enthusiasm within the community. Some strategies employed included dressing in costumes, singing, parades, child involvement, poetry , and high-profile lectures given by speakers such as Crane that charged exorbitant amounts of money for their consultations (70, 83, 85). People’s recognition and intolerance of their deplorable living conditions stoked the fire and made the hygienic revolution a popular idea that people were eager to participate in. This enthusiasm eventually led to the elimination of other "dirty" things such as prostitution and unsanitary conditions in meat factories (81,82).
Daniel Simmons