EWSIS 8th Grade Social Studies Name DATE URBAN DECAY: THE BRONX IS BURNING Documentary Review: "Decade of Fire" Americans of a certain age will remember the images of the Bronx in ruins. Throughout the 1970s, the New York City borough was thought of as the epicenter of urban decay: a wasteland of rubble piles, vacant lots, and decaying apartment buildings where law-abiding citizens eked out a desperate living while trying to avoid contact with roving gangs of drug dealers and stone killers. This perception of the Bronx was carried to the rest of the country, and the world, through media images, and soon found its way into popular culture. Directions: Watch the video "Decade of Fire" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Rxp_j3fHc over the next two days and answer the following questions. 1. How was the South Bronx perceived during the 1940s and 50s? 2. What is Redlining and how did it contribute to the decline of living in the Bronx? 3. Why did Landlords hire people to burn down their buildings? 4. How come the City of New York cut many of the Fire Departments in the Bronx? 5. How did movies and television perceive The Bronx during this time? 6. Why did crime and gangs increase during the 1960s and 70s in the Bronx? 7. How did people come together to eventually help the neighborhood in the South Bronx? Prompt: From what we have learned in our Civil Rights Unit, do you believe The Civil Rights Movement and Great Society affected The Bronx during the 1960s-70s? Explain your answer using evidence from the documentary on WHY the city and state are to blame for poverty, not the people.