James Golden

Dublin Core

Title

James Golden

Description

I have chosen a photo and map that I think convey the culture of Charleston, that is still influenced by the strongly white, Irish Charleston of the bussing era in Boston. The map shows the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with some college education. You can tell, particularly compared to Downtown Boston, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay (which are all also in the photo) that Charleston is overall less educated and we can infer from this, more blue-collar and less academic. This is supported by the fact that Charleston also has very few colleges and university compared with other parts of Boston – the most prominent of which being Bunker Hill Community College. The picture also gives a good sense of what it is like to live in Charleston. The cars are literally parked bumper to bumper, which gives a sense of how dense the population is in these neighborhoods. There is also a Boston Fire Department sticker clearly visible in the rear windshield of the blue car, and a green, Irish “Erin Go Bragh” sticker with a harp on the opposite side of the windshield (not visible in this picture). Combined with the fact that the second car is a large pickup truck, it is highly evident that this is a community that values hard work and manual labor, and is extremely proud of their Irish heritage. Additionally, the several plants on the front steps and window sill of the house in the background shows a strong sense of trust and investment in the community. The picture was taken on the corner of Mead and Main St. in Charleston, and the Map is from Social Explorer.

Files

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/USW24/files/original/984c865c259e974c0f1bd421efe17ee3.jpg
http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/USW24/files/original/ff2afd9dff308b397937c58fee5e10d5.jpg

Collection

Citation

“James Golden,” USW24, accessed March 29, 2024, https://usworld24.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/208.