Social And Cultural Analysis: The Brooklyn Bridge

3.3 Social/Cultural
The social and cultural climate of the society at the time the Brooklyn Bridge was in its initiation, design and delivery phases encompass shedding light on contributing events of that time in order to understand the 19th-century social system to how the end product which is the bridge eventually would fit into it. The social system which will be observed will be more centred on firstly the national American society yet a closer look at the categories of the different race, wealth and social classes that were in proximity of the area the bridge was being built (Business Dictionary, 2016). The characteristics of those involved in the construction phases from the financial stakeholders to those who would utilize the structure

It became a symbol of American Pride, was known to be the 8th wonder of the world (K. Burns, 2002). With it came a negative image as well. Some saw it as a negative monument for those who opposed it, based on the lives lost yet for the immigrants who needed an income the bridge was a work opportunity even though the pay and work was not desirable. Yet at the same time the courage and persistence of the American people to strive to complete a dangerous project. For the emerging economy in the area, the bridge was an investment into linking two important cities (D. McCullough, 2016). Transportation costs could greatly be reduced and further increase the growth of enterprise and entrepreneurship. The Brooklyn Bridge has become the inspiration of art in that region in the form of paintings, writing, and poetry. Those who walked its span with the view of the East River experienced the sensation of appearing to walk on the water it drew a lot of pedestrians to make that journey for a small fee (K. Burns,

Despite its name, the East river is actually an estuary which is prone to tidal conditions and turbulence. The East River served as a transport route, therefore, making it one of the busiest canals in the world. The only solution at that time was to construct a suspension bridge high enough so that ships would be allowed to pass beneath it (K. Burns, 2002).
Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was the most significant project of its time. Notwithstanding the magnitude of the project and the technology available at the time, the building system adopted was designed specifically for the construction of a bridge.
Caisson technology was used in order to dig the foundations of the bridge. Labourers excavated the riverbed in watertight retaining wood structures called caissons which were dropped into the river. Granite blocks pinned these wooden boxes down to the river floor. Compressed air was pumped into these chambers in order to keep the water and debris out. Once the caissons were sunk deeper into the riverbed, they were then filled with concrete. Thereafter the stone towers were built on top of these caissons until they reached a height of 85 metres above high