“Ugly Laws” in American Cities

By Willa Reising

The “ugly laws” were a specific law that was passed in multiple cities codes in the late nineteenth century. The city code stated that:

Any person who is diseased, maimed mutilated, or in any way deformed so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object, or an improper person to be allowed to sit in or on streets, highways, thoroughfares, or public spaces in this city, shall not therein or thereon expose himself to public view, under the penalty of a fine of $1 for each offense. [1]

This quote is from the Chicago City code of 1881 which was one of the first cities to have write this city code. Other cities would publish the same city code like San Francisco, Portland, Omaha, Reno, and the state of Pennsylvania. These city codes were a response to growing urbanization specifically the influx of immigrants and people of color moving to these larger cities. Thus, this was a way to combat the growing number of people and discipline the body in a post-civil war era. [1]

Specifically, these laws attacked people with disabilities who were poor and on the streets. This was because it was assumed at the time that disabled people could pass their disability to others through coming into contact with them. This law also connects to reconstruction and Jim Crow laws which were both exclusion laws created after the Civil War. [2]

Even though many cities added this law to their city codes some mayors did resist, and they gave disabled beggars permits so they were able to make their money. This law has also been important for disability rights in court because it shows there was clear discriminatory law against people with disabilities. [3] This article has only touched the surface of this topic, so I would like to give my reader a recommendation of where to look more into this topic. The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public Places by Susan M. Schweik is a great resource for anyone who wants to look more into this topic.

References

[1]. Schweik, Susan M. The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public. vol. 3, New York, NYU

Press, 2009.

[2]. Wilson, Britney. “A Body’s Work: On Self and Peer Education as a Black Disabled

Lawyer.” Journal of Legal Education, vol. 71, no. 1, 2021, pp. 51–56.

[3]. Hawthorn, Ainsley. “Illegal to be ‘ugly’? The History Behind One of America’s Cruelest Laws.” National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-ugly-laws-america-disability.