His work had an effect on society at the time as “Revealing New York’s Other Half, A Complete Catalogue of his Photograhs” states “pioneering journalism about the conditions of the poor immeasurably advanced American social reform in the 19th and early 20th centuries”.

“He used photographs of squalid conditions in the poorest parts of New York City to convince middle class audiences of the need for action”.

noun

1.

the condition of being unequal; lack of equality;disparity:inequality of size.

2.

3.

disparity or relative inadequacy in naturalendowments:a startling inequality of intellect, talents, andphysical stamina.

4.

injustice; partiality.

noun, plural equalities.

1.

the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability:

promoting equality of opportunity in the workplace.

2.

uniform character, as of motion or surface.

 All of the political and social and economic powers worked in concert to keep the suppressed newcomers in living conditions so terrible that they would not rebel or protest because, packed in a small area often swept by epidemics, they were so preoccupied with mere survival."

But he also used stereotypes to his advantage. He presented his photographs light-heartedly and  “Audiences treated the lectures - and the press reviewed them - as entertainment”. “He separated the impoverished into two categories: those deserving of assistance and everyone else. He also never outright called for any government intervention, even though it came anyway.

-Institutional/systemic oppression

People focused on surviving = primary concern

Changing their circumstances = secondary concern, as they don’t have the power or control

Photography used in two ways: Either to create change in people’s circumstances or to keep them in their current position, by showing them as 'different' or 'undeserving' of being helped.

Slaves communicated in the slave markets of the urban South, and worked together to help their families, ease their loads, or simply frustrate their owners. Simple actions of resistance, such as breaking a hoe, running a wagon off the road, causing a delay in production due to injury, running away, or even pregnancy, provided a language shared by nearly all slaves in the agricultural workforce, a sense of unity that remained unsaid, but was acted out daily 

Without slavery, many thought, “blacks” (the word most often used for “slaves” in regular conversation) would become violent, aimless, and uncontrollable."

Source http://www.americanyawp.com/text/11-the-cotton-revolution/ 

"Any slave found guilty of arson, rape of a white woman, or conspiracy to rebel was put to death. However, since the slave woman was chattel, a white man who raped her was guilty only of a trespass on the master's property. Rape was common on the plantation, and very few cases were ever reported."

Source   http://www.ushistory.org/us/27b.asp 

Source
 https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/slavery-in-the-antebellum-u-s-1820-1840-16/slavery-in-the-u-s-122/treatment-of-slaves-in-the-united-states-652-9460/

Hine led his sociology classes to Ellis Island in New York Harbor, photographing the thousands of immigrants who arrived each day. Between 1904 and 1909, Hine took over 200 plates (photographs) and came to the realization that documentary photography could be employed as a tool for social change and reform.