New Ways of Life and New Entertainment Topic 1.6

When is the GILDED AGE? End of the Civil War until end of century 1900-1917 Progressive Era 1917-1918 WWI 1920s Roaring ’20s 1930s Great Depression 1941-1945 WWII 1945-1989 Cold War

What is the GILDED AGE? Coined by Mark Twain Gilded means “covered with a thin layer of gold” Thin but glittering layer of prosperity covered the poverty and corruption of much of society

What is the GILDED AGE? Time of growth in America Industrial expansion raised output of nation’s factories and farms Beneath the surface Unstable economic infrastructure Discontent caused by depressions, low wages and rising farm debts Immigration issues Poverty & crime Corruption

Higher Standards of Living Technological innovations drove the development of new industries This created more jobs, wealth, extra income in consumers hands The cost of living decreased

Vaudeville / Minstrel Show Minstrel Shows-1840s Began to die out as vaudeville gained popularity Blackface (African American stereotypes) African American/White performers (wearing blackface) African American- Often the only stage jobs they could get Many African Americans switched to vaudeville

Vaudeville / Minstrel Show First appeared in the 1870s Inexpensive variety show

Movies 1908- 8,000 nickelodeons (theaters set up in converted stores or warehouses that charged a nickel for admission) 200,000 viewers daily Movies continue to get bigger and better

Circus 1872-The circus train: traveling circus “Advance men” promote the show days in advance, drawing in huge crowds. Several days later the circus train pulled in

Amusement Parks Advances in trolley technology Trolleys extended to lesser populated areas “Trolley Parks” at the end of the line ½ day off on Saturdays (more common) Music, games of skill, rides, beaches, vaudeville

Sports Baseball By far the most popular Entrepreneurs enclosed fields and charged admission Development of leagues 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings (first professional team)

Sports Football (1880s) Basketball (1891) Women Walter Camp Invented by Dr. James Naismith, Springfield, Mass. Women Played, but not equally encouraged Women’s rules

Reading Newspapers Easier printing  mass production Now w/comics, sports, pictures, etc. Circulation rises from 2.6 million1870 to 15.1 million1900 Becomes big business  more competition 

Reading Sales tactics change Yellow Journalism sensational mass coverage (murders, vice, scandals, etc.) Reference to yellow ink in a popular comic strip of the era

Reading-Joseph Pulitzer Hungarian immigrant fought in the Civil War Moved to New York 1880s Started a morning paper the New York World Very successful Soon started publishing the Evening World

Reading William Randolph Hearst Born in San Francisco, California, on April 29, 1863 New York Morning Journal Competitor for Pulitzer Also used Yellow Journalism

Reading Magazines Popular Fiction Dime novels Social protest novels Inexpensive books Social protest novels Reformers Humorous novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Music Section of New York City called Tin pan Alley Became the center of the music publishing industry Name of the style of popular music developed there Ragtime- originated among African American musicians in the South and Midwest-1880s Jazz (New Orleans) Music @ home

New ways of shopping The middle class tried to imitate the rich Departments stores A variety of goods organized into “departments” Widespread advertising Many women had to work to achieve a middle-class lifestyle

New Standards of Living Better sanitation and better medical care=better health Longer life expectancy Made life easier Factory produced clothing and prepackaged food Technological advances

Horatio Alger American author Juvenile novels "rags-to-riches" stories Impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of respectable middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination Wrote over 100 books

The Expansion of Education Topic 1.6

Growth of Public Schools 1870s-Leaving school at an early age Vast majority attended school for only a few years Learned to read, write, and basic arithmetic Rural: November to April only

Growth of Public Schools Industry grows People move to cities Emphasis on education 1900 31 states had laws requiring children (ages 8-14) to attend schools Unevenly enforced (still had a powerful effect)

School Days One-room school houses Ages 6 to 14 years old 1 teacher (older students taught younger) Mostly rote memorization (reading aloud & repeating) Subjects Geography History R, R, R (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic)

Immigrants Assimilation for children Assimilate-to be absorbed into the main culture of a society Public school teachers taught their students English literacy American cultural values-patriotism, & hard work Traditional American cooking Traditional American games Adults attended school at night to learn English and civics (study of the rights and duties of citizens)

Immigrants Some resisted Parents sent them to religious schools Fearing their children would forget their heritage Parents sent them to religious schools Learn their own culture and traditions in their native language

Uneven Support Separate schools for whites and African Americans Minority schools received less money Virtually no schooling for Native Americans. Those that attended: Gave up their language Gave up their dress Gave up their customs/culture

Higher Education 1880-1900 150 new colleges/universities open Wealthy contributions to education Leland Stanford- entrepreneur helped build transcontinental RR Founded Stanford University in memory of his son Enrollment doubles (1890-1910) Soon middle-income families send kids

Women & Higher Ed. Private women’s colleges established by philanthropists 1880/90s: pressure to admit women Some, yes; others, no. Most scholarships went to men. Social prejudice against women Too independent  “unmarriageable”

African Americans Many wanted to enroll, but few schools allowed it. Total enrollment (1890) = 160 African Americans were attending white colleges Most were at African American colleges (established during Reconstruction) By 1900, there were 2,000 graduates from 34 African American colleges

Black Education Opinions 2 famous African American college graduates: Booker T. Washington W.E.B. Du Bois 2 very different perspectives