America and the Social and Cultural Changes
Statistics New York City 1877 - 47 million people 90% white 1877 - majority lived on farms/small towns 1980 - 75% lived in small towns 1900 - 60% lived in small towns New York City
General Changes People began to move towards the cities and urban life Families began to have less children Life expectancy rate rose from 43 years to 47 years Blacks and other ethic groups still face the 33 years life expectancy rate
Food an Ad from 1900 Food was a lot cheaper heavy meals - thus a large increase in the number of fat people Packaged food - the new fad Transportation of food products were advanced imported/exported goods to/from other states were safer than before
Medical Advances Medical research was very popular and striving Luis Pasteur - discovery of germs development of microbiology and vaccines Gradually decreasing child mortality rate Study of Psychology - very popular Surgeries were a lot safer and thus widespread
Changes in Lifestyles Lifestyles were based on the Code of Victorian based on the British queen set up the basic principles in attires, manners, and sexual behavior Government tried to pass laws such as the Comstock Law to make sure people were “civilized” by the Code’s standards
Virtues and Morals People took into heart this new codes and took action Mugwumps: people who worked to get rid of corruption in politics Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU): fought to outlaw alcoholic beverages using propaganda
Children The “Seen but not Heard” Rule Never spoke until spoken to Usually were around when there was a conversation between adults but never spoke Never chitchat with other people Older boys and girls were never alone together
Children Took daily lessons in the living room played games and sang around the piano listened to the day’s verse from the bible
Men Wore long black suits with a derby hat and white shirts that had paper collars Men’s attire
Women Wore tight corsets, long dark dresses, and black shoes that went up to the ankles by the 1980s - wore suits or a dark skirt and a blouse went for the killer 18- inch waists Women’s attire
Women Roles of women increased They were in charge of taking care of the family They were now expected to be smart, look young, and be entertaining totally different from the expectations from before the Civil War Gave less births to children
Sports Golf Tennis Bicycling
New Professional Sports Basketball Baseball Football The American League Team members
Religion Religious beliefs became very popular again very common to find a revival meeting anywhere on any day Meetings on College Campuses for college students became very popular
Mornings People began to wake up earlier now With the new available time they had from waking up early they: broke the ice in front of their homes (men) go shopping (women) due to the lack of large refrigerator
Leisure families gathered in the living room Children did everything listed before in the living room played cards, dominoes, backgammon, chess, and checkers outdoor sports such as Croquet was also popular first outdoor sport for both genders to play
Music Music went through some changes Sentimental music was still a large hit Ragtime was introduced Classical music was also played Songs about sports games were also made “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
Family Life Families no longer worked together Families had to stick to survive Women and Children were not usually part of the working group Children usually went to school and stayed with their family until their late teens
A New Working Class Women began to start working 1880 - 2.6 million working women 1890 - 4 million working women took jobs in factories, telephone exchange, or business offices Were mostly singles
Working Women Initially had a good response laws changed so that women could own their own property led to an increase of divorce rates (1 out of 12 marriages ended in divorces) Women began to take action in getting equal treatment women sufferage equal pay
Education Educating children became more meaningful More students were now getting universal education (laws enforced attendance of students) increase in the number of public high schools increase in school budgets decrease in the illiteracy rate even though population grew
Higher Education After Land Grant Act of 1862, 69 colleges were created Industrial leaders gave millions of dollars to fund the colleges Leland Stanford, John D. Rockefeller, etc. Curriculums broadened (no longer training men for the military only)
Colleges and Ethic Groups African Americans and other minority groups were rejected usually from getting into colleges Even after acceptance from the college, the minority was not accepted among the students and teachers Black students went to black schools black schools had terrible facilities and supplies
Literature Themes changed: Romanticism to Realism and Naturalism talked about working and becoming successful through working in businesses Regionalist authors wrote about the South, Great Plains, and other rural areas Sometimes wrote about poverty and the possible outcomes of industrialization
Photographs http://www.elderweb.com/sites/elderweb/files/albums/history/4a18585r.jpg http://www.southboroughhistory.org/History/Burnett%20Company/Food%20Ads/Food%20Ads%20Imag es/16Ad1900%20B.jpg http://www.columbia.edu/itc/barnard/theater/kirkland/3136/EdwardianGallery/images/48.1900.4.jpg http://www.oakfield.govoffice.com/vertical/Sites/%7BD5DF5B3D-AC3C-4AAE-AE6A- 6E0DFC85FD3C%7D/uploads/%7B1C753AF3-55DF-47C9-92CF-7EC5415DB006%7D.JPG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Olympic_Golf_1900.jpg http://www.findonvillage.com/p0409_douglas_tennis_0136.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Cycling_Sprint_1900.jpg http://www.vintageball.com/AmerLeagPub_Detroit.jpg