Chapter 8: Life at the Turn of the 20th Century Answer the Objective Questions for each section as you read – they will become your notes. Chapter Objective – to analyze significant turn-of-the 20th century trends in such areas as technology, education, race relations, and mass culture.

Section 1: Science and Urban Life Describe the impact of technological advances on turn-of-the 20th century urban planning. How did engineering innovations help cities grow upward and outward? What was urban planning and how did it improve city life? Summarize turn of the century communication innovations. What effect did advances in paper, printing, and photography have on publishing and journalism? How did airplanes revolutionize communications as well as transportation?

Section 2: Expanding Public Education Analyze the expansion of public education at the turn-of-the 20th century. What were the main reasons for the expansion and improvement of public education? What factors contributed to the growth of high schools? How did educational experiences differ for African Americans and immigrants? Describe the growth of higher education. What changes did many universities make in their curriculum and why? How did African Americans work to gain a high educaiton?

Section 3: Segregation and Discrimination Trace the historical underpinnings of legalized segregation and the African-American struggle against racism in the U.S. What post-Reconstruction voting restrictions were imposed on African Americans in the South? What were Jim Crow laws? What was the significance of the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson? Summarize turn-of-the-20th century race relations in the North and South. How did African Americans differ in approach to combating racism? How were African Americans discriminated against in the North? Identify discrimination against minorities in the American West. What were the difficulties that Mexicans encountered in the United States? How were Chinese immigrants treated? Plessy v. Ferguson: What was the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson? How did the Supreme Court’s ruling affect southern states? How and when was the Plessy decision overturned?

Section 4: The Dawn of Mass Culture Give examples of turn-of-the-20th century leisure activities and popular sports. What leisure activities became popular with Americans at the turn of the 20th century? What spectator sports did many Americans enjoy? Analyze the spread of mass culture in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. How did the nation’s new newspapers attract readers? What were the new artistic movements in the nation? What types of literature gained notoriety at the turn of the 20th century? Describe turn-of-the-20th century innovations in marketing and advertising. How did the growth of cities change the way in which goods were sold? How did mail-order catalogs and advertising contribute to the growth of mass culture?