Culture of By: Dylan and Molly

Entertainment Motion pictures were very popular to go and watch at this time. As motion picture became longer, they moved into storefront theaters, and then into even larger theaters. The showed short comedies and other films to as many as 200,000 people a day.

Continued Some sports being played during this time were basketball, baseball, horse racing, and canoeing. There were now more opportunities for women and they got to take part in canoeing. Another popular thing was going to the circus.

Continued Outdoor activities remained popular People started going to parades, county fairs, and the latter featuring farm products, machinery, competitions, and rides. Many people wished to leave the city and go on family vacations to the beach or to the countryside.

Continued Music was an important part of life. The Negro Spiritual were African American spiritual folk songs, they helped save a struggling black university from financial ruin. Ragtime and jazz were another type of music, ragtime became a rage across the country.

Continued Newspapers were a vital source of information and entertainment as well. Magazines appeared weekly or monthly and contained helpful articles advertising and fiction. People popular fiction books, and more educated readers turned to popular fiction books instead of serious novels.

Racism/Prejudice African Americans felt they were being ignored by the Progressives. Some progressives wanted women to vote so that it could double the white vote putting African Americans farther behind. There were only a few colleges that accepted blacks. Only 160 African Americans were attending white colleges.

Continued In 1900 only a small percentage of Native American children were receiving any schooling at all. Whites and African Americans usually attended separate schools. Schools for African Americans received far less money.

Women felt that they had the right to vote to help influence the government. They knew they were powerless without political rights. A group of women started the National American Women Suffrage Association. On March 3 they had a suffrage parade to draw more attention to them. The University of Wisconsin didn’t treat women equally, they made women stand until the men found their seats.

Education About half of the nations children attended one-room schools. Students in both rural and city schools learned many of their lessons by rote. By 1910 nearly 72% of American children attended school, the percentage of 17 year-olds graduating from high school rose to 8.6%.

Continued Public school teachers taught students about American culture values, such as patriotism and hard work. Students also learned how to cook traditional foods and play American games like baseball. As a result of their schooling, immigrant children became Americanized.

Continued Many immigrants placed a high value on American public education. It was a way for their children to become successful Americans. One important thing of the public school was that they taught literacy, which is able to read and write. For many immigrants learning to read and write was and big step to succeed in the U.S.

Urban and Rural The cities were home to most of the settlement workers, club members, and professionals who pressed for changes. Wealthy people moved out of the city to the country since they had the money.

Continued Because of poverty, overcrowding and neglect the old neighbors of cities declined. Fire was a constant danger in cities. With tenement buildings so closely packed together even a small fire could consume a neighborhood. In 1901, a New York City law required hallway bathrooms to replace outdoor outhouses.

Urban Subway systems were being built. Skyscrapers were going up since cities were crowded. They started having garbage service and street cleaners.

Rural Farm bells were important means of communication on farms. Mail order catalogs were important since they couldn’t get to town easily. Grew most of their food by farms (milk, veggies, meat)

The End