Technology, Culture, and Everyday Life, 1840-1860 Chapter 11
Technology & Economic Growth AGRICULTURAL ADVANCEMENT TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS THE RAILROAD BOOM RISING PROSPERITY
Agricultural Advancement In General: Impact: Steel Plow: “The Plow That Broke the Plains” Beginning of large-scale farming in the Midwest Reduced erosion Reaper: Fewer people required to harvest Both: Speeds up farming Crop: Wheat Wasteful farming Some use of fertilizers in the North Experimentation with specialty farming McCormick’s Reaper Reproduction Plow
Technology and Industrial Progress Interchangeable Parts (Eli Whitney) + Machine Tools = Mass Production of goods Spurs new inventions because they can be mass produced quickly = Profits Time and Space Change Morse Code = Faster communication Time Zones =Faster transportation Transportation spurs development Urbanization increases Western settlement increases Manufacturing increases as areas become more urbanized Standardization of railway towns
The Railroad Boom
Rising Prosperity Stitching by hand-3 hours pair of pants; 7 hours dress 38, 57 – machine 1851 largest factory: 700-800 machines/yr 1859- 21,000 1872- 174,000
The Quality of Life DWELLINGS CONVIENIENCES AND INCONVIENENCES DISEASE AND HEALTH POPULAR HEALTH MOVEMENTS PHRENOLOGY
Dwellings Worker’s Row Houses, Farmingdale, NJ
Rococo
Conveniences & Inconvienences
Disease and Health Contagion Theory Miasma Theory Disease caused by bacteria Use of quarantine Miasma Theory Disease caused by touch Poisonous gases –drain swamps and clean streets Medical –Yellow Fever and Cholera Epidemics Inconclusive debates led individuals to be doubtful of medicine and cynical toward public health Medicine did as much harm as good Professionals do not wash their hands
Popular Health Movements Anesthetics: Crawford Long & William T.G. Morton Use of sulfuric ether Hydropathy Sanatoriums: Middle class women
Phrenology Phrenology Response to a need to hire a responsible workers Analyze character by bumps and depressions in the skull http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=80dZ71Km6_g
Democratic Pastimes NEWSPAPERS *NYC-Newspapers and P.T. Barnum THE THEATER MINSTREL SHOW P.T. BARNUM
Newspapers Initially: used as public bulletin boards; used by political parties to get their message to the people Change: Steam allowed for increased speed of printing presses; result more pages produced in an hour lowered the cost Result: Rise of the Penny Press; modern concept of news and news reporting; human-interest stories: robberies, murders, raise Horace Greeley: Pioneered political and financial analysis rather than recording Set high standards, least biased reporting Promoted Whig and Republican ideologies
The Theater Disreputable Astor Place Riot Upperclass vs. Lower class feud revolved around supporter of actors
Minstrel Show Diminish black people by using stereotypes White men in black face Result: Reinforced prejudices of working-class whites toward blacks
P.T. Barnum Founds museum of curiosities “There’s A Sucker Born Every Minute” “You can fool most of the people most of the time” Founds museum of curiosities Fabricated discoveries -Hoaxes
The Quest for Nationality in Literature & Art ROOTS OF THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE COOPER, EMERSON, THOREAU, FULLER, &WHITMAN HAWTHORNE, MELVILLE, AND POE LITERATURE IN THE MARKETPLACE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Roots of the American Renaissance Faster transportation led to a national market for literature and art Literature and art became democratized Philosophical basis – Romanticism, push from classicism Reflects the closing of the frontier in the east Spurs preservation movements Distinct American voice
American Literature Classicism Romanticism Standard for beauty was universal Authors are educated & follow a set standard Works to show off the education of the writer Works are never written for profit Essays, poetry Works are emotionally charged and reflect the creator’s inner feelings Standards are individualistic Works can be profitable Rise of fiction, novels More interpretation by individual Focus on nature
Literature: Authors Irving Washington James Fenimore Cooper Walt Whitman Henry David Thoreau Ralph Waldo Emerson Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allan Poe Pessimistic Herman Melville
Literature Themes Nature –vs- Civilization All people, not just educated and know the truth if they trust their hearts Nationalism Transcendentalism Characters Frontiersman – farmers destroy nature Independent thinkers that do not fit into society
Literature Philosophies Questioned the idea that material and moral progress not necessarily linked Do people turned themselves into machines to acquire wealth without asking why? Optimism – Conflicts can be resolved by following your goodness Structures Free verse Thirst for learning Great fiction not possible – American life not that interesting Individuals were conflicted, may not always be able to resolve conflicts Concerned with human motivation and its complexities
American Landscape Painting Hudson River School Thomas Cole Asher Durand Frederick Church Theme Landscapes Glorification of nature Preserve a vanishing America Result Preservation Movement established Integration of nature in urban settings – Frederick Law Olmsted and Central Park
Central Park
Central Park
Thomas Cole: Voyage of Life - Childhood
Thomas Cole: Voyage of Life - Youth
Thomas Cole: Voyage of Life - Manhood