Changes in Cities and Culture Chapter 10, Sections 2 & 3
America Becomes a Nation of Cities a. What term was created to describe the last few decades of the nineteenth century? Who came up with this term? The Gilded Age; Mark Twain; A rotten core covered with gold paint.
America Becomes a Nation of Cities b. What advantages did cities offer? Opportunities in manufacturing for women; Jobs for immigrants; Hope for better wages c. What other type of migration took pace during this time period? Rural-to-urban migration= from farm to factory.
Technology Improves City Life a. How did skyscrapers improve city life? Could provide for more people in same amount of space. i. Elisha Otis= invented the safety brake used in elevators. b. How did electricity change city transportation? Electric powered mass transit used to carry large numbers of people; Less reliance on coal.
Technology Improves City Life c. What was the job of a city planner? What was the biggest city planning project of the nineteenth century? Keep cities functional and ‘pretty’ even with large #s of people; 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Urban Living Creates Problems a. Why did immigrants live in such horrible conditions? i. Tenement= low-cost multi-family housing designed to fit as many people as possible. Needed to live close to factories because they couldn’t afford mass transit. b. What problems arose in cities from the population explosion? Poor sanitation and water; High crime rates and conflict.
Americans Become Consumers a. How did the change in work lead to a change in purchasing patterns? Workers were able to save up their wages, so they could spend more greater disposable income!
Americans Become Consumers b. What new tool emerged to attract customers? How did it reflect standard of living? Advertising; As the overall standard of living improved, people felt comfortable spending more.
Mass Culture a. Identify the changes that occurred in the following areas of mass culture: i. Newspaper 1. Joseph Pulitzer= World and Evening World publisher. 2. William Randolph Hearst= Morning Journal Both believed that newspapers should inform and stir up controversy sensationalist
Mass Culture ii. Literature Authors took a critical look at society and its problems. Horatio Alger and other authors wrote about characters who succeeded with hard work. iii. Education Changes in curriculum to encourage students to take specialized courses; Specialized courses in college, too.
New Forms of Popular Entertainment a. What new forms of entertainment emerged at the turn of the twentieth century? Amusement parks; Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show Vaudeville shows musical dramas; Spectator sports like baseball and boxing.