2. Chapter 21, Section 4: Public Education & American Culture Main Idea: The growth of public education was closely linked to other changes in American culture.

3. A. Educating Americans Before 1870, less than ½ of US kids went to school, & those who did went to a 1-room schoolhouse with 1 teacher for all students. Public Schools Better schools were needed as industry grew. North: Compulsory education laws required kids to attend school (usually through 6 th grade) South: Segregated schools. Freedman’s Bureau. Schools helped immigrant children to assimilate more quickly by teaching English & citizenship. The School Day From 8 - 4: the “3 Rs”- reading, ‘riting, & ‘rithmetic McGuffey’s Eclectic Reader taught morals, ethics & values while students learned to read & write Schools emphasized discipline & obedience. Sit up straight with hands folded in front, etc. Punishment was swift & severe: cuff up side head, paddling. *This is biggest change over last 100 years!

4. Higher Learning By 1900, there were over 6,000 high schools in the US. (compared to 36,000 now) This lead to more colleges & universities opening across the nation as well. (there are around 4,500 2- & 4-year schools today) Trade schools opened to train workers for specific jobs in business & industry Carpentry, plumbing, electrician, etc. Family Learning Chautauqua Society Started in 1874 as a summer school for Methodist Bible teachers Opened to public the next year for spiritual guidance & self-improvement (art, politics, philosophy) In 1903, they began traveling to other towns. Chicago Manual Training School

5. B. A Newspaper Boom Newspapers became more popular as cities grew larger and people became more educated. They helped people stay informed, overcome cultural differences (immigrants) & provided cities with a sense of community. Two Newspaper Giants Joseph Pulitzer – New York World 1 st mass-circulation newspaper – slashed prices & added comics. Used “scare” headlines about crimes & political scandals on front page to increase sales William Randolph Hearst – New York Journal Competed with Pulitzer by featuring scandals, crime stories & gossip to attract readers away from World. Led to yellow journalism – exaggerating news to sell more papers (less news, more scandal) Women as Readers & Reporters Newspapers added sections to attract females fashion, society, health, homemaking & family Nellie Bly (World) – famous female reporter

6. C. New Reading Habits Magazines become popular – Ladies’ Home Journal, Harper’s Monthly, The Nation Dime novels – low-priced paperbacks: usually adventure stories about “Wild West” Horatio Alger – wrote children’s books about “rags-to-riches” stories that promoted hard work, honesty, integrity, etc.

7. D. New American WritersRealists Authors that wanted to show life as it was (harsh) Stephen Crane – The Red Badge of Courage (Civil War) & Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (slums) Jack London – wrote about miners & sailors risking their lives to do backbreaking work Kate Chopin – women in non-traditional roles Paul Laurence Dunbar – 1 st professional African American writer/poet (“We Wear the Mask”) Mark Twain Real name was Samuel Clemens (ties to Elmira) Used local color in his writing (captured speech patterns of southerners who lived along the Mississippi River). His characters were “home-spun.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is his most famous work. Story of a boy who befriends an escaped slave as they travel down the Mississippi River together. Then, it was banned in many schools and libraries (claimed to be a bad influence on kids). Now, it is considered an American classic.

8. E. Painting Everyday Life Winslow Homer – New England coastal scenes Thomas Eakins – human anatomy & surgeries Henry Tanner – black sharecroppers Ex-patriots Americans that moved to other countries. Many authors & artists chose to leave the U.S. and live & paint in Europe. Henry Tanner, James Whistler, Mary Cassatt