Social and cultural trends
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Transcript Social and cultural trends
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
TRENDS
Advertising
Rowland H. Macy = opened one of the first
department stores in N.Y. in 1858 and it became the
largest in America.
Methods used = advertising, goods organized into
departments, and high quality goods for fair prices.
New concepts at other stores = money back guarantee,
newspaper advertisements, lower shipping rates,
distinctive logos, and long distance shipping.
Rowland H. Macy
The first Macy’s in New York City
Higher Standard of Living
Better sanitation and health care allowed for a longer
life expectancy and new products and new technology
cost less.
Middle class tried to imitate the rich upper class.
Women began to focus more on clothing styles and
more complicated meals.
Public transportation allowed families to live outside
of the cities so men became commuters and began
spending more time away from home.
Life in the 1860s
Life in the 1900s
US Govt issued 500,000 patents—
electricity
No refrigeration
Refrigerated railroad cars
No indoor plumbing
Sewer systems and sanitation
Kerosene or wood to heat
Increased productivity made live easier
and comfortable.
Wood stoves to cook with
Horse and buggy
Power stations, electricity for lamps,
fans, printing presses, appliances,
typewriters, etc.
In 1860, most mail from the East Coast
took ten days to reach the Midwest and
three weeks to get to the West Coast.
New York to San Francisco to 10 days
using railroad.
1.5 million telephones in use all over the
country
Western Union Telegraph was sending
thousands of messages daily throughout
the country.
No indoor electric lights
A letter from Europe to a person on the
frontier could take several months to
reach its destination.
Mass Culture
Newspapers
Mass Culture- when
household items, food,
preferences are the
same from house to
house in a given place.
Literature
Education
Newspapers
Helped create mass
culture.
Between 1870-1900
newspapers increased from
600 to more than 1600.
Joseph Pulitzer- The World
and the Evening World.
Believed it was his job to
inform people and stir up
controversy.
Included comics, exposure
of political corruption,
sports and illustrations.
William Randolph Hearst-
Morning Journal.
Competitor to Joseph
Pulitzer.
Special interest
newspapers soon began to
spring up in ethnic
neighborhoods as well.
Joseph Pulitzer
William Randolph Hearst
Literature and the Arts
Literature and art often took the roles of telling the
story of what it was like to live in the time period.
Horatio Alger = wrote about people who succeeded
by hard work.
Others wrote/painted about rules of conduct in
society, the slums of the cities, and street life.
Education
Literacy rate rose to about 90% in 1900.
More schools being built for children.
Science, woodworking, drafting, civics, business training,
English.
John Dewey- new methods of teaching that allowed
students to answer their own questions.
Higher education institutions became specialized to
train in urban careers.
Teaching, social work, and nursing were some of the new
careers.
Led to an advancement in women’s colleges.
New Forms of Entertainment
Amusement Parks
Basketball
“Buffalo Bill” Cody, Annie
Baseball
Oakley, and Sitting Bull.
Religious Summer Camps
Vaudeville Shows
Movie Theaters
Variety Shows
Horse Racing
Football
Bicycle Racing
Boxing
Amusement Parks
1884= First Roller
Coaster (Lamarcus
Thompson)
First ride to open at
Coney Island.
Parks offered a new
getaway for people who
would otherwise go on a
picnic for a daily
adventure.
Outdoor Events
Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie
Oakley, and Sitting Bull.
Wild West Show
Included roping, riding,
and shooting.
Took the show across the
country.
Religious summer camps
that children and
families could attend.
New York’s Chautauqua
Lake.
Families could stay for up
to two weeks at these
camps.
New Entertainment in the City
Vaudeville shows = Medley of musical drama,
songs and off color comedy.
Tony Pastor- opened theater in 1881 to offer clean
cut variety shows.
Motion pictures soon became popular.
Ragtime music soon became jazz music.
Spectator Sports
Baseball- National
League 1876.
Horse racing, bicycle
racing, boxing and
football.
Boston= Fenway Park.
James Naismith
1908- “Take Me Out To
The Ball Game”
African American
teams emerge in 1900.
invented basketball in
Springfield, Mass. in
1891.