Transcript Chapter 20, Section 4 - Union Endicott High School

Chapter 21, Section 4:
Public Education &
American Culture
Main Idea: The growth of
public education was closely
linked to other changes in
American culture.
A. Educating Americans
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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
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Better schools were needed as industry grew.
North: Compulsory education laws required kids
to attend school (usually through 6th grade)
South: Segregated schools. Freedman’s Bureau.
Schools helped immigrant children to assimilate
more quickly by teaching English & citizenship.
The School Day
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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.
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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!
Higher Learning
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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
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Carpentry, plumbing, electrician, etc.
Family Learning
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Chautauqua Society
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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
B. A Newspaper Boom
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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
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Joseph Pulitzer – New York World
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William Randolph Hearst – New York Journal
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1st mass-circulation newspaper – slashed prices &
added comics. Used “scare” headlines about crimes
& political scandals on front page to increase sales
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
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Newspapers added sections to attract females
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fashion, society, health, homemaking & family
Nellie Bly (World) – famous female reporter
C. New Reading
Habits
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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.
D. New American Writers
Realists
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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 – 1st professional African
American writer/poet (“We Wear the Mask”)
Mark Twain
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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.
E. Painting
Everyday Life
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Winslow Homer – New
England coastal scenes
Thomas Eakins – human
anatomy & surgeries
Henry Tanner – black
sharecroppers
Ex-patriots
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Americans that moved to other
countries. Many authors & artists
chose to leave the U.S. and live &
paint in Europe.
Henry Tanner, James Whistler,