Transcript The Rise of Mass Culture

The Origins of
Professional
Baseball in a
New Urban
Culture
Urbanization
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Refers to
the growth
and development of
cities
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Mainly in
the north
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Spurred by
expanding
industrialization after
the Civil
War
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New York
City
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Chicago
Boston
St. Louis
Detroit
Buffalo
Milwaukee
Forces of Urban Population
Growth

Many people sought
a better life in
northern cities
 Immigration
○ 14 million new
immigrants between
1860 and 1900
 Migration of African-
Americans
○ Many left the south
for northern cities
after the Civil War
Cities were extremely dirty places …
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Garbage on streets
Open sewers
Horse manure
Rats and other
vermin
Smoke from
factories
Soot
… and very crowded.

Spacious housing was
not affordable for
much of the working
class.

Masses of people
lived in slum
neighborhoods of
tenements
 Poorly constructed and
cramped five or six story
buildings housing many
families.
 One room per family.
 Many had no windows
and were dark and
narrow with little airflow.
Work life was tough.

Monotonous
 Assembly lines

Unhealthy and
dangerous
 Toxic air
 Heavy machinery
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Long hours
 10 to 14 hours per
day
 Often 6 day work
weeks
New leisure activities were a
bright spot.
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Leisure – time free
from work.
Workers and their
families enjoyed
new leisure activities
as an escape from
daily life.
City parks offered a chance to
enjoy nature.
Vaudeville Theater – A mix of
songs, skits, comedy routines,
and other
acts.
The Bicycle
Spectator Sports
Especially Baseball
By the turn of the twentieth century,
there were two leagues of
professional baseball clubs
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National League
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New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cincinatti Reds
Brooklyn Dodgers
Boston Braves
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
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American League
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New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Washington Senators
Boston Red Sox
St. Louis Browns
Chicago White Sox
Baseball’s popularity continued
to grow, leading it to be dubbed
“The National Pastime”