Ch. 10, Section 3 By Mr. Bruce Diehl

Preview: Reading Check What was the main idea behind individualism?

I. A Changing Culture In 1873 Mark Twain and Charles Warner co-wrote the novel, The Gilded Age. Historians use this term to refer to the time between 1870 and 1900. The term “gilded” refers to something being gold on the outside while the inside is made of cheaper material. The authors tried to point out: That although this was a time of growth, Beneath the surface were corruption, poverty, and a huge difference between rich and poor.

Industrialization and urbanization caused Americans to look at society in a different way. This gave way to new values, art, and forms of entertainment.

A strong belief during the Gilded Age was the idea of individualism. This is the belief that regardless of your background, you could still rise in society. Horatio Alger He was a minister from Massachusetts, He left the clergy and moved to New York where he wrote over 100 novels. His books had a common theme of rags-to-riches.

Reading Check What was the main idea behind individualism?

Preview: Reading Check What was the main idea of Social Darwinism?

II. Social Darwinism Herbert Spencer, Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher. He first proposed the idea of Social Darwinism. Spencer took Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection and applied it to human society. Like Darwin’s theory—that a species that cannot adapt to the environment will eventually die out—Spencer felt that human society evolved through competition. He concluded that society progressed and became better because only the fittest people survived. Industrial leaders agreed with Social Darwinism

Opposition to Social Darwinism Social Darwinism paralleled laissez-faire - an economic doctrine that was opposed to government interference with business. Opposition to Social Darwinism Many devout Christians and some leading scientists opposed the idea of Darwin’s conclusions about the origin of new species. They rejected the theory of evolution because it went against the Bible’s account of creation. Society’s poorest were overlooked

Andrew Carnegie and the Gospel of Wealth Carnegie was wealthy business leader, believed in Social Darwinism and laissez-faire. He felt those who profited from society should give something back, so he softened Social Darwinism with his Gospel of Wealth. This philosophy stated that wealthy Americans were responsible and should engage in philanthropy, using great fortunes to further social progress.

Caption reads: "Forty-Millionaire Carnegie in his Great Double Role. As the tight-fisted employer he reduces wages that he may play philanthropist and give away libraries, etc

Reading Check What was the main idea of Social Darwinism?

Preview: Reading Check What was the significance of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Fin”??

III. Realism – Realism was a new movement in art and literature Realism portrayed people in realistic situations instead of idealizing them as the romantic artists had done.

Thomas Eakins, Eakins was a painter from Philadelphia, He observed and painted day-to-day living in a realistic fashion. He used realistic detail and precise lighting.

William Dean Howells Howells was a writer and literary critic, wrote realistically about American life. He also recognized talent in several writers of this time, including Mark Twain and Henry James Mark Twain who wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884. Twain is thought to have written the first true American novel.

Henry James, James was an English writer. He portrayed the lives of the upper class in his 1881 novel, Portrait of a Lady.

Edith Wharton Wharton won a Pulitzer Prize for the novel Age of Innocence. It which portrayed the complicated lives of the upper class in New York in the 1870s.

Reading Check What was the significance of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Fin”??

Preview: Reading Check What importance did the saloon have in nineteenth-century life?

IV. Popular Culture Popular culture changed in the late 1800s. People had more money to spend on entertainment and recreation. Work became separate from home. People looked to have fun by “going out” to public entertainment

The Saloon During the 1800s, the saloon acted like a community and political center for male workers. It offered free toilets, water for horses, free newspapers, and free lunches.

Coney Island In New York Coney Island was an amusement park that attracted working class families and single adults. It offered amusements such as water slides and railroad rides.

Sports Watching sports became popular in the late 1800s. Baseball began to appear in the United States in the early 1830s. In 1869 the first salaried team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed. Football and basketball also became popular during this time.

Vaudeville In the early 1880s, vaudeville became popular. It was adapted from the French theater. It combined animal acts, acrobats, gymnasts, and dancers in its performance.

Ragtime During this time, people began enjoying ragtime music. The most famous African American ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who became known as the King of Ragtime.

Preview: Reading Check What importance did the saloon have in nineteenth-century life?