S OCIAL AND C ULTURAL T RENDS 14.3

O BJECTIVES Explain how new types of stores and marketing changed American life. Analyze the ways in which Americans developed a mass culture. Describe the new forms of popular entertainment in the late 1800s.

K EY P ARTS Americans Become Consumers Mass Culture New Forms of Popular Entertainment

I NTRODUCTION Read section 14.3 Answer questions 4-5

A MERICANS B ECOME C ONSUMERS In 1873 Mark Twain depicted life in America as “gilded” in his novel The Gilded Age. This meant that American society was rotten at the core but covered in gold paint. Some would argue that this was America’s true golden age, the answer to this is based on your perspective.

C ONT. Industrialization and urbanization changed the lives of American workers. It allowed for a culture of conspicuous consumerism, which is one that allowed even the very poorest laborers the ability to buy most anything they needed in regards to necessities.

C ONT.. Rowland H. Macy opened what he called a department store in New York in 1858, the first of its kind. This was the largest single store in America in its time. He used wide spread advertising and grouping of goods into different departments and selling them at fair prices.

C ONT … By the 1870s many big cities had department stores: Jordan Marsh in Boston, Marshall Field in Chicago, and Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia. John Wanamaker was the first to offer a money back guarantee, also used the Newspaper for advertising his store. He also was the first to ship items to rural areas for free, this led to a boom in the mail-order catalog business.

M ASS C ULTURE This was a concept that came from the effects of transportation, communication, and mass production. All across the country Americans became more and more alike in their consumption patterns. Rich and poor would wear the same clothing styles and have similar household gadgets, the only difference was how ornate the items were.

C ONT. The newspapers helped to further this concept of mass culture. Between 1870 and 1900 the number of newspapers increased from about 600 to more than 1,600. Joseph Pulitzer was the most renown for newspaper design, circulation and audience apeal.

C ONT.. He started a newspaper called the World, and it was so successful he then started the Evening World. Pulitzer believed a newspaper was to inform the people and stir up controversy. His paper was filled with political corruption, comics, sports, and illustrations. They were designed to get the widest possible readership

C ONT … William Randolph Hearst was soon Pulitzer’s competitor, he used the same tactics in his paper the Morning Journal. As history has shown during “Gilded or Golden Ages” the Arts and Literature begin to flourish. Novels became more popular such as Stephen Crane’s: A Girl of the Streets, and The Red Badge of Courage.

C ONT …. Other novelist focused on moral issues such as, Horatio Alger who wrote about characters who succeeded by hard work. Henry James and Edith Wharton questioned a society based upon rules of conduct. Playwrights such as John Augustin Daly mirrored Twain’s disapproval of the Gilded Age.

C ONT ….. During this Gilded Age education expanded rapidly. By 1910 there were over 5,000 high schools across the nation. Also by 1900 the literacy rate climbed to an impressive 90%. Schools taught courses in science, woodworking, drafting, civics, and business classes.

C ONT …… John Dewey was a reformer who desired to enhance student learning by introducing new teaching methods. Colleges began to rise dramatically during this time however many state universities began to accept women into their classes.

N EW F ORMS OF P OPULAR E NTERTAINMENT In 1884 Lamarcus Thompson opened the world’s first roller coaster. It cost ten cents per ride and Thompson averaged more than $600 a day. The ride was located at Coney Island a popular amusement park outside of New York City. Circus’s began to travel from city to city to provide inexpensive entertainment, using shows, acrobats and exotic animals to amuse guests.

C ONT. Cities with their dense populations and rough work conditions allowed a great avenue for many different forms of entertainment to get their minds off of work. Vaudeville shows were a medley of musical drama, songs and comedy. Movie Theaters were called nickelodeons because it cost five cents to attend the movie.

C ONT.. Spectator sports became extremely popular. Baseball developed it National League and turned it into a business. Major cities began building stadiums. Other sports erupted such as football, boxing, horse racing, and bicycle racing. And in 1891 at Springfield Massachusetts YMCA James Naismith invented basketball as we know it today.