1. “The American Dream”
“What is the American Dream?”
(1) In your opinion, “What is the American Dream?”
(2) What do you think about the responses from the video?

2. Horatio Alger stories …
Individualism …

3. Read the selection from a Horatio Alger story, from “The World Before Him” and answer these questions on the PowerPoint slide in your notes.
1 – What major ideas are in this Horatio Alger story?
2 – How does this support the idea of the “American Dream?”

4. How were these men successful?
Generalizations?

5. Rugged Individualism: “Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”
Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 44 nations, 2002.
Nigeria: 32% disagree
South Africa: 24% disagree
India: 14% disagree

6. “Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”
Japan: 52% disagree
Egypt: 42% disagree
Jordan: 39% disagree
Turkey: 17% disagree
Uzbekistan; 36% disagree
China: 25% disagree

7. United States: 65% disagree
“Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”
Great Britain: 48% disagree
France: 44% disagree
Germany: 31% disagree
Poland: 29% disagree
Ukraine: 35% disagree
Russia: 36% disagree
United States: 65% disagree

8. What’s the proper role of the state (government)?
“It is the responsibility of the (state or government) to take care of very poor people who can’t take care of themselves.”
% Completely Agree….
Turkey: 73% agree
Uzbekistan: 70% agree
India: 74% agree

9. “It is the responsibility of the (state or government) to take care of very poor people who can’t take care of themselves.”
% completely agree
Great Britain: 59% agree
Germany: 45% agree
Poland: 59% agree
Ukraine: 57% agree
Russia: 70% agree
United States: 29% agree

10. Individualism

11. ** What do you notice in the data?
“2nd Industrial Revolution” & “The Gilded Age”
1860s
1870
1914
1920
** What do you notice in the data?
% of Workers in U.S. Economy
% of Entire U.S. Economy
Year
Agriculture
Industry
Services
1840 68 12 20 47 21 31
1850 60 17 23 42 29
1860 56 19 25 38 28 34
1870 53 22 35
1880 52 32
1890 43 26 41 37
1900 40 33 39

12. Growth of Urban America
** The term “urbanized area” denotes an urban area of 50,000 or more people.
** About 82% of U.S. pop. lives within “urbanized area” (Dec., 2010).
1860 – 20% urban
1900 – 40% urban
1920 – 51% urban

13. “Factory Belt,” now “Rust Belt”

14. Benefits from Electricity
The average work week declines:
69.7 hours per week in 1860 (includes farming)
61.7 hours in 1890
54.9 hours in ** Eventually, more recreation & longer days of activity!!
Reasons:
Electrically powered assembly line
More consistent form of energy & lighting
Multiple working shifts

15. Rise in Recreation Opportunities
Ashley

16. Rise of Popular Entertainment
Amusement Parks
Vaudeville and ragtime
New York’s Coney Island

17. Urban Planning
- Creating “havens” in the middle of busy cities to improve “live-ability.”
Frederick Law Olmsted created New York’s Central Park
Daniel Burnham created Chicago’s Navy Pier

18. More Leisure and Snacks
- Susan B. Anthony once said, …
“I think bicycling has done more to emancipate the woman than anything else in the world … it gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”
- Bicycle becomes safer …
- Tennis arrives to America in 1874 …
- Hershey’s Chocolate Bar …
- Coca-Cola …
Swift Safety Bicycle

19. Revolution in Printing
- Revolution in printing led to an increase in literacy to 90%
- Various advances in printing …
- Linotype
- Paper from pulp
- Printing on both sides of paper
- Increased proliferation of various print media …
- Mass circulation of newspapers … Pulitzer vs.
Linotype Machine
Randolph Hearst

20. Why A Popular, Mass Culture?
- (1) Greater Urban culture
- Greater concentration of people
- (2) Less work-time
- The average work week declines:
hours per week in 1860 (includes farming)
hours in 1890
hours in 1910
- (4) Rise of Marketing / Advertising
- (5) More Discretionary Income
* GNP per capita * Percentage of Income on Food
$ %
$ %
$1, %
- (3) Mandatory Public Education
- (6) Greater Publishing