1. The New American Culture: 1880-1910
What technologies allowed for the development of the modern city?
How did immigrants play a role in building America?
What were important parts of the new American culture?

2. SCIENCE AND URBAN LIFE
By the turn of the 20th century, four out of ten Americans lived in cities
In response to urbanization, technological advances began to meet communication, transportation, and space demands
Artist Annie Bandez

3. 1. SKYSCRAPERS
Skyscrapers emerged after two critical inventions: elevators (Elisha Otis) & steel skeletons that bear weight (William Jenney)
Skyscrapers were actually born in Chicago—not New York!
Famous architects:
Daniel Burnham
Louis Sullivan
The skyscraper was America’s greatest contribution to architecture and solved the issue of how to best use limited and expensive space
Flatiron Building

4. 2. ELECTRIC TRANSIT
Changes in transportation allowed cities to spread outward
By the turn of the century, intricate networks of electric streetcars (“trolley”) ran from outlying neighborhoods to downtown offices & stores
A few large cities like Chicago moved their streetcars far above street level, creating elevated or “el” trains
Other cities built subways by moving their rail lines underground (“subways”)

5. Central Park is an oasis among Manhattan’s skyscrapers
3. BRIDGES & PARKS
Steel-cable suspension bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge, also brought cities’ sections closer
Some urban planners sought to include landscaped areas & parks
Frederick Law Olmsted was instrumental in drawing up plans for Central Park and the 1893 World’s Fair
Central Park is an oasis among Manhattan’s skyscrapers

6. Actual photo of Wright Brothers’ first flight
AIRPLANES
In the early 20th century, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, experimented with engines and aircrafts
Originally owned bicycle shops
They built a biplane; December 17, 1903 they flew their plane for 12 seconds covering 120 feet
Within two years the brothers were making 30 minute flights
By 1920, the U.S. was using airmail flights regularly
Actual photo of Wright Brothers’ first flight

7. EXPANDING PUBLIC EDUCATION
Unlike African Americans, immigrants were encouraged to go to school
Most immigrants sent their children to public schools
Many adult immigrants attended night schools to learn English
Between college enrollments more than quadrupled
Professional schools were established for law and medicine
Between , states required 3-4 months of annual education
curriculum was poor and the teachers were usually not qualified
High schools expanded their curriculum to include science, civics and social studies
By ,000 teen-agers were enrolled in high schools

8. DAWN OF A MASS CULTURE
The new “middle class” could escape city congestion and dull industrial work with their higher wages
Birth of leisure activities
To meet the recreational needs of city dwellers, Chicago, NYC and other cities began setting aside land for parks
Central Park
Amusement parks were constructed on the outskirts of cities
Coney Island was America’s most famous amusement park
After the introduction of the “safety bike” in 1885, Americans increasingly enjoyed biking
By 1890, 312 companies made over 10,000,000 bikes

9. SPECTATOR SPORTS
Americans not only participated in new sports, but became avid fans of spectator sports
Baseball and boxing became profitable businesses
Mark Twain called baseball, “the very symbol of the booming 19th century”
Famous baseball players:
Candy Cummings
George Bradley
Famous boxers:
John Sullivan
“Gentleman Jim” Corbett
Jack Dempsey

10. PROMOTING FINE ARTS
By 1900, free circulating Public libraries numbered in the thousands
Major philanthropy by Carnegie—NY Library
By 1900, most major cities had art galleries
In the early 20th century, the Ashcan School of American Art painted urban life
Famous artists:
Robert Henri
George Wesley Bellows
Edward Hopper

11. MAGAZINES and NEWSPAPERS
By 1890, the literacy rate in the U.S. was nearly 90%
Advances in printing, aviation, and photography helped speed the transfer of information
Mills produce huge quantities of cheap paper from wood pulp
Electric presses printed on both sides of paper at the same time
Mass production made newspapers and magazines more affordable (most papers sold for 1 cent)
led to the publication of millions of books, magazines, and newspapers
Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst: leading publishers and created “Yellow Journalism” to gain attention
Yellow Journalism included huge, sensational, exaggerated headlines

12. POPULAR FICTION “Dime” novels were popular & inexpensive
Most of these focused on adventure tales and heroes of the west
Some readers preferred a more realistic portrayal of the American West and South
Famous authors:
Mark Twain
Jack London
Willa Cather

13. PHOTOGRAPHY EXPLOSION
Before 1880, photography was a professional activity
Expensive to produce pictures
Usually set/developed on metal (“tintypes”)
Subjects could not move and the film had to be developed immediately
Most newspapers used drawings (lithographs) to illustrate
George Eastman invented lighter weight equipment and more versatile film
In 1888, Eastman introduced his Kodak Camera
The $25 camera came with 100-picture roll of film
1888 Kodak

14. GROWING CONSUMERISM
The turn of the century witnessed the beginnings of the shopping center, department and chain stores, and the birth of modern advertising
CHAIN STORES 1870s: F.W. Woolworth found that if he offered an item at a low price, “the consumer would purchase it on the spur of the moment”
By 1911, the Woolworth chain had 596 stores and sold $1,000,000 per week
Marshall Field of Chicago brought the first department store to America
Field also pioneered the “bargain basement” concept

15. ADVERTISING Ads appeared in newspapers, magazines and on billboards
Expenditures for advertising increased to $95 mil. in 1900
Montgomery Ward and Sears were two pioneers in catalog sales
By 1910, 10 million Americans shopped by mail
In 1896 the Post Office introduced a rural free delivery (RFD) system that brought packages directly to every home