American Mass Culture 1880 s 1920 s

American (Mass) Culture 1880 s – 1920 s

Birth of an American Pop. Culture n Shared experiences w/no regional differences n Mass consumer products, tech. , comm. & entertainment n Due to I. R.

New Print Media n Books, Mags. & Newspapers Faster production & ↓ costs n Books n “Dime novels” glorified adventure tales of the West n Mark Twain portrayed realistic working/lower class life n n Contribute to shared pop. culture & news

cont. n Newspapers & mags. ↑ competition for readers Sensational headlines n Ads n n Newspaper n moguls emerge Joseph Pulitzer & William Randolph Hearst

Wright Bros. Fly n Orville & Wilbur Wright invent 1 st airplane n Pattern after bird n 1 st flight = 12/17/1903 - Kitty Hawk, NC

Henry Ford’s Automobile 1908: The Model T – 1 st mass produced car n Sold for $825; 1 color – black n Symbol of American ingenuity n n Created structure on which all vehicles are built Used assemblyline tech. n Revolutionized transport. & social life n

Social Media n Kodak camera (George Eastman 1888) Camera now portable & ease of use n Made capturing memories & documenting life popular n

CONSUMERISM n New ways to BUY = Dept. stores & Catalogs Marshall Fields – 1 st dept. store; special depts. ; personal service; elegant decor n Sears Roebuck– 1 st catalog; products to rural areas n

Emphasis on Leisure Time n Desire for OUTDOOR activities due to work in factories/mills n ESCAPE from reality; ugliness of urban living/working conditions n City parks & playgrounds created n Amusement Parks n 1 st = Coney Island, NY (1884) = physically involved w/unexpected surprises; boardwalk games & rides

Activities & Snacks n Bicycling n (1885) “Safety bicycle” 4 women Represented new freedom n New clothes 4 new sport = liberating (no corset & “split” skirts) & became popular for daily wear. n n New Snacks Hershey chocolate bar (1900) n Coca-Cola ® (1901) n

New Spectator Sports n Attend new sporting events n Popularity = turn into pro. leagues n Ex. : Boxing, Baseball & Football

Going to the Show: The Silver Screen (a. k. a. Moving Picture) n 1903 – 1 st silent film “The Great Train Robbery”; 8 min. long n 5 cent theaters = “nickelodeons” n Showing a film 16 times/day = Generate more profits than a costly stage production n Silent film stars = Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford

Going to the Show: Vaudeville Theater n Live performances of song, dance, slapstick comedy, chorus lines n Offered something to attract nearly everyone n 1890 s – few A. A. performers begin to entertain in Vaudeville n Difficult for A. A. to break into pop. entertainment

Going to the Show: The Circus Est. 1871 by Barnum & Bailey n Performers include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other object manipulation and stuntoriented artists. n “The Greatest Show on Earth” travelled around country n Arrived by railroad & staged parade thru town to advertise show n

SUMMARIZE n Recap what you have learned about the creation of an American (Mass) Culture during the I. R. from the prev. slides. n Highlight slide titles and key terms, technology, pop. culture developments