U S History Chapter 16 Section 2 New

U. S. History Chapter 16 Section 2 New Forms of Entertainment

Dawn of Mass Culture n Late 1800 s most Americans live in urban areas n Many Americans now have extra time to enjoy leisure activities, why? n What to do with all this free time? Amusement parks, bicycling, spectator sports, theater, music

Vaudeville n n Sports could not fill the massive need for entertainment alone People also flocked to live shows headlined by popular actors Vaudeville most popular & included many elements; song, dance, comedy, etc. Vaudeville was an “American invention” and had broad appeal to many different kinds of people

Motion Pictures n n Live entertainment gets steady competition from movies At first only 10 minutes long featuring vaudeville skits and newsreels Most early movies were random scenes of runaway trains and galloping horses 1903’s The Great Train Robbery increases popularity of movies which tell a story Great Train Robbery 1903

n Motion pictures continue to gain popularity all over country n They can be shown in numerous places at the same or different times n Much cheaper to attend than live shows n Spreads common themes and pop culture quickly across the U. S. for the first time

Birth of a Nation n n Filmed in 1915 by D. W. Griffith First movie to use modern elements Close ups, fade outs, elaborate scenes Three hours long and very controversial n Film subject glorified the Ku Klux Klan and portrayed blacks as a threat to white society

Circus n Huge spectacle under one roof n Never before had people seen such wide assortment of entertainment n Exotic animals, acrobats, and clowns n Moved from town to town via railroads

Amusement Parks n Urban residents need an outlet for recreation, they want to get out of the congested city n Amusement parks built on the outskirts of cities by trolley car companies seeking to increase passengers

Coney Island n Famous early American amusement park n Located in Brooklyn, 9 miles from Manhattan n The first roller coaster in the U. S. was built in 1884 and was a huge draw for Coney Island

Spectator Sports n Boxing and Baseball are America's two most popular sports n Each began as informal activities but quickly turned into a national phenomena n Basketball, football also developed

Baseball n n n Adapted from various children’s games Very popular hobby to watch and play In 1850 New York City had 12 baseball clubs 1869 first pro baseball team is founded Cincinnati Red Stockings known today as the Cincinnati Reds

Professional Baseball n n n Pro teams traveled and played other club teams National League founded in 1876 American League in 1903 First World Series in 1903 Boston Pilgrims beat the Pittsburgh Pirates Thousands of people in the stands Baseball becomes just as much social event as a sport n Games are a place to be seen n By the 1890 s the game closely resembles today’s game n

Bicycling n n n First seen as an activity for men only Difficult to control early bicycles' with solid rubber tires 1885 the safety bicycle is introduced with smaller wheels and air filled tires Makes the activity more appealing to men and women Bicycling provided new freedoms for women

Boxing John L. Sullivan first great heavyweight champ n Fought bare knuckled n Offered $10 k to anyone who could last four rounds with him n n In 1892 James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett knocked Sullivan out in 21 rounds

Newspapers n n n Sports / Entertainment in such demand that Americans need a way to keep up if they did not attend Newspapers fill void thanks to advent of linotype machine Newspapers could captivate readers and sell papers by using sensational headlines and publicity stunts Two men loomed large over early print media Yellow Journalism

Joseph Pulitzer immigrant, owned the World newspaper in NYC n Pioneered many innovations; large Sunday edition, comics, sports coverage, and women’s news n Emphasized “sex, sin, and sensation” to outdo his main competitor n Hungarian

William Randolph Hearst Main competitor with Pulitzer n Owned the New York Morning Journal and the n San Francisco Examiner Goal was to outsell Pulitzer by using outrageous headlines about personal scandals, cruelty, and even fake Martian conquests n Papers fueled each other and by 1898 each had a daily circulation of one million n

Mark Twain An American Icon

Ragtime n n New musical style blending African and European elements Originated in saloons across the south during the 1880 s Scott Joplin is Ragtime’s most famous composer “Maple Leaf Rag” Ragtime is very influential in the development of modern American Jazz

Shopping n n Many urban Americans had a limited amount of disposable income City residents desired new methods of shopping in urban areas Merchants saw potential with concentrated urban markets with large amounts of reasonably priced goods Leads to the development of the first shopping center (mall), department store, and chain store

First Mall First shopping center opened in Cleveland, OH in 1890 n Glass roof contained four levels of shopping n Had band music on Sundays to encourage residents to stroll through the center and look at window displays and listen to music n

Department Store “Give the lady what she wants” n First developed by Marshal Field n Paid attention to needs of individual customers to increase sales n Offered variety of choices and services n Originated the bargain basement where less expensive but reliable goods are sold

Chain Stores Offered bargains attained through buying in bulk and limiting personal services n Chain stores are all under the same ownership n This concept was pioneered in the 1870 s by F. W. Woolworth who found that low prices lead people to buy products at the spur of the moment. n Five and Dime stores n

Advertising n n n New wave of consumerism sweeping the country 1865 $10 million a year on ads 1900 $95 million a year People become familiar with easily recognizable trademarks Request brands by name n Coke 1886 n Pepsi 1896 n Quaker Oats 1901

Mail Order Catalogs Montgomery & Ward along with Sears & Roebuck first to popularize this form of retail n Enabled rural residents to enjoy the retail boom the same as urban counterparts n Order submitted via the mail in writing n

Rural Free Delivery Began in 1896 n Provided even greater access to the mail n Rural residents could now send away for merchandise and mail without an extra fee for where they lived n