Roots of American Culture: 1901-1916

1. Culture of 1901-1916 By: Dylan and Molly

2. Entertainment • Motion pictures were very popular to go and watch at this time. • As motion picture became longer, they moved into storefront theaters, and then into even larger theaters. • The showed short comedies and other films to as many as 200,000 people a day.

3. Continued • Some sports being played during this time were basketball, baseball, horse racing, and canoeing. • There were now more opportunities for women and they got to take part in canoeing. • Another popular thing was going to the circus.

4. Continued • Outdoor activities remained popular • People started going to parades, county fairs, and the latter featuring farm products, machinery, competitions, and rides. • Many people wished to leave the city and go on family vacations to the beach or to the countryside.

5. Continued • Music was an important part of life. • The Negro Spiritual were African American spiritual folk songs, they helped save a struggling black university from financial ruin. • Ragtime and jazz were another type of music, ragtime became a rage across the country.

6. Continued • Newspapers were a vital source of information and entertainment as well. • Magazines appeared weekly or monthly and contained helpful articles advertising and fiction. • People popular fiction books, and more educated readers turned to popular fiction books instead of serious novels.

7. Racism/Prejudice • African Americans felt they were being ignored by the Progressives. Some progressives wanted women to vote so that it could double the white vote putting African Americans farther behind. • There were only a few colleges that accepted blacks. • Only 160 African Americans were attending white colleges.

8. Continued • In 1900 only a small percentage of Native American children were receiving any schooling at all. • Whites and African Americans usually attended separate schools. • Schools for African Americans received far less money.

9. Continued • Women felt that they had the right to vote to help influence the government. They knew they were powerless without political rights. • A group of women started the National American Women Suffrage Association. On March 3 they had a suffrage parade to draw more attention to them. • The University of Wisconsin didn’t treat women equally, they made women stand until the men found their seats.

10. Education • About half of the nations children attended one-room schools. • Students in both rural and city schools learned many of their lessons by rote. • By 1910 nearly 72% of American children attended school, the percentage of 17 year-olds graduating from high school rose to 8.6%.

11. Continued • Public school teachers taught students about American culture values, such as patriotism and hard work. • Students also learned how to cook traditional foods and play American games like baseball. • As a result of their schooling, immigrant children became Americanized.

12. Continued • Many immigrants placed a high value on American public education. • It was a way for their children to become successful Americans. • One important thing of the public school was that they taught literacy, which is able to read and write. • For many immigrants learning to read and write was and big step to succeed in the U.S.

13. Urban and Rural • The cities were home to most of the settlement workers, club members, and professionals who pressed for changes. • Wealthy people moved out of the city to the country since they had the money.

14. Continued • Because of poverty, overcrowding and neglect the old neighbors of cities declined. • Fire was a constant danger in cities. • With tenement buildings so closely packed together even a small fire could consume a neighborhood. • In 1901, a New York City law required hallway bathrooms to replace outdoor outhouses.

15. Urban • Subway systems were being built. • Skyscrapers were going up since cities were crowded. • They started having garbage service and street cleaners.

16. Rural • Farm bells were important means of communication on farms. • Mail order catalogs were important since they couldn’t get to town easily. • Grew most of their food by farms (milk, veggies, meat)

17. The End