AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE

1. AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE CHAPTER 18 (484-509)

2. MIDDLE-CLASS LIFE Families were generally smaller than before Young people increasingly were able to marry for “true love” rather than purely social reason Men worked away from home – in shops, offices, and factories ¼ of all urban families employed at least 1 servant Consumerism – fashionable clothes, nicer homes, “Keeping up with the Jones’”

4. SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS 885,000 in 1860 to 3.2 million in 1890 Standard of living slowly increased, as did working conditions – Labor Unions Skilled workers could make a decent living – unskilled workers could not “Big Business” had more control over their lives They were more subject to the cycles of business and economics

5. WORKING WOMEN More women were working away from home as manufacturing moved from their homes to the factories Women came to dominate several job types: salespeople, cashiers, nurses, teachers, and secretaries – few however were promoted to leadership positions

6. FARMERS Farm production was increasing, but its place in the national economy was declining Farmers suffered a decline in status – they were backward, provincial, and “hicks” Hard work, long hours, rural life Frontier farmers had it very difficult

8. WORKING-CLASS FAMILY LIFEWORKING-CLASS ATTITUDES Income may be a few hundred dollars per year Huge variations in conditions – much like today It is all about how they spent their money Considerable dissatisfaction among workers Strikes, bad conditions, low pay, etc. The rich were growing richer, but more people were growing rich – still it was difficult to move up

9. WORKING YOUR WAY UP Many Americans believed in opportunity Many Americans were constantly on the move Public education opened many doors Attendance increased from 6.8 million in 1870 to 15.5. million in 1900 Trade schools came into being Rags to riches was still very rare, most business leaders were from well-to-do families

10. THE “NEW” IMMIGRATION Industrial expansion increased the need for labor, thus immigration increased as well European farmers could not keep up with American and Russian wheat Farm machinery destroyed the peasant economy of Europe as well Many came to America in search of better opportunities – 1 in 3 industrial workers were foreign born in 1870

11. NEW IMMIGRANTS FACE NEW NATIVISM Many of these new immigrants maintained close times to their homelands – including traditions, languages, and customs Most were poor, unskilled workers Americans found them harder to assimilate as citizens Americans also feared these immigrants taking their jobs

12. NEW IMMIGRANTS FACE NEW NATIVISM Sentiment began to rise to keep them out – the less white they were, the more they attempted to keep them out Nativism – being against anyone non-native A literacy test bill passed both houses of Congress in 1897, but President Cleveland vetoed it

13. THE EXPANDING CITY AND ITS PROBLEMS Many of the new immigrants packed into the major cities – but so did many Americans 1890 – 1 in 3 lived in a city, by 1910, nearly 1 in 2 did Ethnic neighborhoods developed, further inhibiting assimilation Crime increased, as did unsafe conditions

14. TEEMING TENEMENTS Sewer and water facilities could not keep up Rivers became increasingly polluted and smelled terrible Cities grew so fast that streets remained unpaved and buildings were unsafe Light, air, and space were all squeezed out – this caused increases in disease, crime, etc – people had to dump their waste on the street In the 1880’s, real laws began to pass requiring minimum standards on construction and such

16. THE CITIES MODERNIZE Sewage systems came into being Trees were planted Dirt, noise and pollution were cleaned up Streets were paved Urban transportation developed from horses to trains – which was much cleaner Bridges and suburbs created more and better living spaces High-rise building became normal – skyscraper and skyline entered the English language

18. LEISURE ACTIVITIES: MORE FUN AND GAMES Cities became the centers of artistic and intellectual life in America American Museum of Natural History (1870) Metropolitan Opera (1883) Breweries and saloons exploded Golf, tennis, bicycling, amusement parks, picnic areas, and spectator sports became ever more popular – baseball, football, and basketball

19. LEISURE ACTIVITIES: MORE FUN AND GAMES Baseball – 1876 the National League was formed 1901 the American league formed Basketball – invented by James Naismith in 1891 for the YMCA Football – Codified by Walter Camp at Yale around 1900 Collegiate sports were crucial to the beginnings of many of these and other sports and events

21. CHRISTIANITY’S CONSCIENCE AND THE SOCIAL GOSPEL Modernization was not solving all of the problems found in the city Many churches stressed one’s own responsibility for one’s sins - Ultimately, many of these churches and their members left the cities Gradually, some began preaching a Social Gospel Rather than simply preach that the poor should stop drinking, gambling, and otherwise wasting money, they would provide food and other resources to allow them to change for the better

22. CHRISTIANITY’S CONSCIENCE AND THE SOCIAL GOSPEL Social Gospel advocates were often supporters of child labor legislation, big business regulation, taxes on incomes and inheritances Washington Gladden – Applied Christianity He favored labor, factory inspection laws, and regulation of public utilities Charles M. Sheldon – In His Steps - people should ask “What would Jesus do?” before adopting any course of action

23. THE SETTLEMENT HOUSES Early community centers Located in poor areas to offer services to those who would use them “right living through social relations” “the first-hand knowledge the college classroom cannot give” Many idealistic young men and women work in these centers They simply could not keep up with the masses of immigrants entering the city each year

25. CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS Blacks, immigrants, the poor – those unable to take advantage of new opportunities Human values seemed to be in danger of being crushed by impersonal forces Many had a negative view of “progress”: Divorce was up, heart disease was up, mental illness was up – people were getting “burned out” – Some took a balanced approach – the modern world offered many possibilities along with many perils