Chapter 14 Section 3: Social and Cultural Trends

1. Chapter 14 Section 3: Social and Cultural Trends

2. Objectives • Explain how new types of stores and marketing changed American life. • Analyze the ways in which Americans developed a mass culture. • Describe the new forms of popular entertainment in the late 1800s.

3. Terms and People • Mark Twain – a satirical novelist who wrote about American life in the late 1800s • Gilded Age – term coined by Mark Twain to describe the post-Reconstruction era which was characterized by a façade of prosperity • conspicuous consumerism – purchasing of goods and services to impress others • mass culture – similar consumption patterns as a result of the spread of transportation, communication, and advertising

4. Joseph Pulitzer – an immigrant who became a publisher of sensationalistic newspapers William Randolph Hearst – a competitor of Pulitzer’s who also published sensationalistic newspapers Horatio Alger – a novelist who wrote about characters who succeeded through hard work vaudeville – type of show, including dancing, singing, and comedy sketches, that became popular in the late 19th century Terms and People (continued)

5. What luxuries did cities offer to the middle class? In the late 1800s, a new middle class lifestyle gained popularity and influence in America. The shared American culture created then would persist for the next century.

6. In his 1873 novel, The Gilded Age, novelist Mark Twain said American society was gilded, having a rotten core covered with gold paint. Most Americans were not as cynical, but Twain’s label stuck, and historians call the late 1800s theGilded Age. What do you think is meant by this?

7. Industrialization and urbanization changed the lives of American workers • More people began to work for wages rather than on their own farms. • More people got richer and more products were available. • For many, this led to a culture of conspicuous consumerism.

8. Many big cities had department stores, turning shopping into a form of entertainment for middle-class. Department stores attracted customers with advertising high-quality goods at fair prices.

9. People began to measure success by what they could buy In this period, the cost of living decreased because manufactured products and new technology cost less. Better sanitation and medical care contributed to a longer life expectancy.

11. Spread of transportation, communication, and advertising made Americans similar in their consumption patterns. • Rich and poor wore same clothing styles. • People bought the same kinds of products. • This is known as mass culture.

12. Between 1870 and 1900, the number of newspapers increased from about 600 to more than 1,600. The newspapers of the Gilded Age both reflected and helped create mass culture. Ethnic and special-interest publishers catered to urban dwellers, especially immigrants.

13. The newspapers of William Randolph Hearstcompeted with Pulitzer’s papers for readers. Joseph Pulitzer believed that the newspaper should inform people and stir up controversy.

14. During the Gilded Age, literature and art that explored harsh realities was popular. • Stephen Crane wrote about New York slums • Horatio Alger wrote about characters who succeeded with hard work.

15. Robert Henri developed a style of painting that depicted the squalor of New York slums Why do you think he did this?

16. Public education grew, as grade-school education became mandatory, more teenagers began attending high schools, and kindergartens opened. The literacy rate climbed to 90% by 1900.

17. Schools began to do a better job of preparing people for careers. • Schools taught skills that workers needed in different trades/industries. • Teachers attended training schools. Universities gave specialized training for urban careers such as social work. • What does our school district do to train for careers?

18. Education for All

19. During the Gilded Age, new kinds of entertainment emerged.

21. Baseball, America’s national sport, became popular during the Gilded Age. Horse and bicycle racing, boxing, football, and basketball also became popular spectator sports.

22. 14.3 Assessment • Why did people’s consumption patterns change in the late 1800s? (Pg. 480-481) • What factors contributed to the mass culture? (Pg. 481-483) • What new forms of entertainment began in the late 1800s? (Pg. 484-485) • Where do we get the name “the Gilded Age” from? (Pg. 480) • What do you think were 2 lasting effects of the Gilded Age? (Opinion)

23. People became wealthier and believed consumption proved social status • Newspapers spread, literature and art, better education • Amusement parks, outdoor events, vaudeville, sports like baseball • Mark Twain coined the term (American society was gilded, having a rotten core covered with gold paint) • Different sports, forms of entertainment, society of consumption, etc.