Society & Mass Culture

Changes in American Life (1880-1914)

Chapter 21, Section 4

Essential Question

•What should schools teach?•How did modern advertising

spur on economic growth, as well as change Americans lives?

•What events led to more Americans having more leisure time available?

Mass Culture

• A Common Culture Experienced by Large Numbers of People

How Can Schools Create “Mass Culture?”

Schools Impact on Mass Culture

• City & States Passed Laws that Forced ALLALL Kids to Go to School (Suckers! )

• Immigration Was Increasing!

• Schools Taught English & Citizenship Classes

• Everyone Learns the Same Things! – Create an “American”

Mass Culture

Assimilation

Growth of Literacy

• More Education = More Americans Reading!

• Dime Novels = $0.10

• Dime Novels Were Very Popular!– Told Stories of

Romance/Adventure/ Wild West

• Americans Read More Newspapers Too!

Joseph Pulitzer

• Owner of the New New York World York World – Major Newspaper in

the World

• Competed with The The New York Morning New York Morning JournalJournal

• Added Comics, Sports, & Exaggerated Stories to Sell More Newspapers!

William Randolph Hearst• Owner of the New New

York Morning York Morning JournalJournal

• Competed with Pulitzer’s New New York WorldYork World

• Both Newspapers Used Cartoons, Sports, Comics, & Dramatic Stories to Sell!

The Pulitzer Prize

• Named After Joseph Pulitzer

• Awarded to the Best Article/ Newspaper/ Picture/ Book, Etc… Each Year

• Dramatic Pictures that Capture a Moment!

Goal of Advertisers:• Get People to Buy

Their Products!

• 1900’s – Advertise in Newspapers, Magazines, Billboards

• Use Athletes/Movie Stars to Sell Their Product

Sunday Football (The Guys)

Oprah (4pm Everyday) &Saturday Mornings

Commercials

What Commercials/Slogans Did You Come Up With?

Department Stores

• Stores Where You Could Buy Anything & Everything!

• Montgomery Ward

• Sears Roebuck (Today Sears)

Mail Order Catalogs• Department Stores

Were Located in Cities

• Sears Roebuck & Montgomery Ward Sent Mail Order Catalogs Home To Customers in Rural Areas

• Rural Customers Could Now Get the Same Products/Goods as those in Cities

U.S. Postal Service• In 1896, the U.S.

Post Office Created a New System to Deliver Mail & Packages to Homes

• More Americans Could Order Goods & Receive Them Using Mail Order Catalogs

Leisure

What Americans Did with Their Free Time

Central Park, NYC

Coney Island

Sports Early 1900’s

African American Baseball Leagues

• Due to Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896), Major League Baseball was Segregated!

• Jackie Robinson Would be the 1st African American to Play MLB Baseball in the 1950’s

What Allowed Americans to Have More Free Time & $$$

(More Leisure)?

Vaudevilles

• Mixture of Song, Dance, & Comedy

• Perfect for a Friday Night Date

Vaudevilles

Ragtime

• Blend of African American Music & European Music

• Scott Joplin – King of Ragtime

• “Maple-Leaf Rag” Scott Joplin’s #1 Hit

The 1st Movies Ever

• Movies Competed with Live Entertainment

• 1st Movies were Silent

• Cost $.05

• Known as Nickelodeons

The Wright Brothers

• Invented the First Airplane in 1903

• The Kitty Hawk:– Named After Kitty

Hawk, North Carolina)

• Would Lead to Increased Trade, Travel & Transportation

Essential Question

•What should schools teach?•How did modern advertising

spur on economic growth, as well as change Americans lives?

•What events led to more Americans having more leisure time available?