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Games
During colonial times children kept themselves entertained by playing games, mostly outside such as marbles, hopscotch, leap frog. Girls would also make cornhusk, or spoon dolls. -
Past Times
Colonial Past times usually were incorperated with dailey chores. Foe example, many boys spetn thier time fishing and hunting, which can be fun but is also nessesary for survival -
Music
Music during the colonial era were mostly local symphanies. The instruments played include piano, drum, and fife. -
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival were preachers put much emotion and enthusiasm into their sermons. People would come from miles around to hear preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. -
The Second Great Awakening
Another religious revival in America. This was similar to the first Great Awakenig in that it still stressed emotional and engaging preaching and created a new enthusiasm about religion. The Second Great Awakening differed from the first in that it was centered around camp meetings. Camp meetings were where people would come from miles around to camp out in the woods where they would pray and listen to preachers all day. This was a social event as well as religious for many. -
Wahington Irving
Irving was a famous author of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon filled with short stories, including his two most famous, "Rip Van Winkle" and "Legend of Sleepy Hollow". -
Transcendentalism
A religious and philosphical movement in America. Focused on emotions and venerated nature. One main belief was that there was inherant good in people. Famous transcendentalist writers include Raplh Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, whose novel "Walden" is a perfect example of living according to a transendental philosophy. -
Minstrel Shows
Minstrel shows were shows constiting of comic skits, dancing, and music all performed by white actors in black face paint. These portrayed African-Americans as dumb, silly, lazy, and buffoonish. They were later replaced by vaudville. -
The Knickerbocker
A literary magazine of New York. Was one of the earliest literary vehicles for communication around the US. Many famous writers contributed to it, including Washington Irving, James Fenmore Cooper, and William Cullen Bryant. These authors were pioneers in thier respective fields and joined together to create a writers club also called the Kinckerbocker Group. Knickerbocker became another name for a New Yorker and sports teams started being named "knickerbocker" as well. -
Sameul Langhorne Clemens
-better known as Mark Twain
-was part of the opposition against the Victorian aristocratic literature
-was born near Hannibal, Missouri in 1835
-as a young man he worked as a newspaper reporter
-sought a mass-market audience for his writing
-in addition to writing he gave lectures & founded his own publishing house
-wrote "The Advenetures of Huckleberry Finn" in 1884
-co-wrote "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today" with Chalres Dudley Warner, which coined "Gilded Age" to describe the time period -
First Organized Baseball Team
The first organized baseball team was the New York Knickerbockers. The first rules official rules to make the game the sport it is today were created in 1860, and the first National League was made in 1876. Along with watching the game many citizens found entertainment in reading the new sports section of newspapers -
Ragged Dick
Ragged Dick
-written by Horatio Alger
-a rags to riches story
-promotes the American Dream -
Wild West Shows
Wild West Shows
-the first wild west show was created by Joseph G McCoy
-cowboys would stage roping and riding exhibitions
-promoted a romatnic view of the west and cowboys -
Little Women by Lousia May Alcott
Little Women was a novel written by Lousia May Alcott that became very popular and is still considered a classic today. The book follows the lives of the four March sisters, and gives readers a look into what being a women was like at the time. -
Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill: King of the Borderland
-loosley based on William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
-the buffalo slayer
-written by Edward Bunson
- he published this under the penname Ned Buntline -
Victorian Standards for Literature and Art
In the 1870s &1880s a group of upper class writers and magazine editors led by Charles Norton, Richard Gilder, and E.L. Godkin campaigned to improve American taste in interior funishings, textiles, ceramics, wallpaper, and books.They set up new guidelines for serious literature, and lectured the middle class about the value of high culture and the importance of art & music.By creating strict criteria for excellence in writing and design, they hoped to create a coherent national artistic culture. -
Theodore Dreiser
-born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1871
-worked as a newspaper reporter and travled widely
-his most famous work is "Sister Carrie" (1900), which tells the journy of the main character, Carrie Meeber, an innocent girl who is seduced by a traveling salesman and then moves in with the married proprietor of a fancy saloon. She then follows her married lover to NY, abandons him when money runs, out and then pursues her own career in the theater -
First Kentucky Derby
Horse racing was a popular pastime for the wealthier crowd in the late 19th century -
Boxing
Boxing was extremely polpular umong the lower class. The most famous boxer at the time was John L Sullivan, a cocky immigrant that dominated the ring in the 1880s. -
Vaudeville
Vaudeville emerged from the antebellum minstral shows. It was a form of theaters that ranged from animal routines to mamking fun of political issues at the time. The lower class enjoyed thse shows because it often reminded African Americans of white sumpremecy. -
Aesthetic Movement
-"aesthetic movement": a broad crusade led in England by William Morris, Oscar Wilde, and other art critics. It sought to bring art into all facets of life
-in America, Candace Wheeler and other reformers made its influence felt through the work of architects, jewelersm and interior decorators -
Ragtime
Ragtime was music, popular with the lower class, that orginated from Afican American musicians in saloons. By the 1890s ragtime was a national favorite due to its upbeat and happy tunes. The most famous composer at the time was Afican American Scott Joplin. -
Shopping
-Department stores madeshopping an exciting activity
-large urban depaertment stores functioned as a social club for upper class women
-for those who could afford it, shopping became an adventure
-was a way to affirm one's place in society -
A Century of Dishonor
A Century of Dishonor
-written by Helen Hunt Jakson
-was written to rally the public opinion against the government's past policies dealing with the Indians
-making and then breaking treaties -
Ramona
Ramona
-written by Helen Hunt Jackson
-the book was nostalgic for the colonial Spanish past
- it is a tale of of hispanicized woman set on a California ranch overwhelmed by the tide of Anglo civilization
-was very popular at the time
-it appealed to the upperclass Mexican-Americans -
Sinclair Lewis
-novelist, short-story, and playwright
-first American writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature
-his works are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values
-wrote "Main Street Babbit"
-1922
-depicted the smugness of the business culture of the 1920s -
The Modernism Movement in Art
-focused on the realities of life
-Winslow Homer: a magazine illustrator during the Civil War whose water-colors revealed nature as brutally tough and unsentimental
-Thomas Eakin: depicted swimmers, rowers, and boxers. For example, his well known painting "Champion Single Sculls" painted in 1871. He captured moments of physical exertion in everyday life
-Mary Cassatt: the subject of her work was often the bond between a mother and child
-in response to Victorian art -
The Modernism Movement in Architecture
-led by Louis Sullivan: argued a building's form should follow its function
-Chigaco architects enbraced this movement
-Frank Lloyd Wright designed "prairie-school" houses showed his modernist break with past styles. He scorned Victorian houses and focused his designs on creating a sense of spaciousness
-in response to Victorian architecture -
Magazines
-magazines were very popular because of their cheap price, only costing a dime to 15 cents
-popular magazines of the time were "Ladies Home Journal," "McClure's," and "Cosmopolitan"
-magazines encouraged new trends while mass-marketing new products
-editors sought writers who depicted real life -
Modern Catagories of Writing
-regionalist: authors who captured the distinctive dialect and details of local life in their surroundings.
-realist: authors who focus on the truthful depiction of the common place and everyday, esp. in urban areas
-naturalist: the stories deny free will and stress the ways in which life's outcomes are determined by economic and psycological forces.
-in practice, these catagories are imprecise and often overlap
-what these writers did share was a desire to portray society around them in words -
Maggie, A Girl of the Streets
-written by Stephen Crane
-considered the first naturalistic American novel
-A tale about a girl growing up in the slums of the city with an unstable family. She goes from being an innocent girl with hopes and dreams, and is slowly changed by her surroundings into a prostitute, or a "girl of the streets," which eventually leads to her own death. -
Frontier Thesis
Frontier Thesis
- written by Fredrick Jackson Turner
- was the first time the frontier had been analyzed -
F. Scott Fitzgerald
-writer whose focus was the rebellious youth and changing styles of the 1920s
-coined the term "Jazz Age"
-one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century
-"The Side of Paradise"
-1920
-romantic
-"The Great Gatsby"
-1925
-showcased the party life of the young middle class -
Ernest Hemingway
-writer and journalist
-some of his works include:
-"The Sun Also Rises"
-"A Farewell to Arms"
-wrote about the horrors of war
-he was badly hurt in WW1 and this pain is shown through his writing -
Ragtime
-type of music from the black south
-was very popular in early 20th century urban America
-famous ragtime composers
-Scott Joplin
- "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899)
-Irving Berlin
-"Alexander's Rag Time Band" (1911) -
Movies
-initially part of vaudville shows
-soon migrated to five-cent halls called "nickelodeons"
-at first they just featured brief comic sequences, but later started to tell full stories
-allowed immigrant youth to escape supervision
-let viewers fantasize of a better life
-movies of the time:
-"The Sneeze" &"The Kiss"(short clips)
-"The Great Train Robbery"
-"A Fool Was There"
-"Steamboat Willy" (first animation)
-"The Jazz Singer (first sound) -
Evening Activites for Everyone
-with electrification, streetcar rides and walks were possiable at night
-walking or riding down a well-lit street became a leisure activity -
The Virginian
The Virginian
-written by Owne Wister
-in this book the great plains produces honorable cowboys
-this book further promotes the romantic view of the west through the kind and heroic cowboys -
Blues
-rooted in the chants of southern black sharecroppers
-readed a broader public with new songs such as:
-"St. Louis Blues" by W.C. Handy -
Victrola/ Phonograph
The Victrola was th common nickname used for the record player first available in 1913. The device was part of the Victor Talking Machine Company owned by Eldrige Johnson. The simular phonograpg patented by Thomas Edison served the same purpose of playing records but was smaller and freestanding while the victrola was not -
Amusement Parks
-offered families escape from tenements
-gave female workers the oppurtunity to socalize with friends
-the rides and games were exciting and new
-were a place for young couples to go on dates
-Coney Island -
Jazz
The first commercial jazz record, "Livery Stable Blue", was produced by the Original Dixieland Jass Band. Other famous jazz musicians included Loius Armstrrong, Duke Ellington, Ethal Waters, Coleman Hawkins, and Fat "Jelly Roll" Waller. -
Parades for Army Recruits
-to avoid restiance to the draft, as seen in the Civil War, parades were set up for new recruits
-were an attempt to get the public to support the war
-became an outing for Americans -
Charleston
The Charleston was associated with flappers for the dance was upbeat and fun, perfect for speakeasies. The dance could be done alone o n a group perfect for social get togethers. -
Harlem Renaissance
In the 20s many African Americans moved to Harlem for new oppertunities and took thier culture with them. What came to follow was an outbreak of African American culture that even white people became fcainated with. Jazz clubs were popular part of the movement along with famous people's work such as Langston Hughes. Also, there were African American shows on broadway th most famous beinf "Halleluja" in 1929. -
Radio
The first radio braodcast was on Nov 2, 1920 to announce the election results. Then soon after it was used all over America to broadcast news, sports, and shows such as Amos 'n Andy (1928). The two major broadcasting networks were the National Broadcasting System (NBC) and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). -
Magazines
In 1922 ten magazines had over 2.5 million copies in circulation. Popular magazines at the time included the Saturday Evening Post, Reader's Digest, Vouge, Time, Forbes, and many more. -
Technicolor
After bieng invented in 1916 technicolor finally became popular and widley used in the twenties through the fifties. This was a major advancement in the progression in the television -
Toys
-toys were greatly influence by pop culture
-because of new manufacturing methods and the depression, prices of toys dropped
-different popular types of toys:
-planes
-cars
-dolls inspired by movie characters -
Music
The radio/music played a huge part in culture of the 1930s
Reflected the hope for better days
Bing Crosby
-one of the most famous and popular singers of the day
Judy Garlend
-famous for the song "Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz
Swing Jazz
-big band numbers
-a type of music evolved from jazz
Music was meant to lift people's spirits and help them forget their troubles -
Sports
Baseball got less popular
1932 Olympics
-scheduled to take place in NY
-lack of funds threatened postponement
African American Athletes
-gained recognition in the 1930s
Women Athletes
-women also started entering sports and being recognized for their athletic achievements
-helped to establish women as just as capable as men -
Pearl S Buck
Buck wrote about pre- revolutionary China in the two most famous novels
The Good Earth
Sons -
Nathaneal West
West made fun of Hollywood and failing American Values in his two most famous books
Miss Lonleyhearts
The Day of the Locus -
Actor/ Actresses
Shirley Temple
Clark Gable
Kathrine Hepburn
Mae West
All these actor/ actresses found thier rise to fame in holleywood during the great depression -
John Stienbeck
Stienbeck wrote about the Salinas Valley in CA and the dust bowl in his two most famous novels
The Grapes of Wrath
Of Mice and Men -
Greatest Year for Film
Many classic American movies came out in 1939 and produced many Hollywood stars.
- Gone with the Wind
- Snow white and the Seven Dwarves
- The Wizead of Oz
- Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Of Mice and Men -
Television
1939 is the first year the TV is avaible for purchase by the American public
TV continues to grow in popularity throughout the coming decades
Effect
-Influence mass audiences about consummerism and conformity
-Rienforced gender and racial sterotypes
-Decreased the audience of motion picture theaters and of general intrest magazines
-Changes politics
-Helped produce a more national culture
-Shortened attention spans -
Fast Food
First McDonalds opens in San Berardino, California. This was the start of the major chain, and influenced the growth of fast food and chain restaurants. -
War Movies
The entertainment industry was controlled by the government at this time, specifically by the Office of War Information
A lot of propaganda films came out to influence the public to support the war
-Donald Duck In Der Fuhrer's Face
The media was censored and pictures of American causualities were banned unitl 1943
Many of the movies that came out were about the war -
Computers
To decipher secret Axis codes during the war, IMB in 1944 produced the Mark 1 calculator. ENIAC, or the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, was the first general-purpose electronic computer. Next came the developement of operating instructions or programs that could be stored in the computer's memmory. Computers continue to become more advanced and smaller as the years go by. -
Rock and Roll
Cleveland radio host Alan Freed observed white teenagers dancing to rhythm-and-blues records by black performers and created a radio program called "Moondog's Rock and Roll Party." In 1954 Freed takes his radio program to New York and creates a national craze for "rock and roll." White musicans start adapting to the style, and "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" by Bill Haley and the Comets was the first major white rock and roll hit. Rock and role was part of the backlash to the 1950s conformist culture. -
Beats
Beats were non-conformist writers who expressed a more fundamental revolt against middle-class society
Scorned conformity, religion, family values, and materialism
Glorified society's outcasts
Read poetry and listened to jazz
Forshadowed the counter culture of the 1960s
Famous Beat's books include:
-Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1956)
-Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" (1957) -
Entertainment for Kids
During the 1960s and 1970s many new kid toys came out to entertain teh last of the baby boomers. New toys included trampolines, space figures, and GI Joes. Also, new comics such as "Peanuts" were released -
Music
In the 1960s and 1970s there was a huge revival of music including folk, motown, and rock. Some of the most famous American artists were Bob Dylan, who sang of change, and Janis Joplin. There was also a large British music influence. The best extample would be "Beatlemania" -
Woodstock Festival
Over 400000 people came to New York for the Woodstck festival in Augast of 1969. Woodstock was a weekend of rock music, sex, and drugs. It is also marked the high piont of teh celebration of freedom and harmony. -
The Sexual Revolution
During the sexual revolution sexuality became a much more casual subject than it had been before.In 1972 The Joy of Sex was released and became popular even among the middle class. Also, there was the creation of Playboy magazine which featured much more explicit content than had ever been seen before -
Cell Phone
The cell phone was first invented by moterola company in 1973With the new personal and wireless telephone people were able to talk to each other more easily and much more frequently. Though, similar to the PC, the cell phone was not hugely used as entertainment in years to come it would be. -
Movies and Television
Though the 1960s and 1970s were not booming years for the movie industry some of the most classic films around today originate from the era. Movies such as Jaws (1975), Rocky (1976), Star Wars (1977), and Sound of Music (1965). Also, classic TV shows such as Happy Days, Dallas, All in the Family, and Sesame Street began. -
Walkman
Sony comes out with the first walkman in 1979 and from there other companies catch on and create their own walkmans. These became very popular and were later replaced by MP3 players and ipods. -
CDs
CDs, or Compact Discs, is a disc that stores digital data. CD-ROMs saved data for use on computers and regular CDs mostly were used to store music. The CD enabled people to listen to music or play computer games more easily, and opened up a new market for them. -
Personal Computers
As computers continued to advanced from when they were first introduced around WWII they got smaller, more advanced, and cheaper. Because of these advancements, computers started being availble to the public. Whether IBM's PC or Apple's Machintosh, personal computers grew in popularity in the US. Along with computers becoming more common, computer games were also becoming more popular. -
TV Shows
As cable TV became avalible to more households across the nation, more shows came into being. Game shows became popular as well as talk shows like Ellen and Oprah. MTV was also very popular and helped many music artists rise to fame. -
Literaure
The most popular books of the time were adventure and thirller novels. Many famous books were published such as the Bourne Supremecy by Robert Ludlum and Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. Though literature at this time is important, the technilogical advances sometimes overshawed the literary achievements.
