Gilded Age Entertainment
by Sally Baik
During the late 1800s, American society began to burst with cultural activity. (Entertainers, circuses, theater, opera, Thomas Edison’s motion pictures, and sports.) Americans wanted to return to the normal lifestyles after the Civil War and the Reconstruction, but, they also wanted to escape dull routines of daily life. It was an era which encouraged people to enjoy, which also increased the popularity of the businesses.
During this time, there were inventions such as Thomas Edison’s kinetograph (a type of camera that could photograph motion pictures), Rudolph Wulitzer’s coin-operated electric organ, self-playing harps and pianos, as well as the pipe organ which filled movie theaters with sound and so on.
The creation and invention during Gilded Age provided huge opportunities for business. For example, before, the movies were extremely short and had no plot structure. However, the movie industry began to grow because of its increasing popularity and the filmmakers started to make movies longer and more sophisticated. Therefore, during 1900s, 10000 movie theaters were contrasted. Even though people paid a little to watch movies, it brought huge business since tons of people went to watch the movies. Because of Rudolph Wulitzer’s invention of pipe organ, jukebox was developed later on, and Wurlitzer Company got its start after that. Also, the development of adventurous recreation such as roller coaster during 1870s, made the businessmen who made it became successful (nickel faes on rides accumulated to up to $700 per day. Because of this, Lake Eric, New Jersey, and Chicago became popular sites for the amusement parks. After the invention of safety bicycle, the manufactures profited not only from the bicycle sales but also from clothing sales for women. Spectator sports became popular as well. (For example, baseball) In the middle of the 1800s’ baseball ultimately became a professional sport.
Citation:
http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=156816
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-pwygyRx4
http://gildedagehistorychannel.com/gilded-age-videos/entertainment-during-the-gilded-age/#!prettyPhoto
During this time, there were inventions such as Thomas Edison’s kinetograph (a type of camera that could photograph motion pictures), Rudolph Wulitzer’s coin-operated electric organ, self-playing harps and pianos, as well as the pipe organ which filled movie theaters with sound and so on.
The creation and invention during Gilded Age provided huge opportunities for business. For example, before, the movies were extremely short and had no plot structure. However, the movie industry began to grow because of its increasing popularity and the filmmakers started to make movies longer and more sophisticated. Therefore, during 1900s, 10000 movie theaters were contrasted. Even though people paid a little to watch movies, it brought huge business since tons of people went to watch the movies. Because of Rudolph Wulitzer’s invention of pipe organ, jukebox was developed later on, and Wurlitzer Company got its start after that. Also, the development of adventurous recreation such as roller coaster during 1870s, made the businessmen who made it became successful (nickel faes on rides accumulated to up to $700 per day. Because of this, Lake Eric, New Jersey, and Chicago became popular sites for the amusement parks. After the invention of safety bicycle, the manufactures profited not only from the bicycle sales but also from clothing sales for women. Spectator sports became popular as well. (For example, baseball) In the middle of the 1800s’ baseball ultimately became a professional sport.
Citation:
http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=156816
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-pwygyRx4
http://gildedagehistorychannel.com/gilded-age-videos/entertainment-during-the-gilded-age/#!prettyPhoto
Thomas Edison vs. Nikola Tesla
Tesla: "He would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be... I was almost a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor."
Thomas Edison was American inventor and businessman who influenced life around the world and commercialized scientific inventions. Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, best known for invention of alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. After studying and gaining experience in electrical engineering, he immigrated to the United States in 1884 and worked under Edison as an assistant.
Although Edison invented Direct Current, he faced a big problem to make it applicable to the public's life. Edison went to ask Tesla and had a verbal agreement to give a percentage of the savings (50,000 dollars) by getting help from him. So, Tesla suggested alternating current instead of direct current since he wanted to make electricity in order to apply into housewares and industries. However, already investing a lot of money on direct current, Edison opposed to alternating current and acted as if he didn’t have such contract.
In April 1887, raged at Edison's attitude, Tesla finally finally established Tesla Electric Light Company where he successfully obtained patent by developing AC generators, lights, transformers and a 100 horsepower AC motor. Since Tesla was not a great businessman, he sold 19 patents to an excellent entrepreneur, George Westinghouse.
In August 1890, Edison indirectly depreciated the value of AC current by introducing electric chair to SingSing prison in New York. In opposition to Edison’s argument, Tesla successfully showed 200 thousand volt current passing through his hands. In the end, alternating current won. Westinghouse fulfilled Tesla’s dream by building a power plant in Niagara Fall and produced electricity by using same system that we are using today.
Current war resulted in carrying out alternating current and making electricity affordable to the public. This significantly helped Americans reap benefit of electricity till today.
Links:
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Tesla.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/30140/acdc-tesla%E2%80%93edison-feud
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Edison_vs_Tesla
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/thomas-edison-versus-nikola-tesla-who-is-more-productive.html
http://www.livescience.com/46739-tesla-vs-edison-comparison.html
Skyscrapers
By Freya Wang & Amber Zhao
Skyscrapers helped the urbanization of America during the Gilded Age not only economically but also technically. The architects during the urbanization era served as inspirations for future architects, and were the founding fathers of modern architecture. The influences of their designs still last today and will pass on to the future generations.
After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, 40% of the city was burnt down. As a transportation and economic center, the city needed immediate rebuild. The vast land after the fire created opportunities for manufacturers, architects and engineers. Meanwhile, cheap and ductile steels enabled architects to use skeleton-frame constructions. The first skeleton framed architecture designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the Home Insurance Building, was completed in 1885. This ten stories building was considered the first skyscraper in the world. The construction of the Home Insurance building led to James Francis Doyle's invention of the first steel-framed construction in 1890, the Rand McNally Building in Chicago. Louis Sullivan, one of the creators of the Guaranty Building in 1895, inspired a Chicago group of architects known as Prairie School. He later became a mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright who was one of the most famous architects during the 20th century. Wright’s famous saying of "It was the spirit animating the mass and flowing from it, and it expressed the individuality of the building" inspired many architects' enthusiasm towards architectures.
The boom of the skyscrapers inspired scientists to invent complementary inventions to the buildings such as the escalator, patented by Jesse W. Reno on March 15, 1892. Escalators helped control the traffic flow of people, and is now used at all airport security checkpoints. The escalator made it possible to build higher skyscrapers. As the number of skyscrapers increased, a production chain was gradually formed and thus benefited workers and producers from more stable jobs and more efficient production. Moreover, the development of skyscrapers helped alleviate the population explosion of the urban areas by building taller buildings on smaller piece of land.
After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, 40% of the city was burnt down. As a transportation and economic center, the city needed immediate rebuild. The vast land after the fire created opportunities for manufacturers, architects and engineers. Meanwhile, cheap and ductile steels enabled architects to use skeleton-frame constructions. The first skeleton framed architecture designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the Home Insurance Building, was completed in 1885. This ten stories building was considered the first skyscraper in the world. The construction of the Home Insurance building led to James Francis Doyle's invention of the first steel-framed construction in 1890, the Rand McNally Building in Chicago. Louis Sullivan, one of the creators of the Guaranty Building in 1895, inspired a Chicago group of architects known as Prairie School. He later became a mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright who was one of the most famous architects during the 20th century. Wright’s famous saying of "It was the spirit animating the mass and flowing from it, and it expressed the individuality of the building" inspired many architects' enthusiasm towards architectures.
The boom of the skyscrapers inspired scientists to invent complementary inventions to the buildings such as the escalator, patented by Jesse W. Reno on March 15, 1892. Escalators helped control the traffic flow of people, and is now used at all airport security checkpoints. The escalator made it possible to build higher skyscrapers. As the number of skyscrapers increased, a production chain was gradually formed and thus benefited workers and producers from more stable jobs and more efficient production. Moreover, the development of skyscrapers helped alleviate the population explosion of the urban areas by building taller buildings on smaller piece of land.
Mrs. O'leary's Cow(The Great Chicago fire)
Brian and Anthony
On October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the city. The origin remains unknown but many blame Mrs. O'Leary's cow for kicking down a lantern and igniting the huge fire. The fire burned down 170000 buildings, killed 300 people, and left 100,000 people homeless. The Great Chicago Fire definitely looked like a disaster, but it was also the beginning of the Chicago we know today.
After the Great Chicago fire came the Great Rebuilding where Chicago was completely renewed. As John Stephen Wright, a business man, once said, "Five years will give Chicago more men, more money, more business, than she would have had without this fire." The Great Rebuilding lead to development in the architectural field especially. To prevent massive fires in the future, new buildings were built with fireproof materials such as marble, limestone, terra cotta, etc. Architects eager to rebuild Chicago also created new architectural styles such as the Prairie style which was characterized by many horizontal lines. Most importantly, the first skyscraper was built in Chicago. In 1884, William Le Baron Jenney designed the Home Insurance Building by using steel for its basic structure, thus allowing the building to be supported higher than ever before. It had ten stories, which maximized the land-usage efficiency. With all the immigrants pouring into America, the skyscraper allowed more people to work or live in a building, which was perfect for America at that time. |
Finally, the Great Rebuilding developed Chicago so much that the city held the Chicago World's Fair where various inventions were displayed. One of the most important inventions created during the fair was brownies. Other inventions such as the zipper or the Ferris Wheel were also created at that time. Great Rebuilding indirectly lead to the creation of many other products that also improved the American lifestyle. Even though the Great Chicago Fire seemed like a terrible disaster, it lead to the unpredictable growth and birth of modern Chicago.
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Skyscrapers- How Did They Help the Urbanization of America?
By Yireh Tak
Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society. Who shall say that this is not the golden age of mutual trust, of unlimited reliance upon human promises?
- Mark Twain, During the Gilded Age
- Mark Twain, During the Gilded Age
The Rapid Urbanization
The devastating Great Chicago Fire killed more than three hundred civilians, destroyed more than 18,000 houses, and displaced more than 100,000 people, all because of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow which knocked over a lantern in the night. To some people, this may be a devastating disaster that completely ruined the old town of Chicago, but to others like architect Daniel Burnham, this was a chance to totally renovate the ruined town of Chicago, and reconstruct it into a new center of economy and technology.
This rapid urbanization of Chicago and many other cities like New York led to both economic and technological advantages.
First, people’s demand of jobs and workplaces were able to be satisfied because of the tall skyscrapers that used only a little amount of area of land to hold many rooms. This drew in many people from the countryside who wanted better lives in the heart of the city. Such an example would be the Wrigley Building, which was finished in 1924, still holds the famous Wrigley Chewing Gum Company to this date.
Second, many new technologies were incorporated to support the skyscrapers. Most prominently, the mass production of steel took a huge part when constructing the skyscrapers which required steel beams. This mass production method was developed by Sir Henry Bessemer who bought the patent from William Kelley, an American inventor and scientist. Interestingly, this “blast of air” technology while fusing steel is still used nowadays to manufacture strong and durable steel quickly within a short period of time.
Skyscrapers directly influenced the quality of life of the people of many huge cities during the Gilded Age. Skyscrapers offered jobs, tourism sites, and especially the employment of brand new technology, which was not only used for skyscrapers, but also used for prisons and national facilities as well. This forced the people to continue developing their power of technology, which brings urbanization naturally. Americans were able to step forward towards the modern era with the help of skyscrapers and its contributions.
Links
http://www.wrigley.com/global/about-us/heritage-timeline.aspx
http://www.lib.niu.edu/1997/iht419734.html
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/manufacturing-processing/henry-bessemer
http://www.architechgallery.com/arch_info/artists_pages/daniel_burnham_bio.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/gildedage/
http://dig.lib.niu.edu/gildedage/narr5.html
The devastating Great Chicago Fire killed more than three hundred civilians, destroyed more than 18,000 houses, and displaced more than 100,000 people, all because of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow which knocked over a lantern in the night. To some people, this may be a devastating disaster that completely ruined the old town of Chicago, but to others like architect Daniel Burnham, this was a chance to totally renovate the ruined town of Chicago, and reconstruct it into a new center of economy and technology.
This rapid urbanization of Chicago and many other cities like New York led to both economic and technological advantages.
First, people’s demand of jobs and workplaces were able to be satisfied because of the tall skyscrapers that used only a little amount of area of land to hold many rooms. This drew in many people from the countryside who wanted better lives in the heart of the city. Such an example would be the Wrigley Building, which was finished in 1924, still holds the famous Wrigley Chewing Gum Company to this date.
Second, many new technologies were incorporated to support the skyscrapers. Most prominently, the mass production of steel took a huge part when constructing the skyscrapers which required steel beams. This mass production method was developed by Sir Henry Bessemer who bought the patent from William Kelley, an American inventor and scientist. Interestingly, this “blast of air” technology while fusing steel is still used nowadays to manufacture strong and durable steel quickly within a short period of time.
Skyscrapers directly influenced the quality of life of the people of many huge cities during the Gilded Age. Skyscrapers offered jobs, tourism sites, and especially the employment of brand new technology, which was not only used for skyscrapers, but also used for prisons and national facilities as well. This forced the people to continue developing their power of technology, which brings urbanization naturally. Americans were able to step forward towards the modern era with the help of skyscrapers and its contributions.
Links
http://www.wrigley.com/global/about-us/heritage-timeline.aspx
http://www.lib.niu.edu/1997/iht419734.html
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/manufacturing-processing/henry-bessemer
http://www.architechgallery.com/arch_info/artists_pages/daniel_burnham_bio.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/gildedage/
http://dig.lib.niu.edu/gildedage/narr5.html
Tammany Hall & the Political Machine
by Juhee Moon
“Stop them damned pictures, I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them damned picture!”
William M. "Boss" Tweed
William M. "Boss" Tweed
During the Gilded Age, Tammany Hall held an important role in the New York city that disproved how American's quality of life was not improved. Tammany Hall was a Democratic Party political machine which was a New York City political organization formed in opposition to the Federalist party.
In 1786, Tammany Hall building was built in the Union square and the party started to hold main political force during 1854~1945. People at Tammany Hall were referred as liars and thieves. First of all, they lied to the public saying that free jobs and lands would be offered only if they give money to the party. However, they never kept their promises. Although some of the Irish immigrants were given jobs and small lands, they were used for supporting the group during elections. The party members would make sure the immigrants knew who to vote for the return. Thus, Tammany Hall could get the group's own candidates to be elected as high positions in the government. They had a control of ballots and bribed all the politicians to support their own candidates. Also, they used fraud to win the election by sending the supporters to different regions to vote using different names multiple times. They were well known for stealing millions of dollars form the city's bank account and demanding money from civilians who hoped to build bridges and factories. The industry was degenerated because whenever the they received the money from the civilians for approvals, they ignored the promises they made. For instance, when Brooklyn Bridge plan was discussed, members claimed for bribery since people needed approval from the city officials and they were the party members.
Though, the evil acts done by Tammany Hall were revealed after all by the cartoonist, people were already fooled around and the city had already lost the industrial advance. Tammany Hall's wicked acts of stealing money from the city, bribery from their own civilians and controlling the political power indeed lead to corruption of the city.
Links
http://history1800s.about.com/od/thegildedage/a/tammanyhall01.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/tammany-hall.cfm
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/582027/Tammany-Hall
http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall
In 1786, Tammany Hall building was built in the Union square and the party started to hold main political force during 1854~1945. People at Tammany Hall were referred as liars and thieves. First of all, they lied to the public saying that free jobs and lands would be offered only if they give money to the party. However, they never kept their promises. Although some of the Irish immigrants were given jobs and small lands, they were used for supporting the group during elections. The party members would make sure the immigrants knew who to vote for the return. Thus, Tammany Hall could get the group's own candidates to be elected as high positions in the government. They had a control of ballots and bribed all the politicians to support their own candidates. Also, they used fraud to win the election by sending the supporters to different regions to vote using different names multiple times. They were well known for stealing millions of dollars form the city's bank account and demanding money from civilians who hoped to build bridges and factories. The industry was degenerated because whenever the they received the money from the civilians for approvals, they ignored the promises they made. For instance, when Brooklyn Bridge plan was discussed, members claimed for bribery since people needed approval from the city officials and they were the party members.
Though, the evil acts done by Tammany Hall were revealed after all by the cartoonist, people were already fooled around and the city had already lost the industrial advance. Tammany Hall's wicked acts of stealing money from the city, bribery from their own civilians and controlling the political power indeed lead to corruption of the city.
Links
http://history1800s.about.com/od/thegildedage/a/tammanyhall01.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/tammany-hall.cfm
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/582027/Tammany-Hall
http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall
GILDED AGE ENTERTAINMENT
By Sophie Lee
“It seems that entertainment is what most excites us and what we value above everything else.” – Carrol O’Connor
During the Gilded Age, America was lead to immense boom in industrialization and urbanization, changing the cultural lives of American people. Inexpensive transportation and communication permitted Americans across the country to share similar culture. As the rising economy provided the middle and upper classes with money and time, they were eager to look for opportunities to escape from the repetitive routines of everyday life. America was more willing to pay for entertainment than ever- new forms of business entrepreneurs imposed upon this and expanded the vast variety of entertainment. Entertainment during the Gilded Age shaped our entertainment today.
Vaudeville shows, “heart of American show business”, included performances of classical musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, acrobats, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, and athletes. The “polite” vaudeville shows being equally inoffensive to both men and women, attracted audiences of all ages, mostly favored by the middle class families. Featuring famous performers and celebrities, such as Harry Houdini, Eubie Blake, and Baby Rose Marie brought even more popularity.
New, more thrilling entertainment such as the amusement parks drew people across all ethnicities and races. Amusement parks were a fantasy world, and escape from the reality for people, especially children. The modern amusement park evolved from earlier seaside pleasure resorts, such as the Coney Island that were popular with a daylong vacation.
Syncopated melody played against a strict rhythm accompaniment, the ragtime music played a central role in development of styles of music, Jazz and the Piedmont blues. “First to put on paper the kind of rhythm that was being played by non-reading musicians”- Tom Fletcher. Most well- known was ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ by Scott Joplin, which influenced numerous other ragtime melody lines. Beginning as African American dance music, much ragtime music was danced and played everywhere.
Entertainment created during the Gilded Age provided the fundaments to shape our modern entertainment. Development of the entertainment during the Gilded Age improved the quality of American’s life.
Works Cited:
"Cheap Amusements - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/race-empire-and-culture-in-the-gilded-age-1870-1900-21/cheap-amusements-159/cheap-amusements-856-8131/.
"Jazz - Then and Now (Chapter 4, p. 11)." Minstrelsy, Vaudeville & Burlesque. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://www.publicbookshelf.com/nonfiction/jazz-history/minstrelsy-vaudeville-11>.
Teichroew, Jacob. "Ragtime (Genre) - Origins, Characteristics, and Composers." About Entertainment. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/ragtime.htm>.
By Sophie Lee
“It seems that entertainment is what most excites us and what we value above everything else.” – Carrol O’Connor
During the Gilded Age, America was lead to immense boom in industrialization and urbanization, changing the cultural lives of American people. Inexpensive transportation and communication permitted Americans across the country to share similar culture. As the rising economy provided the middle and upper classes with money and time, they were eager to look for opportunities to escape from the repetitive routines of everyday life. America was more willing to pay for entertainment than ever- new forms of business entrepreneurs imposed upon this and expanded the vast variety of entertainment. Entertainment during the Gilded Age shaped our entertainment today.
Vaudeville shows, “heart of American show business”, included performances of classical musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, acrobats, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, and athletes. The “polite” vaudeville shows being equally inoffensive to both men and women, attracted audiences of all ages, mostly favored by the middle class families. Featuring famous performers and celebrities, such as Harry Houdini, Eubie Blake, and Baby Rose Marie brought even more popularity.
New, more thrilling entertainment such as the amusement parks drew people across all ethnicities and races. Amusement parks were a fantasy world, and escape from the reality for people, especially children. The modern amusement park evolved from earlier seaside pleasure resorts, such as the Coney Island that were popular with a daylong vacation.
Syncopated melody played against a strict rhythm accompaniment, the ragtime music played a central role in development of styles of music, Jazz and the Piedmont blues. “First to put on paper the kind of rhythm that was being played by non-reading musicians”- Tom Fletcher. Most well- known was ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ by Scott Joplin, which influenced numerous other ragtime melody lines. Beginning as African American dance music, much ragtime music was danced and played everywhere.
Entertainment created during the Gilded Age provided the fundaments to shape our modern entertainment. Development of the entertainment during the Gilded Age improved the quality of American’s life.
Works Cited:
"Cheap Amusements - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. Web. 21 Dec. 2014. https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/race-empire-and-culture-in-the-gilded-age-1870-1900-21/cheap-amusements-159/cheap-amusements-856-8131/.
"Jazz - Then and Now (Chapter 4, p. 11)." Minstrelsy, Vaudeville & Burlesque. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://www.publicbookshelf.com/nonfiction/jazz-history/minstrelsy-vaudeville-11>.
Teichroew, Jacob. "Ragtime (Genre) - Origins, Characteristics, and Composers." About Entertainment. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. <http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/ragtime.htm>.