Urban Life in the Gilded Age

America’s Social Coming of Age Time Period

Reshaping American Society

Industrialization Urbanization

Urbanization

Population of cities grows rapidly› Why?› Where did people

come from? Cities expand outward

› Technological change› Before 1850: “walking

cities”› Gilded Age: public

transportation Consequences?

Urbanization

Cities expand upward› Birth of the skyscraper› Height no longer

restricted Expansion without

master plan› City Beautiful

Movement› Zoning Laws

Environment and Public Health› Filth, pollution,

overcrowding

Classes

Upper Class› Conspicuous consumption

Display wealth to prove you are wealthy to others Parties, mansions, philanthropy

› Followed by the press Middle Class

› Professionals had been there, now welcomed new jobs

› WASPS (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestants)› Lived in suburbs; gender roles strict› Role of children changes

Classes

Working Class (poor)› Dumbbell tenements in inner city› Overcrowded› Everyone works› Lack of family time› Immigrants

Catholic/Jewish Escape persecution or poverty Ethnic neighborhoods Leads to re-birth of nativism (Chinese Exclusion Act 1882)

Gilded Age

Mark Twain novel› Satire of greed of era› Looked past national prosperity to the

poverty and corruption in society

Urban Leisure

Electric Lights› Revolutionizes

“free time” Spectator Sports Yellow Journalism Changes in behavior

of young people

Education

Public education expands› Why?› birth of k-12 education› Colleges & Graduate schools

Most children don’t attend› Why?

Women gain education opportunities› 40% of college students

African-Americans› Black colleges founded (Why?)› Booker T. Washington

New Woman

Doctrine of separate spheres› More college graduates stayed single› More use of contraceptives

Work outside home Less restrictive clothing

Cult of Masculinity

Men worried modern life made them effeminate› Loss of autonomy› Growth of sports,

exercise, reading Age of the bachelor

› Acceptable not to marry

› Restaurants, personal services, bars