The Rise of Popular Consumerism in the

Late 19th Century

Why do so many Americans carry credit card debt?

Vocabulary:Consumerism - The idea that an ever-

expanding consumption of goods is good for the economy

Deflation - A fall in the general price level or a contraction of credit and available money

Circulation - The distribution of copies of a periodical among readers

Credit – A purchaser's ability to obtain goods or services from a seller without immediate payment on the promise to pay later

The Emerging Middle Class

Americans devoted themselves to spending money as well as making it

Deflation and mass production slashed prices

An ever-larger range of consumer products available to more Americans

Publications

Advances in printing led to mass circulation

Newspapers, magazines, illustrated books, posters, and trading cards

Advertising subsidized much of the production costs

Lowering subscription costs

Allowed companies to reach a broader audience

Rail & Telegraph Used by wholesalers

and advertisers to build nationwide marketing networks

Mass Consumer Culture

With their pace of life accelerating, Americans were captivated by a host of new convenience products

The promise of material comfort and pleasure was offered to anyone who could raise the cash

Hand-held camerasGillette safety razor w/ disposable blades5 cent pre-rolled cigarette packsJell-OAunt Jemima mixesUneeda biscuits

Companies offered consumers energy to compete in the economy

CoffeeCoca-Cola

Sugar also took on mass market forms:Tootsie RollsCracker JackChewing GumChocolate

Advertisement not well-regulated at the time

Companies made claims that were: Exaggerated Impossible to prove Just plain untrue

Debt problemsSocial pressure to

keep up with the times compelled many people to purchase new “solutions to modern living”

Eager consumers, given the chance to purchase items on credit, overspent their means and found themselves with debt problems

Respectable middle-class women, lost in the fantasy world of department stores, began to steal

Doctors were puzzled why a well-to-do woman would shoplift … they labeled it “kleptomania”

Please observe these advertisements from the Gilded

Age and think about the meaning and content of the ads