Here's hoping you've enjoyed a three-day weekend! This week's assignment should be enjoyable - a look back at the first decade of the 20th century. Like any period of time it had its highlights (Nickelodean! Ping Pong! Ragtime Music!) and lowlights (Jim Crow segregation and lynchings, the San Francisco earthquake, and the continued abusive practices of the "Big 3" - US Steel, Standard Oil, and the American Tobacco Co).
Follow the link http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade00.html to learn more. Read the script and follow links to find two topics to research and report. If you had been a teen in that decade (as any one in their 120s today would have been) what are some things you would have enjoyed? What are some things you would have disliked? Share your findings in a 200 word essay and respond to at least two other essays with a total of 150 words. Good luck and God bless!
Fun, not a word that was part of a teenagers vocabulary in the 1800s. If you were a female teenager you were probably married by age 16 and a mother at age 17. You had virtually no education and were completely dependent upon the man you married . There were no jobs for women, other than in the sex trade, in the early and middle 1800s. That changed after the completion of the Civil War as the economy of the East began to prosper and the mass exodus from the East to the West began.
ReplyDeleteIf you were a teen man in the 1800s, you worked from the day you turned 13, and probably long before that birthday, in order to keep your family in food and shelter. You were most likely married by 18 and a father at 19. Fun was not a regular teens word in the 1800s.
Also, activities such as picnics and sports were done to pass some of the time. Also, listening to the radio and trips to the movie theater were popular. Bicycling was popular in the 1910s, there were millions of bicycles in the USA, and every manufacturer offered a ladies model. Susan Anthony said the bicycle had done more to entertain women than anything else. Automobiles were popular with those who could afford them.
As you know, I really love fashion so I decide to do my first report about fashion in those times. Men wore long slim trousers. Thwy didn't use an helmet to go on a motorcycle but they used a cap with some goggles and a linen duster. For the beach or sport wear they used cotton knit shirt. The women worethe high, straight-front corset with long hips, so they could take a breath (Lol). The skirts became short to make easly the way to get on an automobiles and trolley. The short hair were famous and hats were really big.
ReplyDeleteMy second report is about Art in those years. Art in America in those days is not so important because all the famous artist went to Europe to paint. There were started the realism and impressionism. In this period is starting to develop photography with the Kodak box. The most famous photographer in this period is Alfred Stieglitz. Americans began to recognize their past, infact they made a Act called Antiquities Act of 1906 that authorized the president to declare national monuments to be historic landmarks.
Teenagers in this era played a lot. They enjoyed their afternoon with new games and just making new stuff. Most of the people didn't have the mobile phone so they couldn't call people to hang out; the people they could hang out with were people in the same neibourhood, at school (if they were going) or at church. They used a lot bycle in those times. Well.. the thing that I would not like wuold be marry at the age of 13. Most of the girls in this period were married really soon and they couldn't live their teenage years.
Thank you, Marta :)
First of all, we need to realize how lucky we are today. Teenagers back then would give anything to be in our shoes. Teens back then had to work to live. Many of them worked in factories or in the fields tending to the crops. It makes me think of how lucky I am and how thankful I should be for what I have. Teen guys were often taught to hunt at an early age. This was done so he could go hunt for food for his family. One thing that guys back then got to enjoy was table tennis, or ping pong. The teen guy back then often had to provide for his own family, which included hunting, working in field and working in factories. One convenience enjoyed by many teens was the invention of the automobile, and thanks to Henry Ford an automobile was affordable to the average working man. As we have studied in class, many teens were forced to work in factories and mines where conditions were harsh, forcing many teens to work ridiculous amounts of hours. I am glad I am being raised in this generation. Even though our economy could be better, it is still better than the early 1900s.
ReplyDeleteFor the first part of the assignment the two topics I chose to write about were the education practices of the early 1900s and the art and architecture of the early 1900s.
ReplyDeleteThe education practices in 1900’s define the way we see education today. One way the education system was the same as today was that testing became, as the website says, the “norm”. To this day each student has to take standardized testing. However, the salaries of teachers back then were much lower than they are today, only $325. Granted however, this was a different time and the cost of living, inflation, and economy was different.
The art and architecture of the 1900s weren’t extremely popular, wich forced many artists to move to the more art centered Europe. But, portraits, landscape, American life, and photography (thanks to Kodak) become quite popular. The architecture part tended to be quite grand (i.e. Biltmore Estate). But, there were other typed of homes, too. Some could even be bought in Sears catalog!
If I were a teenager back in the 1900s, my life would be completely different. There would be no ipad, cell phone, or computer to type this assignment on. I would have spent most of my time indoors learning how to become a housewife because I didn’t have a chance of a career of my choice, or I’d already be working in an abusive trade.
Thank you,
Rebecca
Imagine a world where you didn’t get what you want, or get to do what you want- welcome America in the twentieth century! If you where a teenager during this time you wouldn’t be allowed to hang out with friends, get on Facebook, or just sit around and listen to you iPod. Basically you would stop going to school past 8th grade at the latest and would be forced to work in extremely harsh conditions. But it is important to remember the change that was about to occur. The government now controlled by “progressives,” started to make child labor laws.
ReplyDeleteIn this time the culture was starting to change as well. During this time the game of table tennis (or ping-pong) became popular in the United States. Also motorsports where becoming popular as more and more Americans started to own cars that were made cheep by Henry Ford.
It is also important to note the political agenda of the time. As mentioned before the government was being run by a philosophy known as “progressivism,” a philosophy that encouraged more regulations to protect the common man rather than just big business. For example, during this time the government was given the power to break up monopolies.
Fads & Fashion...
ReplyDeleteAfter looking over the prime picks of the day I have come to realize just how comfortably we have it these days! Chicks back in those days had to be graced with the lovely presence of a "corset." This wonderful undergarment literally sucked EVERYTHING in! If you have ever watched a movie from the early 1900s you'd notice that the women seem extremely curvy and shapely! That appearance is all thanks to that wonderful little contraption! But as crazy as it may sound it wasn't all that uncommon for women to pass out due to the lack of oxygen... they would lace those things up so tight it would severely restrict their ability to breath. I for one am quite thankful these are not part of our daily attire now.
And secondly I would like to touch on the child labor issues of the day...
Back in these days as soon as children could walk they were used for one purpose or another. Children as young as six years of age and in some cases younger, were used in factories and mines doing the work of grown men. Their youth was indefinitely stolen from them and that is something that once it's gone can not be regained.
I am so thankful to have been born in the generation I came from. No doubt as teens we have weights and responsibilities but I'm pretty sure they pale in comparison to the lives of these people.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteVery good job. You're essay was full of info and I like the way you worded everything. You laid your opinion out there straight forward and it just made everything even better... Great job!
Marta,
Nice job on you're essay. The topics you covered were very interesting and it was a joy to read. You had lots of information with is a very big plus it help the reader understand everything to his/her best ability. Wonderful essay.
Nathan,
I liked how you first and for most pointed out how lucky we are today, I couldn't agree with you more we are so very fortunate to have all that we have access to today. We don't necessarily have to work for every little thing we need. Really good job!
Rebecca,
Amazing job you're essay was extremely informative and was packed with lots of useful information. Great job with making you're points clear and staying direct! I enjoyed it a lot.
From the 20th century to now so many advances, some good and some bad have made the world and nation we live in one the best, besides the world before the fall of course. We have the best medication today from cold medicine to life support. Due to the increase of medical knowledge and the many scientific breakthroughs we also have the highest life expectancy, besides the times people lived to be like 900 years old. Many advances have been a good thing as I stated above, but there also have been changes for the worse. In the first part of the 20th century racial prejudice was still a HUGE issue. Though there as not to be any prejudice between whites and blacks a group of laws, Jim Crow, stated a couple of different requirements to vote such as, if you partook in the election you would have to pay a voting tax, and the ballots would be written so the voter would have to be able to read. This would affect the blacks at this time because they had just been released from slavery so they would be both poor and uneducated. Though these racial prejudices were disguised quite thorough the blacks and abolitionists knew exactly what the racist southern men were doing. And thus by the end of the 20th century all men and women could vote, black or white, rich or poor.
ReplyDeleteJessi-
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your essay this week. Yeah, I agree with you that I’m happy we live in a more laid-back dressed time. I also agree with your statement, “Their youth was indefinitely stolen from them…”. Kids younger than us would already be working in terrible conditions; therefore, I am grateful to live in this day and age. Anyway, great job as usual!
Amanda-
I also enjoyed your essay this week. It’s interesting to think how much America has changed in such a short amount of time. I couldn’t imagine it being normal to be married by our age, now I’m pretty sure it’s illegal without parental consent. Also, I couldn’t imagine a life where I didn’t have education or a chance to pursue my dream of being an Internist. Anyway, great job as usual!
Marta-
Great job on your essay as well! I found it fascinating about the hats with goggles for helmets! Great job!
Rebecca-
ReplyDeleteI really liked your essay. I thought you did a really good job on putting yourself in these other people’s shoes. I also thought that the part about architecture in the early twentieth century, defiantly Interesting.
Nathaniel-
I like how you addressed the issue of racism throughout the twentieth century. I think it is awful how some people could be so prejudice at that time and how they figured out to keep black from voting I also thought the part about modern medicine was interesting.
Jessi-
I thought it was interesting how women would ware corsets to look extremely thin. But I really liked what you said about Child labor. I think this was a very sad time in American history for young children as they everyday they would wake up early and go, not to school, but to work in a factory in which conditions were so bad that you would not wish a life like that on your enemy.
If I had been a teen in 1900, I wouldn’t have liked the child labor. It is a really important improvement in our society today, that no child is allowed to work so hard. I think it would be a very different life when we have to work instead of relaxing and learning the whole day. I am really glad I am not living during that time period! It seems to me that nobody cared about the children in the factories and the mines. It must be horrible to see other teenagers lose their arms and other parts of their body and to know, that you might be the next one. On the other hand, it would be really interesting to life during this time and see all the technological advancements. I must be really cool to see the development of flying and the automobile. It is really hard to believe what was accomplished during such a short time. Another good step during that time was the food and drug act. I think it is really good to have something like this to protect the rights of the consumers and also make food and drugs safer and a lot more healty.
ReplyDelete@Marta
ReplyDeleteI really like your essay. You have a lot of interesting facts and information in your essay and it is also good written. I like the part about the changes in art, because it shows how the technological advancements changed the life of the people.
@Nathan
I really like your essay Nathan. I contains a lot of good facts and you also have a good opinion. Like you I agree, that we are really lucky to live in this generation. Like you said it would be really bad to work so long and hard in very dangerous places.
@Rebecca
I really like your essay Rebecca, because it shows us how blessed we are today and how glad we can be not to life during the 1900. I think the most interesting thing about you essay is, that Kodak was the first one to produce cameras and that this invention changed the American society so greatly.