Life+at+the+Turn+of+the+20th+Century

Chapter Objective: To analyze significant turn-of-the-20th-century trends in such areas as technology, education, race relations, and mass culture.

Section 1: Science and Urban Life Main Idea: Advances in science and technology helped solve urban problems, including overcrowding.

Objective: Describe the impact of technological advances on turn-of-the-20th century urban planning. Questions: 24. How did engineering innovations help cities growth upward and outward? 25. What was urban planning and how did it improve city life?

Objective: Summarize turn of the century communications innovations. Questions: 26. What effect did advances in paper, printing, and photography have on publishing and journalism? 27. How did airplanes revolutionize communications as well as transportation?

Section 2: Expanding Public Education Main Idea: Reforms in public education led to a rise in national literacy and the promotion of public education.

Objective: Analyze the expansion of public education at the turn-of-the-20th century. Questions: 28. What were the main reasons for the expansion and improvement of public education? 29. What factors contributed to the growth of high schools? 30. How did educational experiences differ for African Americans and immigrants?

Objective: Describe the growth of higher education. Questions: 31. What changes did many universities make in their curriculum and why? 32. How did African Americans work to gain a higher education?

Section 3: Segregation and Discrimination Main Idea: African Americans led the fight against voting restrictions and Jim Crow laws.

Objective: Trace the historical underpinnings of legalized segregation and the African-American struggle against racism. Questions: 33. What post-Reconstruction voting restrictions were imposed on African Americans in the South? 34. What were Jim Crow laws? 35. What was the significance of the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Objective: Summarize the turn-of-the-20th century race relations in the North and the South. Questions: 36. How did African Americans differ in approaches to combating racism? 37. How were African Americans discriminated against in the North?

Objective: Identify discrimination against minorities in the American West. Questions: 38. What were the difficulties that Mexicans encountered in the U.S.? 39. How were Chinese immigrants treated?

Section 4: The Dawn of Mass Culture Main Idea: As Americans had more time for leisure activities, a modern mass culture emerged.

Objective: Give examples of turn-of-the-20th century leisure activities and popular sports. Questions: 40. What leisure activities became popular with American at the turn of the 20th century? 41. What spectator sports did many Americans enjoy?

Objective: Analyze the spread of mass culture in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century. Questions: 42. How did the nation’s newspapers attract readers? 43. What were the new artistic and literary movements that gained notoriety (popularity) at the turn of the 20th century?

Objective: Describe turn-of-the-20th century innovations in marketing and advertising. Questions: 44. How did the growth of cities change the way in which goods were sold? 45. How did mail-order catalogs and advertising contribute to the growth of mass culture?