Overview
This lecture explores the rise of mass consumerism and leisure activities during the Gilded Age, highlighting their impacts on American society, gender roles, and culture.
Factors Leading to Mass Consumerism
- Industrialization and mass production enabled cheaper, more plentiful goods.
- Improved transportation and communication made products widely accessible.
- Advertising and marketing industries emerged to encourage consumer spending.
- Department stores and five-and-dime stores offered diverse goods under one roof.
- Mail order catalogs allowed rural Americans access to urban products.
Credit and Payment Innovations
- Credit allowed consumers to buy goods now and pay later, often with interest.
- Installment plans enabled middle-class Americans to buy expensive items in smaller, manageable payments.
Growth of Leisure Activities
- Spectator sports like baseball, boxing, horse racing, and football became very popular.
- Amusement parks such as Coney Island offered affordable entertainment for all classes.
- Vaudeville, magic shows, and theaters provided accessible performances.
- Print media expanded, with newspapers and magazines reaching mass audiences.
Social and Cultural Impacts
- Gender roles shifted as women were targeted by advertisers and new ideals of femininity emerged.
- The "new woman" was educated, independent, and politically active.
- Technology like cameras and phonographs promoted individual expression.
- Economic inequality and segregation limited access to consumer and leisure culture for many.
Critiques of Consumer Culture
- Thorstein Veblen criticized "conspicuous consumerism," arguing it fostered materialism over meaningful values.
- Some viewed mass consumerism and leisure as evidence of social inequality and moral decline.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Mass Consumerism — The widespread purchasing of goods and services by large segments of society.
- Installment Plan — A payment method allowing buyers to pay for goods over time in smaller amounts.
- Conspicuous Consumerism — Buying goods primarily to display wealth and social status, as defined by Veblen.
- Gilded Age — The late 19th-century period marked by rapid economic growth and social change in America.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on how mass consumerism and leisure in the Gilded Age compare to today in your PDF.
- Prepare for the next lesson on the age of imperialism in Hawaii and Cuba.