Today's focus: Intellectual and cultural trends due to educational reforms and the resulting knowledge explosion.
Knowledge Explosion
Technological Jobs Increase: Requires specialized and knowledgeable workers.
Higher Education Importance: Growth in education to meet the technological and specialized job requirements.
Chautauqua Movement
Origin: Started as a two-week summer camp for Sunday school teachers at Lake Chautauqua in upstate New York.
Activities: Camping, rowing, volleyball, wading in the lake, canoeing, lectures on various topics.
Expansion: Grew in popularity, offering camps throughout the summer, expanding to various subjects beyond Sunday school.
Cost: Initially $6 per person for two weeks, including food.
Intellectual Benefit: Provided non-college adults with exposure to various subjects with a mile-wide, inch-deep focus.
Libraries
Andrew Carnegie's Contribution: Funded the building of libraries across small towns in the US.
Library Growth: By 1900, the US had over 1,700 libraries with at least 5,000 volumes.
Newspapers
Revolution in Printing: Introduction of the linotype machine, better paper, better inks, and printing presses.
Transoceanic Cables: Enabled faster communication between Europe and the US, enhancing current event coverage.
Wire Services: Organizations providing news stories to multiple newspapers, e.g., AP (Associated Press).
Newspaper Chains: Corporations owning multiple newspapers that share stories and resources.
Advertising: Integration of advertising, leading to increased revenue and a shift in financial models.
Joseph Pulitzer & William Randolph Hearst
Pulitzer's Innovations: Sensationalism, specialized reporting, high society coverage, and effective use of headlines.
Hearst's Adaptation: Mirrored Pulitzer's techniques, created a large chain of newspapers.
Yellow Journalism
Definition: Sensationalized news reporting to attract readers.
Examples: New York World and Journal, with the yellow cartoon “Yellow Kid” leading to the term "yellow journalism".
Magazines
Diversification: Publications like Harper's Bazaar, Atlantic Monthly, and Ladies Home Journal evolved to address niche markets and include more varied content such as fiction and poetry.
Specialization: Emergence of specialized magazines covering topics like Civil War history, sports, hobbies, and more.
Realism in Literature and Arts
Literature: Authors like Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, and Henry James focused on realism, social conscience, and cultural clashes.
Art: Realism in paintings by artists like Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer, influenced by the rise of photography.
California's Development
Railways: Expansion with the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads connecting California nationally.
Working Man's Movement: Led by Denis Kearney, advocating labor rights, unionization, and anti-Chinese sentiments.
Southern Pacific Railroad: Dominated California's transportation but eventually lost control due to competition and legal battles.
Immigration: Surge in immigration to California in late 1800s due to price wars between railroads.