19th-Century American Transformation

The late nineteenth century witnessed major advances in the field of art, recreation, education as well and technology in the United States. Since the late 19th and into the early 20th century, the United States went through massive industrial, economic, social as and cultural changes. The incessant European exodus, as well as increasing prospects of international trade, ushered in growth as well as prosperity for America. It heralded an era that saw the rise of new justifications for racism as well as anxiety regarding other cultures. While there were reforms introduced in certain sections of society, injustice continued to prevail in others. This paper aims to explore the various developments in the fields of art and science, as well as the cultural impacts of the numerous events that occurred during the late nineteenth century.

Art

The crucial trends happening in the art field in the late nineteenth century in America revolved primarily around realism. American Realism revolved around art, music, as well as literature, which portrayed present-day social realities, including the lives and daily chores of normal people. Realism had become the new outlook and had its influence across all forms of ar,t from paintings to literature. The drive in the field of literature started during the mid-19th century and gained importance in visual art during the early 20th century. Be it a cultural depiction or a panoramic view of downtown New York City, American realist works endeavored to express reality (Young, pp. 272). This attempt to replicate ‘real life’ concurred with alternative methods of thinking regarding the world in a different light. Whenever journalists described the pitiable conditions or exposed the difficulties of urban life, it got the public’s attention and interest.

Using the medium of art as well as artistic expressions, American Realism strived to depict the fatigue as well as cultural enthusiasm in the life of ordinary Americans. Musicians kept pace with the fast-paced nature of the early 20th century and reciprocated through a fresh and new tempo. Writers, as well as authors, came up with a new story regarding the Americans, doing away with fantasy and highlighting American Realism. The popularity of European art, especially that of European artists, started having a significant influence on America during the late nineteenth century. The prime reason is the emergence of American financial clout, with American art collectors and philanthropists purchasing European art for museums in the United States. The development of American cities saw them develop and acquire new styles of European architecture, like ‘Art Nouveau’.

Culture

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had just come out of the clutches of Reconstruction and the Civil War. It was fast becoming a united and powerful nation with a strong national government. Due to the Industrial Revolution, the cities in the United States expanded, and the population grew to about 15 million people in the late 19th century, owing to increased migration from rural towns to the cities. The city workers’ and farmers’ way of working changed due to the advent of electricity as well as technology.

The late nineteenth century witnessed the end of slavery, however, racism continued. Racial segregation laws provided for separate physical spaces for the whites and the colored in some states. Moreover, local customs favored inequalities at every strata of society. Post the abolishment of slaverygovernmentsnt across the South established laws referred to as Black Codes. Although the Black Codes did provide certain legal rights to blacks, such as the right to marry, own property, as well as sue in court, these laws prohibited blacks from serving on juries, testifying against whites, or serving in state militias.

Sporting events gained popularity, with baseball fast becoming the country’s national recreational activity. At the University level, athletics became more organized owing to the formation of groups such as the Rowing Association of American Colleges, which provided the structure for college-level competition. Vaudeville went on to become a popular form of entertainment since it mixed different kinds of theater, songs, as well as dance into a variety show which grabbed the attention of several Americans. The end of the century marked the advent of movies with the public release of commercial films.

The period also saw Americans spreading into the plains and mountains to carry out mining and settle there. This led to conflict with some of the regional Indian tribes and resulted in the integration of Indian tribes with the white culture. The Indian training schools focused on ensuring that the children shed their tribal culture and embraced the American culture.

Science

The late nineteenth century witnessed the rise of industrialization in the  United States. This resulted in moving away from a labor-intensive industry to an increasingly technical and machine-based manufacturing, which was phenomenal in increasing the overall production and economic growth of the United States. This also led to large-scale agricultural activity as well as the rise of national labor unions and industrial conflict.  

One of the most startling inventions of this period was the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. From 1880 to 1894, telephone lines were successfully established between many cities such as Boston, New York, a nd Chicago (Hur).

The invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison in the late 19th century led to many more developments in the social and commercial life of the people. This led to an enthused lighting industry that quickly transcended into the cities and towns all over the country (McAuliffe). The development of the light bulb ignited the large-scale generation of electricity. This led to the building of large central stations. The first large-scale central generating station was established in Niagara Falls in 1895, when some of the current generated was sent to Buffalo, which was twenty miles away (Behrend 1057-1068).

To conclude, the history of the United States has witnessed many astounding stories of accomplishment and achievements, and the 19th century was a period of great revolution and movement. There were many inventions and events marked during this period, and the world saw the birth of a future supreme power. The end of Reconstruction brought many new developments to the country in the form of eliminating slavery and building an assimilated country. There were developments noticed in the cultural and social life of the pope with the advent of industrialization and the invention of new technology. This had a profound impact on the cultural and daily lives of the people. Farming improved and saw large-scale production. City life thrived, and people had more leisure time to pursue sports and recreational activities due to the mechanization of basic work.

Bibliography

Divine, Robert A. et al. America Past And Present. 10th ed. Pearson, 2012. Print.

Hur, Johnson. “History Of The Telephone.” N.p., 2017. Web. 11 Sept. 2017.

McAuliffe, Kathleen. “The Undiscovered World Of Thomas Edison.” The Atlantic. N.p., 2017. Web. 11 Sept. 2017.

Behrend, B. A. “A New Large Generator For Niagara Falls.” Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers XXVII.2 (1908): 1057-1068. Web.

Young, Marnin. Realism In The Age Of Impressionism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015. Print.