Chapter 21 Section 3 Life in the Changing

Chapter 21, Section 3: Life in the Changing Cities Main Idea: A building boom, new technology, and new leisure activities changed the way city dwellers lived.

A. Cities Take on a New Look Vertical Growth v New technology made “skyscrapers” possible v Lightweight steel frames (stronger) v Elevators made high-rises more practical v 1 st high-rise in Chicago in 1885 (10 stories) Horizontal Growth v v Open spaces provide areas for recreation (parks, zoos, gardens, etc. ) Public transportation carried workers to jobs & lessened traffic jams v Electric streetcars (trolleys) v Subways(underground) v Els (elevated trains)

- Urban parks, such as Central Park, were designed in order to preserve open spaces.

B. Sports v Sports provided people with an escape v Baseball – 1 st played in NY in 1840 s, became popular during CW, 1 st pro teams/league in 1870 s, segregated until 1960 s v Football – all run, no pass, many injuries v Basketball – James Naismith in Springfield, MA, wanted winter indoor activity, soccer ball was thrown into peach baskets nailed to walls

Abbott & Costello Transcript Video

C. Entertainment v v Shopping becomes more popular with department stores (Macy’s in NYC) Wealthy attended symphonies and operas; commoners went to vaudeville shows (variety/talent acts) and listened to ragtime (“Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin) Edison’s phonograph cause music to become more popular; marching bands played John Philip Sousa songs (“Stars & Stripes Forever”) These shared experiences brought Americans together & spread American culture

- Vaudeville shows became extremely popular. Examples: comedians, song and dance routines, and acrobats

- Music such as ragtime became extremely popular as well. Example: Scott Joplin – an African-American composer Audio: Maple Leaf Rag

* Music, sports and vaudeville brought Americans from different cultures together and helped to encourage assimilation