Today we continued watching group presentations.
Group 6
Chapter 8
Life at the Turn of the Century
Changes in Education
They thought it was important. Most states had established public schools by the civil war. The majority of those who attended school dropped out within 4 years. 1865-1895: Laws were passed requiring students (ages 8-14) to attend between 12-16 weeks of school per year. Kindergartens were first created to offer childcare for employed mothers. By early 1900's more than half a million students attended high school. Curriculum expanded to include science, civics and social studies. In 1880 only 34% of colored children attended elementary school compared to 62% of white children. In 1890, only 1% of colored attended high school. Adult immigrants usually attended night school to learn English and qualify for citizenship. Only 2.3% of Americans attended colleges or universities. Between 1880 and 1920, that number quadrupled. The public education is the foundation of the democratic ideals of the American society.
Segregation and Discrimination
All southern states passed laws limiting African Americans legal equality. Only people who could read could vote and must pass a literacy test to qualify to vote. During the 1870s and 1880s southern states passed racial segregation laws. Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case. It began when Homer Plessy took a seat on a "whites only train." The supreme court ruled on may 18th, 1896. They declared that segregation was legal and didn't violate the 14th amendment. It established the doctrine "separate but equal" and it also legalized segregation for almost 60 years. Blacks who didn't cooperate with segregation were tortured and/or killed. Racism was across the entire nation. Blacks and the Chinese were sent to separate neighborhoods and schools. Xenophobia is the exclusion of all foreigners, especially the Chinese. Jim Crow laws and racial discrimination led to the fight for equality for people of all backgrounds in America.
Entertainment of the late 1800's and 1900's
Barnum and Bailey started the circus idea. Jules Leotard invented the Leotard. In 1845 Alexander Cartwright wrote the first set of rules for baseball. The first movie projected and watched by a paying audience was "The Horse in Motion!" Amusement parks came to the United States in the late 1800's. In 1893 the first to use the faris wheel was Chicago. In 1894, Paul Boynoton Chutes opened the first amusement park. Disneyland was created in 1955.
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