Tuesday, February 18, 2014
American Society 1890-1914
Due March 31, 2014
Silent movies and film stars became relevant in the pre war years. Charlie Chaplin- Mabel at the Wheel 1914 was one of the most popular- but the most popular movie of the day was by far Birth of a Nation. (You dont need to watch the entire 3 hour movie- but enough so you know what the movie is about and what it says about pre war public thinking in regards to race/immigrants.)
After the war, movies like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde were some of the most popular. (you do not need to watch the entire movie- but please watch at least 5 min or as much as you need to get what the movie is about)
The Cake Walk was a popular dance in the early 20th century among American youth as was the Bavarian Bounceand was accompanied by ragtime music.
After the Great War, music and dancing became all the rage. Americas youth, especially flappers flocked to dance halls to participate in a variety of dances and listen to jazz.
So, based on these pre and post war clips of entertainment- what can you conclude about youth culture and the attitude of Americans about life, morality, politics etc? What do you notice (if any) changed in the way people interacted with each other, chose to watch, listen to or how dances changed- what does that indicate to you? What historically significant things that we have discussed in lecture were going on to back up your assertions.
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During this time it seemed like there was a huge change in the culture from pre-war to post-war especially in the youth. The women of the time seemed to take advantage of their new found freedoms by voting and wearing the newest fashion that for the time was almost pornographic. The culture of the youth seemed to change the most drastically than the previous generation. During this time, there seemed to be a huge influx of new entertainment. This shows that with the end of the war, the United States were a lot wealthier and in turn the general public also had access to more money to spend on everyday leisure. The dancing was another thing that changed so dramatically. Instead of the previous generation’s waltzes and other slow formal dances, the new generations picked up the high beat and very energetic Bavarian bounce and cake walks. The politics of the generation also changed. Instead of looking for government to control all the assets of the economy, the people wanted the business and the market to flourish. With the end of the war came the huge period where investments sky rocketed. This allowed many new businesses to be built up and flourish. Also another huge change was the way that people looked at immigrants. With new laws, immigrants were limited to the amunt that could come to this country. People still looked t blacks as they had for the previous hundred years, however with so many moving to the north, Ghettoes and other black majorities formed allowing the first black congressman.
ReplyDeleteThe prewar clips such as Charlie Chaplin’s movie and the birth of a nation showed a country that was interested in what the rich were doing and showed a continued treatment of African Americans as second class citizens and servants. After the war it seems American’s desired movies with more action as dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is probably due to the constant stream of propaganda concerning the war that the CPI distributed.. We also see a change in music and dancing after the war. During and after the war their was the great migration of African Americans which led to the creation of jazz and other up-beat music. The war also created an economic boom so more young people were able to spend money on entertainment. This new found money led to the youth living more loosely than American’s prior to the war. The women dressed in shorter skirts and had shorter hair creating a style known as the flappers. The youth choose to spend their money on entertainment such as dance halls and speak-easy’s where new dances like the cake walk and Bavarian bounce were created to keep up with the faster beats of the new music. With the new interest in jazz we saw more integration of blacks and whites although there was still a great divide and significant amounts of tension caused by race riots and the Klan.
ReplyDeleteThe prewar society seemed to focus on old fashion values in a far more gentleman's society. Both films focused on the upper class and upper most middle class life styles trying to display American as this rich and prosperous nation. Were the first two differed is that Birth of a Nation then began to show how the free African Americans were threating the continued existence of such a society and destroying it in the south. It also threaten that if the African Americans were not put in their place then they would spread north and destroy it as well. At the time this was a hit as many workers were worried about losing their jobs to African Americans. Most importantly though these two films showed how there was a very fine line on how one was to conduct themselves and that crossing over that line was not allowed in the current gentleman's society. With the after war films and moves it really showed how the society had moved away from this rich gentleman's society to a fast paced society that craved action. Women in particular gained a lot of freedom in this new society that was possible to act as the last society would call unladylike. Additionally the war brought in a lot of money and work for Americans witch helped to bring the middle up closer to the rich class. In addition you see more white and black cultures mixing.
ReplyDeleteThe videos suggest that prewar society was much more reserved. They seemed to depict a much more "dry" humor and slower pace. They were a stark contrast to those made postwar. After WWI it seemed that American society took a much more upbeat less reserved lifestyle. The dances involved lots of quick movement and fast, bouncy music. Even the people's clothing changed to a more "free" style. A lot of clothing evident in the post war videos seemed almost like lingerie when compared to those from the free war. It was apparent that when the war end, everyone went out to make the most of life, rather than caring about appearances.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war they did everything faster. they seemed to car less about what old people were currently doing and what they used to do and just did what they wanted. they started dancing crazy and listen to completely different music.
ReplyDeleteall europeans look the same to me so i couldnt tell who were immigrants and who werent, they would have needed a caption over all the immigrants heads for me to tell the difference. the women in the movies seemed to be doing whatever they wanted just as much as the men did, which wasn't the case before the war.
During the turn of the nineteenth century, America had begun to see a change in cultural environment. This shift would take a huge step, with the huge push from the first word war. Pre-war American culture was strongly based on a man’s ability to provide for his family and community. With movies like Birth of a Nation, which promoted the American dream of wealth and power, these men were encouraged to succeed in the work place. Another popular theme was to infer the racial superiority of the white population. When the war hit, it gave women the chance to step up and prove their ability to provide in the absence of a man. On their return from the war, soldiers came to recognize these abilities. Post-war America was full of liberated and strong young women, looking for outlets to express themselves. They found these outlets in the form of dance, which led to the explosion of new music and alternative dance. The film industry also changed to provide new excitement to replace the action that died with the war. With all the income the war brought in, the middle class was able to afford more luxury in their lives, dragging themselves closer to the upper class. But this income was focused towards the white population, as giving jobs to immigrates was seen as a treasonous act. This hatred led to legislation that limited the number of immigrates allowed into the U.S.
ReplyDeleteTo say “The Birth of a Nation” portrayed blacks negatively would be a massive understatement. It focuses on reconstruction era America and how it impacts two different families, one from the South and one from the North. In one scene there is a group of blacks where they are having what appears to be a meeting. During this meeting there are many people actually eating fried chicken during the meeting. It wants to preserve the ideals of the antebellum South and is fearful of blacks moving northward and destroying these ideals. This is how the KKK becomes the hero that is stopping blacks from stealing jobs from whites. The Chaplin film portrays a society similar in many ways to the antebellum south. The two men are portrayed as gentlemen working on wooing the affection of the woman in mention. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is drastically different than the previous two films. It has a much darker tone to it that does not portray an ideal man. Instead this man is at war with himself and has a very dark side. This reflects the change from an idealized past that we should emulate before the war to a post-war scary, but exciting time. Pre-war music was very upbeat, but at the same time more reserved. “Notice how they keep their distance? Those were the days when dancing was an exercise not a wrestling contest”. This shows how dancing was much more an event and not something two people did together. Post WWI there was the introduction of “flappers” characterized by their bobbed hair and skirts. Jazz influence had drastically increased and people were much more laid back about many of their previous puritanical views. A new kind of society emerged and the roaring 20s went into full swing.
ReplyDeleteBefore the war, the general public attitude was highly racist and anti-immigrant. The film The Birth of a Nation expresses these attitudes by presenting the Ku Klux Klan as heroes and African Americans as animalistic. The minstrel group playing the Cake Walk also express the racial stereotypes common in the time period. The dance itself, as well as other popular dances at the time such as the Bavarian Bounce, is energetic, but dancers generally kept their distance and dressed conservatively. The popularity of ragtime music spread from its roots in African American communities.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, atitudes about racism and immigrants may not have changed much, but popular films seemed to focus on more fantastical elements than before the war. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was more of a fantasy than The Birth of a Nation, but it did express popular views of negative behaviors through the character of Mr. Hyde; one example would be his alcohol abuse and poor treatment of women, which was condemned by the popular temperance movement at the time. As dancing became more popular with the youth culture, it did not lose its energetic nature, but dance partners dressed less conservatively and sometimes physically became closer. Flappers in particular, after the success of the women's rights movement, were able to express themselves more openly, going against the emulated Victorian culture which had previously been popular in the United States. The popularity of jazz can be accounted for by the Great Migration of African Americans to the North, exposing the North to more of their culture and music. Although similar to ragtime's spread in popularity, jazz's influence was more directly from African American communities.
The changes that I noticed where how you where perceived in society, and how you acted in society. In pre war America, those with money had an image to portray, and that was of sophistication, grace, and poise. The wealthy hosted waltzes, balls, and tea parties. Everything was at a much slower pace. As compared to post war, everybody was still use to the fast pace of production, fighting, and living. This reflected in society. From the music, to the entertainment, and even the dances. Everybody was living for the sake of living.
ReplyDeleteBefore the war, society was geared more towards a focus on antebellum America and victorian values and styles. Movies had a strong focus on white superiority (especially, of course, that of the rich) and emphasized the ideal of men providing for and fully supporting women, though in ‘Mabel at the Wheel,’ the title character proves she can hold her own by winning a race (though this eventuality was made possible by her love interest, a clean-cut gentleman, as would be expected, who taught her how to drive his car). Any violence portrayed in these movies seemed to be relatively slapstick, or at least very subdued. Overall, the sense that morality and justice always prevail seems to be the primary theme. The music and dances of the time, including ragtime, the cakewalk, and the Bavarian bounce were very fast-paced and energetic, but at the same time very reserved/conservative (both in the way people dressed and the physical proximity of dancers to their partners). As far as views about race, the prospect of African Americans being made equal caused fears of a ‘takeover’ by people portrayed as being rather barbaric.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, movies took on a darker tone, and dealt less with antebellum idealism and chivalry and more with the dark side of human nature. Male characters seem to shift from being perfect gentlemen to men who engage in ‘distasteful’ activities and succomb to bad influences and vices. The shift also moves from a focus on purity, the wealthy, and the goodness of antebellum society and values to emphasis on cutting loose, being less reserved, and the prospects of science. Morality seems to be presented as more questionable (like Jekyll being ‘made ashamed of his goodness’), and violence started to be portrayed more seriously. Plots also seem to have become a bit more complicated. As for the music and dances of the post-war era, the pace was fast, the tunes upbeat, and the energy still high. However, they were far less conservative, with clothing styles being more ‘free,’ and partners dancing in much closer proximity. Jazz music, which was greatly influenced by African American culture, was also incredibly popular. While racism was still prevalent at this time, hostility towards immigrants was also high. The fear of competition for jobs, as well as a wariness of foreigners’ intentions led to immigration limits and refusal of many to give jobs to immigrants.
ReplyDeleteAmericans at this time found themselves with a free popping youth that seemed to rebel from the mindset that their elders had put on. With the war over and the population and standard of living growing, many people could afford to buy luxuries and spend their time leisurely( and would do so to help dissociate them from the lower class). People as a mass need a general focus, and when that focus isn’t work or war it is recreation.
Many of the people lived and interacted more in the “now”. They went around and had fun doing so smoking, drinking, dancing with who they please and being free while doing all of it.
Ultimately this indicated good times. If people are focusing on their wants in their social lives that must mean that their needs are well taken care of. Similar mindsets were exercised by the rich in the south. They didn't have to work a lick with their plantations running so they focused entirely on their social lives as their primary source of stress. This may have applied to a lesser extreme per person but it applied to much of the population.
-Riggon Robinson
It appears that life was more up beat after the war, and focused on the everyday life of the individual and fictional characters. Pre-war movies depicted what life might be like to be wealthy and to own an automobile. People were experimenting with different types of music, different dances, and social gatherings. Women were proven capable during the war when most young men were overseas fighting, which would cause a huge shift in how society viewed women. Because of this, women began to drink, smoke, cut their hair short, and wear short skirts and more comfortable clothing. These women were called flappers, and truly embraced the changing times in the roaring 20’s. The emergence of jazz music showed the start of African Americans being taken seriously in society for one of the first time.
ReplyDeleteThe pre-war era was a rapidly changing environment both politically and socially. The youth enjoyed theater productions, silent films, and vaudeville shows. These performances were usually quite dramatic, and relied on slapstick humor, dancing, and romance for entertaining the audience. Music began to transition from “homemade” music (like that played by a member of the family on the piano) to recorded music on gramophones, as well as from classical to ragtime. The social atmosphere men and women lived in was undergoing changes in fashion, marriage, and education. For instance, more emphasis was put on not dressing like the poor for men, and more makeup and looser clothing for the women. Also, the Suffrage Movement and the Temperance Movement were happening, making it a significant time for women.
ReplyDeletePre-war dancing was very bouncy, yet the movement maintained a certain amount of rigidity due to the tempo and style of the music. Shoulders and backs were held straight most of the time, a position that made the dancers’ form more poised and proper appearing. Post-war dancing involved much freer movement, primarily due to the jazz the people listened to while dancing. People were able to stand much closer together, which pushed the boundaries of traditional moral ideals. People were interested in the excitement of dances and jazz music, along with more free-style performing. In addition, many people had extra money to spend on things like alcohol and mass produced consumer goods, which made the time after the war very prosperous for many. Because of the Great Migration, the racism exploited in “Birth of a Nation” was only made worse. Due to these factors, the interaction between Caucasian people became very friendly, while their interaction with the African American people became much more hostile.
The transition in lifestyles before and after the war indicates that people were excited that the “Great War” was finally over. The attitude seems to reflect a freedom and joy of living not present in pre-war culture. The post-war American economy was in a much better state than in pre-war times, which allowed for greater luxuries and a higher standard of living as a citizen. It is also apparent from the movies and fashion that people were very interested in the lifestyle of the wealthy. The rise of the Klu Klux Clan brought was in response to the rising racial tension, and shows that people were also afraid of losing their new jobs and status to the migrating African Americans.
Pre-war American culture was mainly based on the man’s role to provide for his family. In movies like Birth of a Nation, the culture was focused on acquiring the American dream. The family was focused on what the man wanted and his ability to support his family. Minority’s and women had little freedom in pre-war America. After the war, there was a huge emergence of minority’s and women rights. Men that went and fought in the war came home to see that women and minorities took their jobs. This caused for new hatred towards minorities. The women that had taken the place of the man in the factory, wanted freedom and to be create their own identity. One way they did this was in dancing. Minorities accomplished this with the introduction of jazz. Minorities also faced increase segregation after the war. The great migration of blacks to the North had caused the formation of ghettos that were separate from white suburbs. America also had a lot more money after the war in Europe so the standard of living increased with family’s owning cars and having money to travel. Politically, American’s were tired of the large tycoons and the stock market was a way for the average man to make more money for his family. Movies like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde showed that after the war, science and fictional ideas were popular. The war had caused a huge increase in science funding and research in America.
ReplyDeleteCasey Lee
ReplyDeleteThe attitude of Americans seems to change quite a bit from pre-World War I America, which was horribly xenophobic, but oddly starting to recognize females is more than just domestic beings. With two of the most popular films of the time being Mabel at the Wheel and Birth of a Nation it's easy to see what dominated popular culture of the time. However, when comparing Mabel at the Wheel and Birth of a Nation to a popular film from post-World War I like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde you can see a clear change in popular culture again. Instead of a harsh xenophobia seen in Birth of a Nation in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde there is more of a worry about the self and our destructive habits. And instead of something like Mabel at the Wheel a comedy based on women leaving their more traditional Victorian rooms in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde women have a much more defined in independent role in the film.
When comparing the ways people interacted before and after the 1st world war, everything has gotten more intimate. This can be seen when comparing popular dance styles. The cakewalk and the very involved with popular before World War I and often had 2 more people of both genders dancing together however these 2 participants danced separately from one another. Dancers also dressed formally and somewhat conservative. Comparing this to the flappers in the 20 dance became much more provocative intimate and the clothes worn while dancing followed suit.
From pre-war to post-war there was a huge change. During the pre-war people were concerned about the rich and what they were up to, people also lived a calmer slow paced life. Also during pre-war society was much more reserved. After the war there were many changes that could be seen for example everything went in a fast pace. People were in a hurry, they wanted to produce more and achieve more throughout the day. People stopped caring so much about the rich and became more concerned about their life and the life of their children. After the war movies such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde became popular and movies that contained more action started coming out. All of society began to change after the war, the music and dancing changed. Young adults were able to go out, spend time with friends and entertain themselves. Also after the war a major change was the freedom that woman received. Woman began to wear shorter dresses and skirts; they wore makeup, cut their hair shorter and did what they pleased. Before the war this would have been known as unladylike and it would have been unacceptable. The war changed many things and how society viewed things. The post war gave people the chance to start living a more enjoyable life.
ReplyDeleteBefore, and after the war were entirely different culturally. Women gained new freedoms during the war, since a lot of men were gone fighting. Women became more equal to men, and can now vote. Women started dressing and dancing more provocatively. Also, due to the “Great Migration” to the North, music began to change and became more upbeat. Jazz became very popular throughout the country, and inspired “crazy” dancing such as the “Bavarian Bounce.” The youth of the nation commonly attended dance halls especially the “flappers,” who were the young women who dressed provocatively. After the war, race became a hot topic again. When the massive numbers of African Americans migrated to the North, the inhabitants that were already there and working, gained a certain fear that the African Americans would take all of their jobs. So there became a stigma against African Americans, which caused them to congregate in local areas, not only because it was more familiar, but because white people were basically shunning them from their neighborhoods, and refusing to sell homes to them. Tensions rose, and eventually erupted in the form of race riots, which didn't just effect African Americans, but also immigrants, for mostly the same reasons stated before. The government ended up placing restrictions on immigration, and banning certain regions entirely. The hate group, the KKK, had a resurgence, which only added fuel to the fire.
ReplyDeleteThe way people acted changed greatly from the time before the war and after the war. Women flexed their newly acquired roles and began to do things more freely than before. Their were flappers, women who wore short hair and short skirts and lived more freely than others. The types of music also changed from before the war, jazz became more common, due to the Great Migration of African Americans. The migration led to race riots throughout the north because white men were afraid that their jobs would be taken by the African Americans. Movies after the war were also changed, before the war Mabel at the Wheel 1914 seemed like more a comedy movie while Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was more serious and had more action. The way people danced also changed, people were closer and danced faster.
ReplyDeleteThere is a noticeable difference in what Americans viewed as entertainment from the prewar era and postwar era. During the prewar era Americans seemed to be interested in viewing modest upper-class lifestyles and movies depicting the American Dream (Mabel at the Wheel and Birth of a Nation). These movies seem to preserve ideals of Americanism such as modesty, but also the idea of continuing to view African Americans as less than second-class citizens. However, it is clear that there was a major shift in what Americans began to view during the postwar era. Movies seemed to be focusing more on different ideas of entertainment (thrillers like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde). Music also began to change the nations cultural identity. This is largely due to the Great Migration of African Americans from the south to the north (NY, Chicago, etc.). With them they brought a new form of music known as Jazz. Swing dancing began to become more and more popular to the youth of the nation causing changes in the way women presented themselves (also due to women gaining more rights and freedoms postwar) and what was acceptable entertainment. These women were referred to as Flappers and would dress with shorter skirts and began doing things deemed unfeminine. These cultural shifts were prominent and even shocked returning soldiers from the war due to women and African Americans proving themselves capable not only in the workforce, but independently.
ReplyDeleteThe society in prewar America was one that favored the wealthy. This was reflected in the movies of this time, which depicted the American Dream of being part of an upper middle class. The movies also depicted how the society still perceived African Americans as lower class citizens. In contrast to the prewar era, the postwar era depicted action and adventure. This displays a change in what Americans at the time thought of us entertaining.This same trend was also seen in dances and music. Prewar era dancing, like ragtime, were upbeat but the dancers were always sure to stay apart and dress modestly. Postwar dancing and music displayed much more revealing outfits, and the dances had much more contact. The music also changed as it was greatly influenced by jazz, thanks to the Great Migration of African Americans into the cities.
ReplyDeletewho is this- I do not recognize the email address and I cannot give you credit if I don't know who you are!
DeleteI'm so sorry! I was signed into the wrong gmail and was just trying to fix it. It's Jolene Lujan.
DeletePost-war America was far more inclusive, and far less conservative, than pre-war America. Post-War America was much ‘faster’ and ‘looser’ than pre-war America, most especially with the new forms of entertainment. These included more provocative and upbeat dancing, as well as more revealing clothing to engage in these activities. Americans also had money to spare that they did not previously with the post war boom, which also contributed to the rise in entertainment for Americans to spend their spare cash on. This time period also began the shift from a very segregated society, in class, race, and gender, to a much more inclusive one. This can be seen very clearly through the media of the time, including that for entertainment such as the pre-war Charlie Chaplin movies to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
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