In the late 1800's, American society began to burst with cultural activity. After the Civil War and the Reconstruction,
Americans were eager to return to their normal lifestyles. The period that followed, however, was quite different from what the country was used to. During the war, many pushed hard for a rise in industry, leading to an explosive industrial revolution far beyond what people had expected. America's business and economy had boomed, and, as the new century approached, many had a new outlook on life. They were eager to escape the dull regiments of both the past
Victorian era and the new urban lifestyle. This was easy for the upper and middle classes, both of which were growing due to the rapid increase in industry. It was great news for entrepreneurs and business people of the time, because there was money to be made in this desire for amusement. Of course, this was not the whole story of the new Gilded Age, but it was definitely an era of growing leisure time and the business that came along with it.
In the spaces below, fill in the various forms of entertainment and leisure activities that started during this time period based on the “charades” your classmates demonstrate. Add enough detail that you UNDERSTAND what each form of entertainment was.
For what reasons was there so much leisure (free) time during the Gilded
Age?

Traveling entertainment was also extremely popular during this period. One such display was the circus, especially the
Barnum & Bailey Circus, which was advertised as "The Greatest Show on
Earth." Much like those of today, it featured an array of animals and performers gathered under a big tent. P.T.
Barnum, one of its founders, started out as the owner of a freak show. He was keen on advertising and also knew how to attract audiences, skills he needed in order to compete with The Ringling Brothers'
Circus, his main competitor. That show was also quite a spectacle, featuring lavish scenery and thousands of performers. The two each strove to be recognized as the best in the world, which helped to make the circus the "show to see" when it came to town.
During the Gilded Age, Americans also began to develop a craze for physical activity. One popular form was bicycling, and it became a passion that seized the country. In the late 1800's, the bicycle was constantly being improved up until the invention of the safety bicycle, which greatly increased its popularity. Both men and women were part of the bicycle mania. Women were great targets for this business because bicycling gave them a taste of freedom they had not previously experienced. More casual, loose fitting clothes were developed for women to ride in, and manufactures profited not only from bicycle sales but clothing sales as well.
One of the most popular forms of entertainment during the Gilded Age was theater, particularly Vaudeville, which was a type of variety theater prominent in late 19th century America. It featured a large variety of diverse acts, from singers and dancers, to comedy and magic. Vaudeville was great entertainment to those coming from cities who were assured of quality by large numbers of people and were used to constant buzz.
Another form of theater that had its beginnings in the Gilded Age was the movies. They emerged due to Thomas
Edison's kinetograph, a new type of camera that could photograph motion pictures. At first, movies were very short and contained no plot structure.
Due to their growing popularity, however, nickelodeons, the first permanent movie theaters, began to spring up. Soon after, glamorous movie palaces, such as The Roxy in
Los Angeles, were built to mimic the grand style of real theaters.
Filmmakers began making movies longer and more sophisticated in order to please their audiences. Movies were
“silent” until the 1920’s when sound would be invented.
Better transportation and more free time allowed American's to attend many games and become part of the
baseball craze. Railroads also allowed baseball teams to travel, so they could compete with one another very easily.
Mass audiences became obsessed with baseball, and it spawned an immense business. Ticket sales generated mass amounts of money, and the same went for supplies such as bats and gloves, and baseball cards, which were a favored collectible for American children
Although music, movies and shows were very prominent and quite marketable, some
Americans had a taste for more adventurous recreation. With the higher incomes and affordable transportation of the Gilded Age, men and women flocked to amusement parks all over the country.
The first roller coaster, developed in the
1870's, was really just converted from coal mining trains, but the enterprising businessmen who made it became quite successful. Their sluggish roller coaster later developed into the tall, fast-moving coasters in parks such as the three on
Coney Island. There, nickel fares on rides accumulated to up to $700 a day. Lake
Erie, New Jersey and Chicago also became popular sites for amusement parks. The people of America wanted thrills, and they were ready to pay well for them.6
Basketball, the only major sport purely
American in origin, was invented by Dr.
James Naismith, who taught physical education at YMCA Training College in
Springfield, Massachusetts (now Springfield
College). Naismith invented basketball, in which participants scored by shooting soccer balls into peach baskets suspended at each end of the school's gymnasium. In
January 1892 Naismith wrote 13 basketball rules. Since his class had 18 students,
Naismith assigned nine players to each side. To speed the game, Naismith removed the bottom from the peach basket. The game was called "Springfield ball" and "triangle ball" before student
Frank Mahan named it basketball.
Basketball initially was considered a YMCA exercise rather than a serious sport.
The Gilded Age, with its compulsory education laws and high literacy rates—in 1870 about 88 percent for white Americans and 20 percent for black Americans—saw a large growth in available reading for all, whether women's parlor magazines such as
genteel magazines for men and women such as
and
or dime novels. The most common of publications, and one of the binding forces of the new urban landscape, was the newspaper. From 1870 to
1900, 1,500 new daily newspapers appeared in America.