Thomas Schlereth Victorian America Sparknotes

Thomas Schlereth's Victorian America is an informative book based on the social life and cultural history of America from 1876 to 1915. Schlereth's book does not focus on the wars or political leaders during the era but instead emphasizes on the everyday life of the ordinary American at the time. Schlereth also goes into great detail about the dramatic change that occurred in the workplace, housing, and communication. Schlereth manages to explain why the changes in the Victorian era also affected the social life of today's Americans. Between 1876 and 1915, Americans experienced a revolution with the use of artifacts that they came to rely on to do their daily work, to cope with the world, and to regulate their social relations. During this
The purpose of the exposition was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. San Francisco also saw the exposition as a triumph over the 1906 earthquake, which is seen as one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country's history. Many residents considered the education, medical, and welfare exhibits to be an example of the states political and social progression since the quake. Like the Centennial Exposition of 1876, they were both influential in movements like consumer goods and making it into the middle-class lifestyle. Schlereth states that “perhaps most significant of these changes was a transformed middle-class culture, expanded by increasing bureaucratization, fueled by consumer abundance, promulgated by communications technology, and motivated to hold power without property and to maintain hegemony with education and expertise." Some inventions that were exhibited included the first telephone line from New York City to San Francisco. The fair also promoted many technological and motor advancements like the steam locomotive or the Ford assembly line. Schlereth states that “by 1915 they preferred white flour, cold-cereal breakfasts, and fast-food lunches. In the Centennial's Machinery Hall, individual leather makers crafted horse saddles, completing one every two days.” Here Schlereth is saying that around this time Americans are already accustomed to the
For example, Materialism promotes possession of material goods as success in life. People will strive for material objects and people will believe that material things would lead to a better quality of life. Physical things such as money, expensive clothes, cars, and property are some examples of materialism. Greed and selfishness effect a society driven by materialism. The concept of basic needs is lost and the need of materialistic things replace it in my opinion. A materialistic society would focus more on pursuing wealth and physical objects instead of other needs that are non-physical. Another issue with materialism is that it can waste and exploit resources, meaning resources will diminish and certain goods would be hard to come by. Mass-producing some of these goods can create a shortage of resources and could also cause harm to the environment. For example, Trees are needed because they provide oxygen and store carbon; but because of our needs for paper and money, trees are being cut down at a rapid pace which would lead to a shortage of trees. This deforestation affects animals which lead to endangerment or extinction. Fewer trees also mean that there is not enough oxygen being provided and not enough carbon being stored, which can lead to global