What Was The United States Like?

Downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa:  Circa 1902

 Have you ever wondered what life was like for the typical American family in the year 1900?  What did they do for fun and entertainment?  What were the political hot topics of the day?  Did they have electricity?  Indoor plumbing?  What events would they remember?  What new forms of technology were emerging?  What was school like?  What type of jobs did they have?

With this quick activity we will be exploring what the U.S. was like in 1900.  

DIRECTIONS:

Assign each person in your group with the responsibility of covering one of the following areas during the period of 1900-1910.

1. Art and Entertainment
•  How did the average person entertain themselves?  
• Did they listen to music?  Go to the movies?  Read books?  If so, what were the most popular ones?
• Who were the big stars of the time period?
2.  Historical Events
• What major events occurred within the world during 1900-1910?
3.  Technology
• What modern conveniences did they have?
• What type of technology did people use in every day life?
• How was technology used to make their life's simpler?  More complicated?
4.  Politics
• Who were the main politicians of the time?
• What political issues were people talking about?
5. Daily Life
• What was life like for the common American?
• How long did people live?
• Did most people live in the country or in the cities?
• What did their houses look like?
• Did they have indoor plumbing?  Electricity?
• What was school/work like? 

Create a group online bulletin board, at LinoIt, that displays all of your findings in a neat, organized, educational manner.  Be prepared to share this with the class. 

POSSIBLE SOURCES:

Wikipedia
American Cultural History
The 1900s
The 1900 House
Digital History
Genealogy
Technology
Your Textbook