APUSH HP7 Review

Art and Architecture

• James McNeill Whistler

  • Birth: Massachusetts; spent much of his life in Paris and London.

  • Famous work: Arrangement in Grey and Black ("Whistler's Mother") is housed in the Louvre.

  • Impact: Focus on color over subject matter aided the evolution of modern art.

• Mary Cassatt: Distinguished portrait artist who immersed herself in Impressionism in France; notable for her vibrant use of pastels.

• Ashcan School:

  • In the late 19th century, George Bellows and peers painted scenes of life in struggling urban neighborhoods, embodying social realism.

• Armory Show (1913):

  • Featured abstract and nonrepresentational art, shocking both realists and romantics.

  • Such art was controversial and rejected by many Americans until the 1950s.

Architecture

• Henry Hobson Richardson (1870s)

  • Shifted American architecture from classical styles to the Romanesque style characterized by massive stone walls and rounded arches.

• Louis Sullivan (Chicago)

  • Discarded historical styles for an aesthetic unity in tall office buildings, aligning form with function, characteristic of the Chicago School.

• Frank Lloyd Wright

  • Developed organic architecture, harmonizing structures with their surroundings, exemplified by prairie-style homes, ultimately becoming America's most renowned architect.

• Daniel H. Burnham

  • Revived classical architecture through design efforts, notably at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Music

• With urban growth, demand for orchestras and opera houses increased; outdoor bandstands in smaller towns showcased musicians like John Philip Sousa who popularized marches.

• Jazz: Innovatively developed by African Americans in New Orleans; musicians like Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin expanded this genre, blending African rhythms with European instruments.

• Early 20th-century urban movement included blues music reflecting the African American experience, contributing to a wider acceptance of jazz, ragtime, and blues.

Popular Culture

• Entertainment rose in importance for escape from work, fueled by various trends:

  1. Mass Press: The first newspaper to exceed a million circulation was Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, filled with sensational stories and issues.

  2. Amusement factors included reduced working hours, better transportation, promotion, billboards, and easing of earlier restrictive values inhibiting leisure.

  3. Saloons became popular despite the temperance movement, while theaters and traveling circuses drew large audiences.

  4. Professional Sports: Organized sports, notably baseball, boxing, and football, grew significantly but faced racial barriers, and Jim Crow laws excluded African Americans from major leagues until later.

  5. New activities: Ballet, bicycle riding, and tennis became trends, particularly among the affluent.

Historical Perspectives: Melting Pot vs. Cultural Diversity

• Immigrant assimilation into American culture debated; historical perspectives evolved from viewing the U.S. as a melting pot to a salad bowl where diverse cultures coalesce without losing identity.

• Scholars like Carl N. Degler argue many immigrants retained their ethnic heritages, while others, like Oscar Handlin, suggest first-generation immigrants often experienced alienation from both original and new cultures, leading to incomplete assimilation.

• Issues of race, especially for African Americans, highlighted a unique experience with ongoing challenges of prejudice and discrimination in urban settings.

Key Terms by Theme

• Immigration: Old vs. New immigrants, Chinese Exclusion Act, urban growth, social agony.

• Architecture: Efforts by influential architects, urban reform, and aesthetic shifts.

• Popular Culture and Arts: Significant movements, literature, and transformative figures.

• Politics and Society: Concepts of reform, party dynamics, cultural responses.