Turn of the Century
...available leisure time. America was now the world's most affluent country. Electricity, automobiles, and indoor plumbing was not widespread, but most people felt that such conveniences were just a matter of time. For every American, including the working class, there was "possibility." Anything was possible in America. This was the place of the self-made man, the American Dream, "rags to riches." This is still very true today. With prosperity came jobs. Americans moved to the city looking for work, believing anything was possible, they had a very strong work ethic. Many immigrants also came in 1900, seeking a better life. Many immigrants are still seeking a better life, but I believe the work ethic for some Americans is not as strong as it once was. The Industrial Revolution produced a great deal of wealth, but also a great deal of poverty. There were the tycoons such as J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie who created their fortunes. But in the same cities, factory workers and coal miners, often children, slaved for $1 to $2 each 12-16 hour day. Many workers just couldn't make it and many immigrants headed back home. Awareness of poor working conditions and unfair wages increased. Concern that trusts and monopolies were taking advantage of workers led to the first large-scale organized labor strike in 1900, an event that impacts industry even today. Technology in the 1900’s included phonographs, light bulbs, typewriters, machine guns, skyscrapers, telegraphs, diesel fuel, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, microphones, and aspirin. In 1900, a train could bring you the same distance in six days that a covered wagon br...