1. Emergence of Leisure in American Life<br />If one looks at the United States from one ocean to the other in July and August, he will see millions of people at play—people of every social and financial gradation; for few are so poor as not to take at least a short vacation.<br />From quot;
The People at Play,quot;
World's Work (1902)<br />Introduction<br />How did Americans quot;
have funquot;
a century ago? Where did they vacation and how did they get there? In a time of profound social and cultural change, the increasingly mechanized urban environment left many feeling anxious. The construction of parks in urban areas, the recommendation of physical exercise as a way to ward off stress, and the rise of spectator sports became part of the leisure landscape in the United States. Vaudeville, dance halls, and motion pictures became popular, while new modes of travel allowed Americans to escape to mountain and seaside resorts. <br />By 1900, there were more than 29 million people in the American workforce including men, women, and children. Americans worked an average of 59 hours per week and usually received Saturday afternoons and Sundays off. Many companies provided unpaid leave to their employees. How do you think Americans might have spent their leisure time a century ago? Use the following images to spark your imagination and use the questions below to help you examine the images.<br />Directions: Look at each photo and answer the following questions in your notebook.<br />Who is in the photograph? <br />What can you tell about the person or people in the photograph? <br />What is going on in the photograph? <br />What types of people engaged in this leisure activity? <br />What types of transportation enabled people and/or spectators to get to and from this location? <br />What other forms of entertainment might people enjoyed there? <br />What new technologies, if any, were needed or used? <br />What other observations can you make?<br />
