What Is Nineteenth Century Socially Appropriate?

Jack Larkin’s The Personal Side of a Developing People focuses on the patterns of social manners in the early nineteenth century and how they were changed by reform. He answers questions about these mannerisms, such as diet, alcohol consumption, cleanliness, and many others. He reveals the image that Americans were busy and unique, as they chewed and spat tobacco constantly, drank too much liquor, slept in bug infested beds, used chamber pots and dumped them into the streets, grew taller than Europeans, and had many sexual pleasures. Class differences in mannerisms are depicted as Larkin writes that “farmers were ‘heavy, awkward and slouching in movement” (pg. 148), and states that American city dwellers were often distinguished by a “contraction of the brow, knitting of the eyebrows, and compression of the

Throughout the 1900’s, America has grown exponentially in its values, struggles, and art. The Best American Essays of the Century, written by Robert Atwan, showcases the progress this country has made through a series of essays ordered chronologically. Although many underlying topics existed in these pieces, three common themes particularly stood out. In “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, “The Old Stone House” by Edmund Wilson, and “The Handicapped” by Randolph Bourne, identity is an important subject. Injustice is a clearly shared theme in “Coatesville” by John Jay Chapman, “The Devil Baby at Hull-House” by Jane Addams, and “Of the Coming of John” by W.E.B. Du Bois. Finally, in “Corn-pone Opinions” by Mark Twain, “Tradition and the Individual Talent” by T.S. Eliot, and “What Are Masterpieces and Why Are There So Few of Them” by Gertrude Stein, the aspect of non-personality and the removal of one’s self seems to be commonly spoken of in terms of creation.

“Manifest destiny”, the effects of industrialization, and the addition of millions of immigrants to American ranks mark America as it stood in the 1800’s. The introduction of a plethora of differing cultures and traditions meant that ideas of what it meant to be American were still forming as the country surged into its position as a global powerhouse. The “wild, wild West” had made its appearance as the Homestead Act of 1862 beckoned large numbers of landless citizens seeking to remedy such circumstances (Peopling of the West, 51). At the same time, Victorian standards for dress and poise still permeated the American middle-class. These strange cultural amalgamations of America in the 1800’s proved to be catalysts for the change that the turn of the century brought in – the millions of Americans on whose back the country had flourished sought recompense in the form of leisure to match their work. While the 1800’s had been chock full of Victorian values and industrious yearnings, the 1900’s entered with a demand for less rigorous social expectations. The Victorian values instilled in middle-class Americans were faced with a sudden challenge in the form of amusement parks that offered overburdened workers a respite from their dreary work days. While this new entertainment excluded some races, it allowed more classes and ethnicities to intermingle, enticed women from their traditional roles in the home, and disregarded the standards Victorian values had set for respectable

Social, economic, and political changes derived from the Market Revolution in America. This suggests the many changes for better or worse the United States experienced during 1800-1860. The first impact was economic growth from the many types of machinery utilized to produce a product and the increasing number of industries in the North. By implementing factories, brought workers with raw materials out of their homes and shops into centralized location causing rapid mass production utilizing capital machinery and concentrated energy as coal (Adams, 1982). Therefore, new forms of transportation resulted from the steam engine to provide adequate travel by river and railroads, i.e. train, then adding new roads and canals to the improvements allowed

Meanwhile in England, the Anglican tradition had begun under the banner of the Church of England after having separated itself from the Roman Catholic tradition during the 1530’s; a response by Henry VIII to Pope Clement VII’s refusal to annul the kings marriage with Catherine of Aragon. It is from the last of these, during the Elizabethan period, that the rise of English Puritanism can be seen culminating in disillusionment with the reign of James I and finally revolution under Charles I.

Even being in a house with members of the opposite sex would insinuate that sexual wickedness was occurring. There was little room for error. To be different or to disrupt the herd was to be “a disturber of the peace” and said to be “Invading the rights & priviledges of the church contrary to Law”. Even though the punishments were harsh the people were put back into the community and expected to return to the behaviors the church had ordained for all

In the early 1700s up until the 20th century, each year has had its own growth spurt. From advancements in technology, medical treatment, architecture, and even etiquette and manners. Overall, the world is a melting pot that contains, a mixture of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Whereas, the foundation for mannerism begins at home.

Thesis: A “true women” in the 19th Century was one who was domestic, religious, and chaste. These were virtues established by men but enforced and taught by other women. Women were also told that they were inferior to men and they should accept it and be grateful that someone just loved them.

There were very severe punishments for disobeying victorian religion, and let me tell you the victorians were VERY religious. being punished as a victorian was no picnic.Banishment and death were possible punishments for disobeying victorian religion

If the lower classes are not controlled it will be hard to maintain the social structure and prevent internal conflict.

The turn of the 19th century was tumultuous time in terms of the arrival of many new ideas and ideals—human rights, and whether people should have them and to what extent, being an example. According to Lynn Hunt, the rise of the credibility of human rights largely came out of “subtle but momentous changes in the perception of bodies and selves” (9). In other words, because the general public began to view other individuals as separate, morally autonomous beings—and also began to appreciate the fact—the rights of man became more accepted. What exactly allowed people to understand others, however, is very interesting. Hunt continues to argue that, in essence, art helped draw out empathy from people. Novels, theater, painting, music—they all

First, the narrator wonders why the early 19th century writers were all novelists despite their apparent differences in temperament. And one answer that she gives focuses on women 's common social role.

Litz, A. Walton. "Into the Nineteenth Century: Pride and Prejudice." Interpretations of Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Rubinstein. E. Englewood Cliffs: Pr

The 20th century marked a change in many aspects of people’s life. In politics and social life, people were enfranchised, gaining legal and political rights. In literature,

People all over the world practice their own religion or spirituality in their own different way. For many years being able to freely practice religion has been a very long battle. Soldiers and civilians together have died, fought, petitioned, and taken action, time and time again for the same result: freedom and acceptance to practice their beliefs without judgment. In the Victorian Era in England, which took place in 1837 through 1901, the beginning of the era had a high population of Christian believers but as the years went by, that began to change. Religious beliefs and the Church were being questioned and with the industrial revolution on the rise, people became more educated and slowly drifted away from spirituality. In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, he references this shift in attitudes towards religion.