The closing of the frontier has two main dates: Wounded Knee (S. Dakota, 1890) and the Columbian Exhibition (Chicago, 1893) which was made to show the American triumph/glory. Turner made a speech in which he declares the frontier finally closed.

Now it’s the time of the industrialisation (Gilded Age), a time where people went from the country to industrial cities (mostly). The little farms were affected due the beginning of agribusiness.

At the same time there is general corruption, there is a movement of middle class people (intellectuals) → MucKrakers.(John Bunyan) Pilgrim’s Progress → religious content, but about metaphors.

MucKraker → character that is always cleaning, etc, but never looks at the sun. Theodore Roosevelt calls the intellectuals that.

Jack London wrote stories where even in the nature in itself is a social fight, but there’s hope because the good ones win again.

Farmers (the base of the American society) went bankrupt + corruption, etc. why the political party (Popular Party) didn’t win? Why there wasn’t any revolution?Usually the main enemies were anarchist (which were associated with foreigners) and Native Americans. Of course, the government used oppressive measures to stop the Popular Party. But the most important change that stopped the steps to a social revolution was immigration.

America is going to be an industrial power, even though it was and is nowadays one of the main farming places (worldwide). America became a powerful country and would develop its economy thanks to the immigration → (10 million / 5 years). Also, the change in the ideology of the American dream → success, most of people ran away from an almost slave condition from Russia or Ukraine. You could go from nothing to be one of the most success. (Most of people stayed in the factories of the Great Lakes and eastern)Jacob Riis: pictures that show how people is living in the US (How the other half lives – in the US).

Statue of Liberty. The new colossus (by Emma Lazarus)

THE MELTING POT

Everyone came from different parts of the world, different cultures, etc. but at the end they co-exist and adapt to the American values. However, like a melting pot, there is a memory of old ingredients but there is cohesion between them now. SALAD BOWL – MULTICULTURALISM (CAN)

You can see the different parts of a salad, however, there is an Unitarian dressing, but you can difference the parts. e.g. in NY/San Francisco: Chinatown, etc.

In the US what happened was a mix between both ideas.

19th c – 20th c → many immigrants live in culturally/ethnically defined areas. The assimilation wasn’t as fast as it is believed. e.g. in WWII when the US declares war against Germany, many Germanics rise against it.

1920s → conservative years in regards of immigration they only accepted WASP.

Immigration control centres go from the frontier to the metropolis and the rest of main cities in the US.

The new American icon: skyscrapers (the triumph of American success), the visual image of the US is the skyscraper (11S).