1890's? Easy 10 Points!!!!!!!!?

Question

Does anybody have any information on the 1890's.

My questions are mainly:

How were people of different classes treated?

What was the distinction between classes?

How were women treated?

What was the attitude towards upperclass boys being good at playing instruments (like did they support it or did they think it was a sign of homosexuality?)

In America what was the attitude towards people of different races?

In the 1890's (1896 specifically) what were the popular songs - Operas, classical music, gospel?

What was considered beautiful in a woman?

Please give serious answers.

Answer 1

I  can offer a rather surprising bit of anecdotal information:  My paternal grandmother, born in 1865 and married in 1893, continued to teach school after she was married.  Since she also had four children by the time she'd been married six and a half years, I conclude that not only was she a working mother, but she must have taught while she was pregnant.  Pretty advanced for the nineteenth century!

Answer 2

For one thing, Women and Blacks couldn't vote!

I'd say that's pretty major.

Answer 3

Easy 10 points my *@#%@!

There were large class differences.  Those with money and old families looked down on those with just money, even if the newly rich had more.

The middle class looked down on the poor- being poor was considered a failure of character.

In this country there was some mobility between classes because a person could succeed financially in a few years if lucky.  Opportunities were there.

Hard to summarize  - Class system strongest in the Northeast and South.

Women's suffrage was an issue, but controversial and strongly opposed.  They had more social freedom than previously, but still very restricted.  Depended on what class and area of country.

Upperclass boys:  artistic accomplishments, dance, etc were   positively reinforced within their class.  Not thought to be effeminate, unless taken to excess.

Of course racist.  Most of the more "enlightened" people had attitudes that would be considered very biased, paternalistic, offensive today.

I think ragtime was popular, along with the others.  Sorry, don't know specifics.

A women could certainly have a wider waist and hips than today's popular image.

Answer 4

In the southern US, it was a better time as the depressions caused by the civil war was lessen, a little. Houses were still built big as the extended family lived together but some improvement to comfort for you would now build your kitchen onto the house. Small towns were less countrylike and more citified. New inventions made the future seem bright and lots of building took place. The state of mind word was "progressive". Race relations became worst as farm work changed to factory work, jobs were few. The well to do were involved in reading clubs and tennis teams while others spent most of their time doing chores. Housework was truely a full time job(cooking for extended family, garden, canning) and women were known to chop wood as well as men. Well to do women had a hired woman to help.

If a man or woman abused their family, they were visited by the pastor and some local men. If they continued after that, they were visited again without the pastor. I have read newspapers from that time in the process of doing a house history.