Artwork


 * 1806, //Webster's Dictionary-// Noah Webster started the American-English language by publishing this book, start of their own culture.
 * 1960s, Rock N' Roll - popular culture music of the 1960s, members of the New Left felt that by listening to different, racy, and controversial music they could push away authority.
 * 1960s, Counter Culture/Hippies - What members of the New Left believed in, they took part in a freer lifestyle - drugs, sex, music, art.
 * Harlem renaissance - Early 1900s - 20s-30s. There was a revival of african pride and culture, starting in Harlem, NY. Artists, poets, musicians, etc. emerged from the area with popular art that displayed pride in their nationality.
 * Motown - Motown Records - started by Berry Gordy, blacks were able to record music.
 * Catcher in the Rye - By J.D. Salinger, the story of a teenage boy experiencing difficulties fitting in with society. First time a teenager was the protaganist of a novel, especially one who was a "juvenille delinquent."
 * Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck, 1939 - showed a family trying to escape from the Dust Bowl and make their way out to CA. Different literature than the escapist programming going on at the time.
 * Beatniks - The 1950s/60s, Beatniks were critics of popular society. Mostly young American criticised conformity in their artwork.
 * Hudson River School - Mid-19th century art school, focused on depicting the beautiful landscapes of American society --> national pride.
 * The Other America - 1961, Michael Harrington - showed extensive research on American poverty.
 * Radios, Televisions - Came to popularity in the first half of the twentieth century. These devices allowed Americans to stay connected and up to date with all news sources - united the country.
 * Levittowns - Created by William Levitt, inexpensive modular homes in the suburbs - identical. Led to popular suburban rush for middle class families --> suburbs
 * Journalism - Journalism (yellow journalism) came to use in WWI on the American front, the depicted the other side harsly and inaccurately in order to heighten the support for the war.
 * Birth of a Nation - A silent film in 1915, known for it's controversial portrayal of African Americans. Some claim is it was a tool used by the KKK.
 * Feminine Mystique - A book written in 1963 by Betty Friedan. It criticised the domesticities that women are forced into, and encouraged women to break out of that sphere --> feminism.
 * I Love Lucy - Most popular television show of the 1960s, TV was becoming an important aspect of family entertainment and American life.
 * The Jungle