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The 1900s - The First Years of the Twentieth Century

The early years of the 1900s. This period of rapid economic growth and soaring prosperity in the North and West saw the U.S. become the world's dominant economic, industrial and agricultural power. Every man was a potential Andrew Carnegie, and Americans who achieved wealth celebrated it as never before. This attracted millions of emigres from Europe. Railroads were the major industry, but the factory system, mining, and labor unions also increased in importance. It was modern America's formative period, when an agrarian society of small producers were transformed into an urban society dominated by industrial corporations. It was a time of new communication technologies; the rise of mass-circulation newspapers and magazines; the growth of commercialized entertainment; and new transportation technologies such as the automobile, electric trains, and trolleys. Unlike earlier immigrants, who had come from Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia, the "new immigrants" came increasingly from Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Russia. The newcomers were often Catholic or Jewish and two-thirds of them settled in cities. Telling a story in films began to emerge around 1900. Film makers moved beyond the technical aspects of just showing motion and began to tell stories. Edwin Porter's 1903 film, "The Great Train Robbery" is a good example of the story telling nature of films. These early films were quite short, running 5 to 8 minutes long. Early stars included Charlie Chaplin. In 1913, he was making just $130 a week, but by 1914, he was getting $10,000 a week ($500,000 a year, at a time when there was no federal income tax). He also got a signing bonus of $150,000.

• published: 31 Oct 2013
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