The Devil In The White City Analysis
Kristen Koehler
Professor David Smith
History 2366
November 19th, 2017
America in the 1890s: Time of Transformation
Americans have continuously incorporated the knowledge acquired from the past to transform the future of the country. The American Civil War forced this country to decide if it would continue to be a loose grouping of largely independent states with different moral and cultural standards, or a true country with a national culture. The dilemmas faced by the country in post-Civil War America helped shape what we think of as modern America. The nation’s values were shifting and its people could either evolve or remain fragmented.
O Pioneers! and The Devil in the White City address some of the immense changes, both personal and national, occurring during the 1890s. The best way to attain the “American dream” was changing and many Americans struggled to understand and accept the fact that prior techniques for succeeding did not always work any longer. The transformation of American culture had many unforeseen consequences for life in the United States. The decade of the1890s showed how drastically American ideals and culture could change. But even when things changed and
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40. The changes to society were not always easy or for the best. Nonetheless, this Nation has a unique ability to remake itself, while maintaining a unique American nature. The period of the 1890s was a great time of change, including the mass relocation of individuals from the frontier to the city and the beginnings of a widespread consumer culture. The modern American soul is a byproduct of all of these revolutionary
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