Passing the Time: Entertainment in the 1800s

by Zachary Chastain

Overview

With a six-day workweek, long hours on the job, and the hard labor required to keep house, leisure time was precious in the 1800s. Without recorded music, radio, movies, TV, video games, or the Internet, Americans had to make their own fun, and most of it was simple and very low tech—singing around the family piano, visiting with neighbors, or picnicking in the woods. In the bigger towns and cities, theaters offered live, professional entertainment ranging from classic plays to raucous minstrel shows. In the smaller towns and rural areas, people waited anxiously for those few times a year when a traveling show or circus might come through the area. As the 1800s progressed, leisure time and economic resources increased for many Americans and a more sophisticated public demanded new and more exciting amusements. Read all about America at play in the 1800s!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422296851
Publisher:	Mason Crest
Publication date:	09/29/2014
Series:	Daily Life in America in the 1800s Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
Lexile:	1130L (what's this?)
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Timeline 8

Part I Practical Delights 13

Part II Fun on the Frontier 25

Part III The Sights and Sounds of a New Era 37

Think About It 60

Words Used in This Book 61

Find Out More 62

Index 63

Picture Credits 64

About the Author and the Consultant 64