Amusing The Millions
Caroline Cosgrove-Richard
Professor Mark Carson
HIST 2057
2 February 2015
Amusing the Millions
With the turn of the century rapidly approaching, a societal turn began to take place in America as well. John Kasson’s Amusing the Millions vibrantly reinforces Coney Island’s role in moving America away from a genteel, Victorian society towards a more vivacious and energetic one, which would ultimately pave the way for today’s society. Kasson accomplishes this by depicting Coney Island’s amusements as reflective of an emerging urban-industrial society, the elaborate use of technology and by also recognizing the similarities between the social structures of Coney Island as it compared to the cities, which, in turn, ushered in cultural changes to everyday life while still providing visitors with an escape from reality. At the end of the nineteenth century, there were more working class people than ever before in America. As the demand for more industrialized products became greater, the need for workers also increased. While the upper class had various forms of entertainment, the middle and lower classes were not able to enjoy the same luxury. “For many middle-class writers, Coney represented a loss of deference to older genteel standards, a vulgar and disorderly pursuit of sensation rather than the cultivation of sensibility they stood for.” (Kasson, 108). People in the middle class wanted a form of entertainment that was not so rigid and uptight, but was also a good balance between fun and affordable. Because of strict work schedules during the week, people had a desire to break free on the weekends. More people began taking weekend trips out of town and cutting loose after the workweek. Coney Island served as the perfect gateway to this world of carefree excitement. “By the turn of the century commercial entertainments were sweeping the urban middle class and even penetrating the lives of working class . . . A wide range of attractions was increasingly available,
Professor Mark Carson
HIST 2057
2 February 2015
Amusing the Millions
With the turn of the century rapidly approaching, a societal turn began to take place in America as well. John Kasson’s Amusing the Millions vibrantly reinforces Coney Island’s role in moving America away from a genteel, Victorian society towards a more vivacious and energetic one, which would ultimately pave the way for today’s society. Kasson accomplishes this by depicting Coney Island’s amusements as reflective of an emerging urban-industrial society, the elaborate use of technology and by also recognizing the similarities between the social structures of Coney Island as it compared to the cities, which, in turn, ushered in cultural changes to everyday life while still providing visitors with an escape from reality. At the end of the nineteenth century, there were more working class people than ever before in America. As the demand for more industrialized products became greater, the need for workers also increased. While the upper class had various forms of entertainment, the middle and lower classes were not able to enjoy the same luxury. “For many middle-class writers, Coney represented a loss of deference to older genteel standards, a vulgar and disorderly pursuit of sensation rather than the cultivation of sensibility they stood for.” (Kasson, 108). People in the middle class wanted a form of entertainment that was not so rigid and uptight, but was also a good balance between fun and affordable. Because of strict work schedules during the week, people had a desire to break free on the weekends. More people began taking weekend trips out of town and cutting loose after the workweek. Coney Island served as the perfect gateway to this world of carefree excitement. “By the turn of the century commercial entertainments were sweeping the urban middle class and even penetrating the lives of working class . . . A wide range of attractions was increasingly available,