20 photos that show what the world looked like for Americans 150 years ago (2024)

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In the 1870s, families were experiencing significant changes as the Second Industrial Revolution moved people from farmland to cities.

After the Civil War, America entered its Second Industrial Revolution. During this time, cities became the place to find a job as factories popped up in urban areas. This sparked a great change in the family dynamic. Before this time period, families mostly lived on farmland and made a living off their land. But from 1870 to 1920, 11 million people moved into the cities.

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As more people moved into the cities, daily life became gruesome for some.

People crammed into the streets of New York City 150 years ago, making the city cramped. This marked the beginning of tenement housing, which packed entire families into one-room apartments. Most lived in squalor and in unsafe environments.

"It was all very dense, very crowded, and unregulated — conditions that fostered disease and inhumane living conditions," the New York Public Library writes.

The photo above depicts what would become of tenement housing by the late 1880s, as photographed by Jacob Riis.

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At the same time, people were moving west as train lines expanded.

Once the railroads were completed after the Civil War, many people moved out west to settle and farm the open land. While some think of these people as cowboys, the Library of Congress says that image is false. The people who moved out west experienced tough lifestyles including, "long, hard hours of labor, poor living conditions, and economic hardship."

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The demographics of the country were changing, too, as thousands of people immigrated from Europe to the US.

To combat poverty and hardships, many immigrated to the United States in hopes of a better life. From 1870 to 1900, 12 million people immigrated to the country. At that time, the majority of immigrants were coming from Germany, Ireland, and England.

More than 70% of immigrants entered the US via New York City's Ellis Island. While the boat ride across the ocean was difficult, what waited for them on the other side was filled with hope and promise.

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African Americans had been freed from slavery just five years prior, but this freedom was still severely limited.

Slavery had been made illegal in 1865 by the ratification of the 13th Amendment and, in 1870, the US government passed the 15th Amendment, which granted African Americans the right to vote, although many were still unable to do so due to other discriminatory laws in place.

The 15th Amendment states, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

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Many African Americans were still unable to vote, and they were pushed into squalor.

Throughout the 1870s and for decades to come, multiple practices were implemented to stop Black people from exercising their right to vote. In some ways, African Americans were free, but in many ways, they were disfranchised.

It would be nearly 100 years before many people of color could exercise their right to vote, with the passage of theVoting Rights Act of 1965andvoting rights amendments in 1975.

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Children spent most of their time in one-room schoolhouses.

Before 1870, public education was not a priority. But between 1870 and 1900, attendance at public schools doubled, as people saw the value of an educated society. In fact, the growing number of immigrant families in the US prompted the need for public schools as immigrant parents wanted their children to be educated.

Public schools were often one room and housed children of all ages. Students learned math, reading, writing, geography, and history.

For families who were extremely poor, children would sometimes forego schooling and instead be sent right to work to help the family's finances.

When not in school, children played with dolls that they made themselves.

Most parents 150 years ago would make toys out of items lying around the house. During this time, rag dolls were popular. If you were wealthier, however, you had access to handcrafted toys. Abroad, children played with dolls made of china, train sets, and soldiers. It was also common for children to play with toys that represented a story from the Bible.

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Women's fashion was dramatic and elegant, with details focused on the back.

In the 1870s, women's dresses tended to swoop towards the back and bunch around the buttocks. It was also common that the dress fell flat against the abdomen. The princess waistline, which was achieved by wearing a tight corset, was also popular during this time period.

The menswear of 150 years ago was also more formal.

Some men during this time period also used canes or walking sticks.

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When getting around, horse and buggy were popular.

By the 1870s, horse and buggy had become the most popular mode of transport throughout the world.

At the time, the horse and buggy allowed the whole family to go for a ride.

The Spring Wagon is just one model that people used. It was a carriage that had two benches with one behind the other.

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The steamboat was another popular mode of transport during this time.

The firststeamboat was in 1807, so by 1870, the industry had taken off. In fact, the National Museum of American History wrote, "Steamboats dominated American river transportation." The upstream and downstream system allowed people to transport goods and people at a faster and cheaper rate.

Although railroads were growing in popularity throughout the 1800s, 1870 marked the beginning of a boom within the industry.

Before 1871, 45,000 miles of railroad track had already been laid in the US, but from 1871 to 1900, the country laid another 170,000 miles. As the transcontinental railroads crisscrossed the US, train travel became popular among travelers.

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The railroad also gave people access to different types of food.

During the 1870s, people were gaining access to foods they never had before. People on the East Coast could suddenly consume oranges from California, beef from Wyoming, and fresh milk.

During this time, women started buying commercially prepared items to eat.

Grocery stores like Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company and the A&P opened in the mid-1800s, and theywere popular by the 1870s. Around this time, women started buying mass-produced groceries instead of making their own. The "five and dime" stores also became popular around this time period for the same reason.

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As for shopping, many people bought clothing and goods from a catalog called Montgomery Ward.

About 150 years ago, Aaron Montgomery Ward started a mail-order business by publishing a catalog that featured appliances, furniture, and clothing. It quickly took off and became a popular means of retail for people in the 1870s.

New leisure activities, like bicycling, were becoming popular.

Bicycling got its start 150 years ago, but it became a national craze in 1890.

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Tennis was also a popular sport 150 years ago.

People who belonged to the upper and middle class loved to play tennis and golf. Baseball was also popular at the time.

Around the same time, the US held the first Kentucky Derby.

Technically the Kentucky Derby got its start 145 years ago, in 1875, but the newfound interest in leisure that started in 1870 helped the Kentucky Derby come about. Today, the sporting event is still held in Louisville, Kentucky, and is considered an American tradition.

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