Alyssa Evans
Mr. David Fitzpatrick
AP US History A4
17 August 2015
Reflecting on the Devil in the White City The 1893 Chicago World’s fair, also referred to as the World’s Columbian Exposition was the last and largest fair in the 19th century. It opened May 1st of 1893 and closed on October 30th of 1893. The fair had reached over twenty-six million visitors and is the birthplace for many trends that have shaped modern America. The fair took place in 1893 to commemorate the four hundredth anniversary. While in the end the fair was extremely successful, it had many trials in the process of it construction. During the construction of the fair, Daniel Burnham, the main designer of the fair was faced with many trials. Whether it be the death
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The fair was also the way Pabst Blue Ribbon beer claimed the title as the best beer in the world. Although the beer exist long before the fair, the publicity it earned at the fair allowed it to reach stardom and to be recognized by all.
When the World's Fair opened in 1893, equal rights for women was still a futuristic dream. American women couldn't vote and were relegated to the margins of public life. Luckily, times they were slowly changing. Prominent women spoke at the Fair about a number of issues, including women's right icon Susan B. Anthony, labor rights reformer Florence Kelley, and abolitionist Julia Ward Howe.
Despite all the security at the fair, crime still presented itself. This is thanks to the antagonist of the book, H.H. Holmes aka “Devil”. Holmes is a pharmacist, psychopathic doctor and serial killer from New Hampshire, who came to Chicago a few years during the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. He uses manipulation and charm to deceive people a commit several crimes, including theft, insurance fraud, and murder. Followed by the assassination of the city’s mayor Carter Harrison two days from the closing of the fair by Patrick Eugene
In the book, “The Devil in the White City,” Erik Larson tells the story of two formidable men and their activities during Chicago’s World Fair of 1893. Daniel Burnham is an architect and the fair’s brilliant director. The book takes the reader through the tremendous obstacles and tragedies that Burnham faces in an attempt to create a fair that will give America its fame. However, H.H Holmes is a young doctor, who uses the attraction of the great fair and his charms to lure dozens of young women to their inevitable and tragic deaths. Not only did Chicago’s World Fair of 1893 showcase Daniel Burnham’s success as an able director and H.H. Holmes cunning nature, it changed America as a whole, introduced some lasting inventions, and influenced many historical figures of both that time and our current time period.
In the late 1800’s America began to take on its own individual identity as a country. The Chicago World's Fair was a great influence for that notion. In Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City he tells a duel nonfictional storyline of one of the fair’s architects and a serial killer living just outside the fair. By using imagery, juxtaposition, and syntax Larson is able to enchant the reader and make the novel read like a fiction.
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was the turning point between old Victorian, provential, and backwater ways in the US, and the modern outlook and culture we enjoy today. It was built on a scale that had never been seen before. It provided technological wonders, new cultures, and a look into a brighter future. It helped to take the US from being a backwater, second rate power to a world super power. It was progressive in the labor and safety movements. In short, it was a major turning point in American history.
The World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, was an event celebrating American invention and innovation on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of America. The fair was open for six months and was visited by an estimated 27.5 million people. The Fair was a major influence on the spirt invention associated with the Gilded Age, but it was also influenced by the spirit of the time.
In fact, there was such a multitude of faults that “at night the lights and the infilling darkness served to mask the exposition’s many flaws” (254-255). This statement is extremely ironic to the beliefs of good versus evil, also mentioned as light versus dark. The fact that the darkness, or the evil, hides the flaws of the exposition serves to explain how darkness and immorality is needed to succeed in something as ambitious as the World’s Fair. Larson proves to his audience how momentous figures and events could not be possible without a lack of morality. Likewise, with this ironic statement, he demonstrates how said immorality is dismissed by the public. Irony is also used to convey the true nature of men as opposed to how they let themselves be perceived. Through the entirety of the book, Holmes is a metaphor for such irony. He is described in every scene in which he is present as “charming” and “warm,” but in reality he was a sociopathic serial killer. Others saw him only the way he presented himself, which was approachable, for he kept all of the darkness that festered inside of him hidden. To elaborate on Holme’s manipulative ways, Larson tells a specific story of Holmes taking two children to Indianapolis. When he bought an apartment, he requested help to set up a large wood stove in the house. When asked why he
In 1893 a world fair was held in Chicago Illinois to celebrate the 4thcentenniel of Columbus discovering the Americas. The exposition displayed grand buildings with beautiful architecture, hundreds of exhibits ranging from exotic tribes of Africa, to new inventions, expertly constructed landscape, and astounding attractions such as the first Ferris wheel. The fair lasted for six months and had over 27 million visitors, including ¼ of the American population.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson tells the story of Daniel Burnham’s World Fair and H.H. Holmes’ murder spree. The tale focuses much on the conflict between good and evil, light and dark. However, the book also goes deeper, utilizing contrast to demonstrate the greed, exclusiveness, and exploitation ever present in the Gilded Age of America.
...gic of Chicago, but also the darkening madness of H.H. Holmes. This analysis of the book covers the city of Chicago being “the Black City,” before it hosted the World’s fair. Secondly, the glorious magic of Daniel Burnham did make this fair possible who all of his men that he worked with. Next, the city of Chicago when the fair was going on was a grand sight that people around the world would remember in history. Also, the unfortunate sight of the crimes and evil intention of H.H. Holmes had committed, that does put a black eye upon the fair. Finally, The Fair and how it has related to the historical trends of nineteenth century America. The Devil in the White City is an important novel that does tell of a great historical fair and a crime that has happened within the city of Chicago, the events there during that time period would be an important part in history.
Women had limited rights during the 19th Century. The Seneca Falls convention was a woman’s rights convention located in Seneca Falls in what is today known as Finger Lakes District (Page 3). This convention paved the road to help women gain rights and to stop being so dependent on men. At this time period women were not allowed to vote, own land, have a professional career, they only received minor education, etc. In an interesting book, Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement, by Sally G. McMillen she explains the widespread significance of the convention that changed women’s history. From 1840 to 1890, over the course of 50 years. Four astonishing women; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B Anthony and Lucy
Women began standing up for more rights and realizing that they could be treated better. 1840 the World Anti-slavery Convention in London showed a great example of inferiority of women. Women were denied a seat at the convention because they were women. Women like Elizabeth C. Stanton and Lucretia C. Mott were enraged and inspired to launch the women’s rights movement. Elizabeth Stanton promoted women’s right to vote. “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to forment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.
image on Exposition souvenirs was ideal in light of the fair's theme - our nation's 150th
The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 started a women’s rights movement; a small group of women demanded the right to vote, claim progress in property rights, experience employment and educational opportunities, have social freedoms, and other essential demands touching every aspect of life. Women wanted a change and needed a new place in society. They did not have the most basic democratic equality of all, the equal right to vote, until the 19th amendment was adopted in 1920. As they gained the right to vote, women began feeling the right to explore other opportunities.
Women were getting tired of not having the same rights as men, so they wanted to make a move to change this. Women got so tired of staying at home while the men worked. Women wanted to get an education. So they fought for their freedom. Abigail Adams said to her husband, “in the new code of laws, remember the ladies and do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” John’s reply was, “I cannot but laugh. Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems.” These were said in 1776. The women’s suffrage actually began in 1848, which was the first women’s rights convention which was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Prominent leaders began campaigning for the right to vote at State and federal levels. Susan B. Anthony was the leader for getting women their rights in the United States. Susan B. Anthony voted in Rochester, NY for the presidential election. This occurred in 1872. She was, “arrested, tried, convicted, and fined $100.” She refused to pay the fine. Supporters of The Equal Rights Amendment would march, rally, petition, and go on hunger strikes.
One half of the story was of a man named Daniel Burnham, who was a famous architect of his time. It’s in this half of the story that can you see the good part of the city. Pride can be seen mainly throughout his story. His life in these pages was based on the construction of the World Columbian Exposition which was a fair held in Chicago in 1893. This magnificent fair was in honor of one of America’s most well known discoverers, Christopher C. Columbus. This was the 400th anniversary of his discovery of the new world. Through Burnham’s pride and his determination, he was able to complete the fair in almost a year. However, it was not truly ready for opening day due to a few construction issues, such as the world’s f...