America is known for expanding, being innovative, and rising above and beyond expectations. In Larson’s The Devil in the White City, it is displayed and explained how America, Chicago specifically, became the powerhouse city of constructing/ engineering. New ideas were used to make things bigger and better; making America appear superior. Advances in technology made it much easier to build, expand, and create buildings that were unfamiliar to America. Larson uses examples that signify the importance of American superiority and modernity for the country—showing America’s significance in the world, the involvement of the government with business ventures, and overpopulation which hid many murders that were committed before, during, and after …show more content…
However, it wasn’t until the construction of the Eiffel Tower that stirred Americans. “The [Eiffel] tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel, despite the Brooklyn Bridge, the Horseshoe Curve, and other Undeniable accomplishments of American engineers.” (pg.15). Americans were baffled, how could France be ahead of the race that America started? Discussions of a fair to be built in Chicago were announced, the same men who were responsible for the rebuilding of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871 would be on the committee for building this great fair (pg.16). This fair would be a display of modern or ancient times. Being that there was one in Paris, it was only right for America to have one, and the goal was for it to be bigger and better. Once approved by government officials and personnel on the committee, there was a decision to construct The Chicago’s World Fair; which would also be referred to as the World’s Columbian Exposition. The lead architects Daniel Burnham and John Root knew that failure wasn’t an option. They could not let the nation’s honor or reputation become tarnished (pg.33). Burnham and Root had the job of insuring the nation’s egotism and prominence by exceeding the expectations of civilians. This was an extremely hard job, for both Burnham and Root this would be their biggest challenge, yet they would excel due to their expertise and power to imagine and
One story describes the planning of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that had been proposed to celebrate the four hundred years since Columbus landed in America. The idea didn’t get much attention until a year earlier, when Paris held a world fair and unveiled the Eiffel Tower. Not to be outdone, America decided now it was a matter of who would hold a fair that would put France’s fair to shame. There was a dilemma of where the fair would be built New York or Chicago, but votes were tallied up and the majority of the vote was Chicago. Among the many architects in Chicago, the main job of the designing the fair was given to Daniel H. Burnham. He needed a companion to help him with the design and other features of the fair, so he chose John Root, a very close friend of his and former associate. Because of the amount of time it took to decide where to build the fair, The White City was believed to be impossible to construct because of time con...
In contrast to this small town were the advancing views of America. The twenties continued to roar towards modernism. “Breakthroughs in technology, the increase in material wealth, and the beginning of an empire seemingly heralded the upward march of civilization, with America on the forefront” (Dumenil 6). In all directions, it was clear that America was moving forward. Transportation was a prime example of this advancement. Innovator Henry Ford introduced his “ Ford Miracle” to the public (Dumenil 6). Economies and the social values also began to advance. “Dubious get-rich-quick schemes and fads…contributed to a tone of feverish frivolity” (Dumenil 7). People began to lead fast paced lives with the desire to become rich, quickly.
Henretta, James A., Rebecca Edwards, and Robert Self. America: A Concise History.( Boston: Bedford, St. Martin's, 2006),
Erik Larson’s book Devil in the White City is full of magic and madness that has shaped the society of the late 19th century that is specific to in Chicago. The issues that have been handled through this time frame that are addressed in this book is that how Chicago was known to be the black city at first, and how the city hoped that hosting the World’s fair would increase their reputation. Secondly, the magic of a man named Daniel Burnham that did put the plans of the world fair in Chicago into life and the obstacles that he had overcame. Next, once the world fair was complete, it has made Chicago “The White city,” by its dazzling designs and attractions that made it memorable. Then, the madness of H.H. Holmes and how his evil deeds has seemed to undermine the world fair and the things that are going on within it with his murders and treachery that does grip Chicago once his evil deeds have been found out. Finally, the events that happened in the world fair that relate to the issues that occur in the late ninetieth century within the United States. The city of Chicago was in a desolate condition before it hosted the World Fair.
Beavan, C. (2013, July 20). America: The story of us - e07 - cities. Retrieved from
A line of carriages carries important people, including President Grover Cleveland and Daniel Burnham, to the fair at Jackson Park. President Cleveland speaks at a ceremony signifying the much-anticipated opening of the exposition. The general consensus among the crowd is that the fair is a success, despite the mud-covered walkways and roads, unfinished landscaping, and unfinished Ferris wheel. Attendance registers between 500,000 and 600,000 people. However, the cause for celebration doesn't last long. Day two of the fair reels in roughly 10,000 people. Through the days to come after the fair had officially opened, many banks are forced to close and the stock market crashes. Burnham and his brigade of architects, draftsmen, engineers, and contractors had accomplished so much in an impossibly short time, but apparently not enough to overcome the damping effect of the fast-degrading economy. Many aspects of the fair were still unfinished including the elevators, the Ferris wheel being half finished, and roadways were still submerged under mud. “First and foremost, Burnham knew, the fair had to be finished, but in the meantime lures had to be cast to encourage people to shed their fears of financial ruin and come to Chicago” (page, 241). Burnham appointed Frank Millet to come up with new ideas on getting greater attendance at the fair. Millet implemented things such as fireworks, shows and parades. Millet even dedicated specific days
The World’s Fair was an amazing event that delighted the city of Chicago. It started on February 24, 1890 when Chicago won the hosting job. Although, to do this, they had to raise an additional $5 million. They did this, but they had only three years to complete the fair. Fairs were very popular at the time and were a symbol of social importance, so Chicago needed to exceed expectations. Their goal was to “Out-Eiffel Eiffel”. By 1891, Chicago had over 40,000 skilled workers employed for construction.
A World’s Fair is an “[I]nternational exposition that features exhibits dealing with commerce, industry, and science.” (World Book Encyclopedia 412) Entertainment is also present along with cultural activities. In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, although inaugurated a year late, commemorated the discovery of America. I feel that the Exposition displayed some of the more beautiful architecture of its time; its immense buildings and sculptures drew heavily from Greek and other classical styles, and it could possible be because of the sweeping popularity in Beaux Arts architecture.
In Jane Jacobs’s acclaimed The Life and Death of Great American Cities, she intricately articulates urban blight and the ills of metropolitan society by addressing several binaries throughout the course of the text. One of the more culturally significant binaries that Jacobs relies on in her narrative is the effectively paradoxical relationship between diversity and homogeneity in urban environments at the time. In particular, beginning in Chapter 12 throughout Chapter 13, Jacobs is concerned greatly with debunking widely held misconceptions about urban diversity.
The Chicago World Fair brought about through the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in America has posed significant value and worth to the city of Chicago. Over a six-month period, more than 26 million visitors from all over the world would flock to the fairgrounds to experience the rebuilt and vibrant city of Chicago. The 600-acre fairground would have housed 200 buildings that showcased new food, art, technology, and entertainment. Chicago became known as the White City, a place of freedom, grandeur, and security. But unbeknownst to fairgoers, there was a serial killer among them. While Dr. H.H. Holmes lured his innocent victims to his “Castle”, just blocks away architect Daniel Burnham built up the dream city of Chicago. Both these men operated at the same time in history, simply blocks apart, both creating legacies that carry to this day. Burnham and Holmes are two side of the coin of human nature. In “The Devil in White City” Erik Larson’s juxtaposition of Burnham and Holmes, and the Black City and the White City, contributes to the understanding of human nature, that one cannot be good without having done evil, and that good and evil are viewed as complementary in their mutual dependence.
“The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson was a mix between two stories that overall worked well together. The stories worked together to convey the true overall meaning of the theme good versus evil. Good and evil are seen everywhere throughout the novel, even in the most obvious of places such as the title. Good and evil, dark and light, they all stand for the same thing. White is normally found to be pure and good. By the author naming the book, The Devil in the White City, he is trying to tell the reader that the novel is about how even in truly pure places evil will follow. Although, good and evil is the main theme of this novel, I found that if you look deeply into the way he tells the story, he is also trying to tell his reader about other themes. These other themes that you can find all throughout the book are things such as pride and determination. These other themes were very prominent and played very well into the plot and the theme of the story.
The book, The Devil in the White City, takes place during the late nineteenth century. During that time, the total picture of the late nineteenth - century America that emerges from The Devil in the White City is very different than now.
Brumwell, Stephen. White Devil: A True Story of War, Savagery, and Vengeance in Colonial America. Da Capo Press Inc. March, 2005.
...ated. The only big issue with this whole project was that the contract that was awarded to Eiffel indicated that he was the only responsible party for the project involving the tower, which included the construction, finances, and maintenance during the exhibition. But, the good thing that came out of this was that Gustave Eiffel proved to be very dedicated and a very good project manager. He never left sight of what the final project outcome would be. Gustave Eiffel stayed on top of the project, in constant sight of his workers and was so dedicated to this project that he fulfilled every detail to the minimum. Eiffel made it obvious that he wasn’t expecting anything but perfection with this project. He planned every detail, to the point that he set new standards for accuracy in design and speed of construction with a very modest work force (Plumley, n.d.).
The Eiffel Tower has become associated with Paris; a symbol. It is an icon for France, travel and romance, among others. What made this Tower vastly popular is the cause of copious reasons. The most prominent reason is that it was a major point of controversy between Gustave Eiffel and the artists of Paris. Parisians opposed the construction of this atrocity. In a manifesto signed in 1887, two years before the Tower was built, artists of Paris claimed that the beauty of Paris will be debased by the repulsiveness of the edifice. They stated that artists from around the world would have the right to openly mock Paris. They opposed it remarkably so, that, quoting from the signed proposal, they insisted for twenty years “we will see stretching out over the entire city, still quivering with genius from so many centuries, we will see stretching out like a growing ink spot, the hateful shadow of the hateful column of bolted iron”. Gustave Eiffel responds eloquently with the promise that the building is stable and that there is a certain attraction to structures as immense as the Eiffel Tower. He compares his design to the pyramids in Egypt. His comparison is that if the pyra...