Assess the roles played by science and technology in the construction of c19th and/or c20th American urban space?

Essay by loopythe1stUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, February 2005

download word file, 7 pages 3.0

After World 1 the United States were left virtually unharmed, the United States was even able to experience a decade of peace and prosperity following such a disastrous war. Of the many reasons for America's prosperity, technology played one of the most vital parts in bringing the great economic and cultural prosperity that America experienced during the 1920s. New advancements, new discoveries, and new inventions such as the car, radio, pharmacy and theatre improved American lives in a dramatic way, but not without a few negative side effects.

One of the first major inventions to become a national craze was the automobile. First developed with a combustion engine in 1896 by inventor Henry Ford, he later started the Ford Motor Company, which mass produced affordable automobiles known as the Model-T. Ford's Model-Ts became such an overwhelming success that he sold over 15 million Model-Ts by 1927 (Gordon and Gordon, pg 77).

By the end of the decade, there was almost one car per family in the United States (Bruce pg 80). As a result, the automobile became an increasingly important part of American lives. Workers no longer needed to live close to their workplace; instead they could live farther away and still arrive at their jobs with ease. Homemakers could run errands with greater convenience.

The overall increase in productivity and efficiency left the American people with more time for entertainment and recreation. Families could visit relatives on a constant basis, even distant relatives. The automobile provided a perfect way for people, especially for adolescents, to socialize and make merry. "The automobile craze even came to a point where the back seat of a car replaced the parlour as a place for courtship and love" (Gordon and Gordon, pg 58). The popularity of the automobile also brought immense economic...