The Role of the Middle Class

The middle class were the main supporters of leisure time. The middle class was aggressive and demanded that they get more leisure time along with higher wages by supporting the unions and going on strikes until their bosses would give in and lower work hours. The working class did demand these things as well however the working class was not as financially stable as the middle class and even though they had more free time and wages were slowly going up they did not have enough expendable money to put into recreational activities.

The Role of the Middle Class

1912 Lawrence Textile Strike

Differences Between Classes

1898 Workday dress

Cultural Trends

Checkered Game of Life

One significant cultural development was the invention of the "safety bicycle", the kind closest to the bicycle we know today. this invention was significant becasue it not only sparked changes in female fashion, it promoted the ideals of freedom and travel, which compounded with a progressive mindset that also began sweeping the nation during this time.Another new cultural development was the introduction of board games. These games, such as The Checkered Game of Life, often reflected social mindsets at the time. For example, The Game of Life involved a person travelling through life as they go to college, get married, have kids, etc. The main message of the game was that things like going to college will make you successful later in life.

There were some major differences in how the working, middle, and upper classes spent their recreational time. The most notable difference between the classes, however, was the absence of the working class from middle or upper class activities. Many of the latter classes chosen forms of recreation required expensive equipment (such as in polo, tennis, and golf) that the working class could not afford. Similarly, upper class citizens looked down on boxing and horse racing, due to the association those activities had with gambling. Horse racing was a special case, however, because the wealthy wanted to keep it a rich man's sport. Without the bets from the poor, however, horse racing would not have continued.

Women's clothing designed for bicycling

Women's clothing designed for bicycling

Extensive list of polo equipment. The most significant piece was the horse, obviously