After the Haymarket Square violence in Chicago, the idea of the fair created vision of utopia to the Americans. The Chicago world's fair has been recognized for its urban planning, architecture, and institutions of the arts and sciences, and its evolutionary idea about race.
The enormous success of Centennial Exposition created many cities to demand to bring next fair to their city. Chicago could organize an effective corporation and gathered huge exposition stock again the competition with New York. The director of the Chicago fair, Brown Goode, inspired by Centennial exposition, focused on progress of American through time and emphasized science aspects of the history,
The Chicago world-fair was built upon racist assumptions. Japanese were invited to build their own part of architecture and displays at the fair, while the China was refused to set up official exhibit at the fair due to the Exclusion Act of 1882. Different attitude towards two Asian countries were result of Japan's economic relation between US and its potential to assimilate American culture. Thus, Japanese culture gained more respect and fame than Chinese culture among Americans.Blacks were tend to be segregated at the fair. Throughout the efforts with protest, blacks were encouraged to participate in state fairs, but the exhibits had to be approved by the all-white committees, which limited the number of black exhibits. The exposition also focused on ethnological displays and tried to show the progress of Native Indians by their distinct culture and customs. Thus, the fair formed a human progress along racial lines.
The Midway Plaisance, a land connecting Jackson Park and Washington Park took a crucial role in the Chicago fair. The Midway was the center of the ethnic villages and place for the cultural ceremonies and diffusion that attracted many fairgoers. The emergence of various groups and increasing of Americans' interest on different cultures created cultural unity.
The Chicago fair reflected national and international realization of utopia and created evolutionary cultural identity of the nation. It made huge influence in future expositions and inspired many public educational institutions.
Key terms:
- Chinese Exclusion Act 1882- First significant law that restricted Chinese laborers to the United States.
- City Beautiful Movement- The City Beautiful movement emerged in response to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The fundamental idea expounded at the fair was that the city was no longer a symbol of economic development and industrialization, but could now be seen as enhancing the aesthetic environment of its many inhabitants. Many American cities embarked on public building and art projects in order to beautify their cities.
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Citations:
"Home." Our Documents -. Accessed March 6, 2015. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=47.
University, Columbia. "City Beautiful Movement." City Beautiful Movement. Accessed March 6, 2015. http://www.nypap.org/content/city-beautiful-movement.
Rydell, Robert W. "The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893: " And Was Jerusalem Builded Here?"" In All the World's a Fair: Visions of Empire at American International Expositions, 1876-1916, 38-71. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
Baxley, George C. "The Ho-o-den, Phoenix Hall, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, Jackson Park, Chicago." The Ho-o-den, Phoenix Hall, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, Jackson Park, Chicago. Accessed March 13, 2015. http://www.baxleystamps.com/litho/ogawa/ogawa_hooden.shtml.
Bancroft, Hubert Howe. "Bird's Eye View World's Columbian Exposition." In The Book of the Fair: An Historical and Descriptive Presentation of the World's Science, Art, and Industry, as Viewed Through the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893, P. 71. Vol. 1. Chicago: Bancroft, 1893.
Questions:
Why did American had distinct racial prejudices toward the Chinese, but not Japanese?
What is the ideal city expressed in the Columbian Exposition
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