Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 and died in 1849. In these
times parent/child relationships weren't as close as they are today because of the high death rate of children under 10. A
lot of people died young becaue of the lack of medicine back then.
The 1800's was also the time for industrial evolution. The
indistrial revolution was a major change in history, and heavily influenced life today. It started in the 18th century with
the inventions of textiles, steam power, and iron founding, but continued on into the 19th century. The 19th century saw the
inventions of glass, gas lighting, fireplace, and agriculture, but with so many new jobs, employers came up with ways to work
their workers, sometimes to death. Children were mistreated, paid less, forced to work in horrible conditions, and work long
hours with little breaks. There weren't child labor laws until around the middle of the 19th century.
The 19th century was also a year for great expansion in America.
Around the time Poe was born Washington D.C. became the official capital, and the U.S. vought the Lousiana Purchase from France
almost doubling the size of the U.S. Around that time, Lewis and Clark were sent to explore the new land and map it out, and
the War of 1812 signified America's independence from Britain once and for all. The democratic and republican parties were
formed in this century, and women got the right to vote.
1815-1846 ws called the 30 years of Peace. It was a time when
there were no wars to be fought, and so Poe didn't really participate in combat while in the army. A lot happened in America
in this time.
The gold rush happened right before Poe died. People
were going crazy over the idea of gold, and many went to Oregon to seek it. Many died on their journey there, and even those
who managed to get there didn't always manage to find what they were looking over. Although many went to claim the gold, Poe
was not one of them.
The first passenger railroad was built in July of 1828. Trains
would be the main mode of transportation that would allow Poe to travel quickly from state to state. 1848 marked the gold
rush. Although Poe never went to Oregon, he did put the gold rush into his poetry. In "A Dream Within a Dream" he talks of
how golden sand slips through his fingers (15) which is of the gold discovered.
The 1800's also was a time for numerous inventions: the printing press, the photograph,
matches, microphones, typewriter, sewing machine, revolver, telegraph, postage stamp, morse code, bicycle, stapler, and much
more!
Fashion
The 1800-1820 fashion was heavily
influenced from fashion in England and Europe. Hats and caps decorated with ribbon and feathers were popular and women often
wore promenade dresses. Corsets for women, and long pants for men were popular, and men wore wigs. In the 1820's men, women,
and children wore very stylish clothing. In the 1840's people dressed in very formal clothing for pictures. Bonnets were worn
a lot by the women of that time, and ladies wore dresses with a full skirt. A gentleman would wear hats and waistcoats.
Curls were also popular whether real or artificial, and women almost never parted their hair anywhere
but in the middle until 1870. Boring by today's standards.
