Letter from the Editor

The twentieth century is often called America’s century, and not without good reason. In the span of a possible lifetime, countless groundbreaking innovations have reshaped culture and technology as we know it.  Looking back to life in the year 1900, it seems so alien to us that women were treated as property, African Americans were second class citizens, it was unusual for the average family to have a car, suburbs hadn’t yet been developed, and it was shocking for a lady to show knees or naked arms. Who would have known then that the next generation would see such changes as Kitty Hawk, the Model T, and the 19th Amendment? Never before had a century showed such a complete transformation of a single country. My hope in the following magazine is to bring to life just how much change can happen in such a short time.

One of the biggest changes evident in the century is the evolution of business. Before 1900, assembly line manufacturing or the idea of catering to the middle class was unheard of. But by the time the century was over, America had become one of the world’s leaders in cheap but high quality goods. This revolutionary transformation of industry is personified by Henry Ford, whose story is reminiscent of millions of other men and women who were born into a simple life but created their own American dream. By understanding this man’s life, we understand why America is great.

History has always been studied by analyzing artifacts from different time periods. From pots, weapons, tools, and buildings historians are able to piece together and bring to life an entire ancient culture – understanding the mentality of different people and their society as a whole. Our magazine decided to do the same thing with food advertisements throughout the 20th Century. By understanding what companies were trying to sell, who they were trying to sell it to, and why they claimed people needed the product, it can be understood just how much American culture as a whole has changed throughout a span of 100 years. Mainstream newspaper ads and posters guide us through an entire century of revolution and change.Everything from the women’s rights movement to the baby boom is reflected in these simple pieces of paper.

Throughout the twentieth century, countless uprisings and revolutions have rocked America, morphing and changing the entire nation. No single movement represents this time of reformation better than the women’s rights movement. Regular women from regular homes united from nothing to start this cause, and after years of adversity they won. This revolution is just one example of the hundreds of causes America saw justified throughout the century, including Civil Rights equality.

Altogether, whether it was an art form that morphed into a culture such as Disney Pictures or musical theater, a groundbreaking success in engineering and technology such as aviation and the Ford Motor Company, or an event that caused the country to step back and rethink its way of life such as the Holocaust or the passing of the 19th Amendment, the milestones of history highlighted in this magazine summarize and represent a world of change throughout America’s Century.