Question

How did the emergent consumer culture change what it meant to be ""American"" at the turn of the century?

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

Although there are no options attached, we can say that the emergent consumer culture changed what it meant to be "American" at the turn of the century in that it represented the rise of many big consumer companies such as "Sears," that turned American people into a consumerism society. The two basic ways in which these new companies tried to sell goods to US citizens were by mail orders or directly in the stores. It was a time in which stores offered many unnecessary things to the American consumer, mostly for leisure time. Those years were the beginning of large retail stores such as Macy's, Marshall Fields, Gimbel's, or Woolworth. It was also a time in which people bought many things on credit. They bought cars, furniture, and home electronics. For instance, that was the case of what was known as the "Roaring 1920s."