The Black and White City: The History of Racism and Race Relations at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair
ISBN: 9781533204882
*Includes pictures
*Includes accounts of the world's fair
*Includes online resources, footnotes, and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“All the World's a Fair; where some are bought and some are sold.” - Archibald Maclaren
Walking around Chicago today, it’s easy to forget about its past as a rural frontier. That’s due in no small part to the way Chicago responded to the Great Fire of 1871. Immediately after the fire, Chicago encouraged inhabitants and architects to build over the ruins, spurring creative architecture with elaborate designs. Architects descended upon the city for the opportunity to rebuild the area, and over the next few decades they had rebuilt Chicago with the country’s most modern architecture and monuments.
Chicago recovered well enough within 20 years to win the right to host the World’s Fair in 1893, which was commemorating the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the New World. Covering nearly two square miles, the Fair’s grounds created a city within a city, and Daniel Burnham was in the middle of it all. With several other noteworthy architects, including Louis Sullivan, Burnham designed the layout of the grounds and the construction of the buildings on the ground. During the late 19th century, “neoclassicism” was in vogue, and American architects designed buildings incorporating ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
A world’s fair is an opportunity for people around the globe to demonstrate to the world how they see themselves. It is a chance to proudly wear one’s native clothing, to share cuisine, to demonstrate knowledge, and to share perspective. With its white colored buildings, the Fair stood out from the rest of Chicago, earning it the label “White City,” and throughout 1893, it attracted millions of visitors, allowing Chicago to introduce itself to foreign visitors and reintroduce itself as a major American city.
*Includes accounts of the world's fair
*Includes online resources, footnotes, and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“All the World's a Fair; where some are bought and some are sold.” - Archibald Maclaren
Walking around Chicago today, it’s easy to forget about its past as a rural frontier. That’s due in no small part to the way Chicago responded to the Great Fire of 1871. Immediately after the fire, Chicago encouraged inhabitants and architects to build over the ruins, spurring creative architecture with elaborate designs. Architects descended upon the city for the opportunity to rebuild the area, and over the next few decades they had rebuilt Chicago with the country’s most modern architecture and monuments.
Chicago recovered well enough within 20 years to win the right to host the World’s Fair in 1893, which was commemorating the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the New World. Covering nearly two square miles, the Fair’s grounds created a city within a city, and Daniel Burnham was in the middle of it all. With several other noteworthy architects, including Louis Sullivan, Burnham designed the layout of the grounds and the construction of the buildings on the ground. During the late 19th century, “neoclassicism” was in vogue, and American architects designed buildings incorporating ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
A world’s fair is an opportunity for people around the globe to demonstrate to the world how they see themselves. It is a chance to proudly wear one’s native clothing, to share cuisine, to demonstrate knowledge, and to share perspective. With its white colored buildings, the Fair stood out from the rest of Chicago, earning it the label “White City,” and throughout 1893, it attracted millions of visitors, allowing Chicago to introduce itself to foreign visitors and reintroduce itself as a major American city.