The Columbian Exposition was a driving force behind the American concept of progress.The World’s Fair was an architectural icon, and its design and grandeur displayed a great amount of progress,even though the use of the older neoclassical styles caused a backstep in terms of the advancement of American architectural trends. The World’s Fair was also the first time in which cultures and religions from around the world gathered in one place, causing the progression of international relation, but the trivialization and intolerance of many of these cultures would suggest a lack of progress in terms of global collaboration and acceptance. Lastly, progress, those somewhat rooted in the unification of global culture, was still mainly based upon the
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To head architect Daniel Burnham, it seemed clear that the city should be built in a style similar to that of government and other public buildings across America: the neoclassical style. Neoclassical, or Classical Revival style, is based upon the best parts of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. America’s government was even based upon the Greek democracy and Roman republic, so the idea of Greece and Rome being the pinnacle of modern civilization was not new. The general idea of progress from an 1893 standpoint reflected the innovations and styles that existed in ancient Greek and Roman civilization. However, there were those who disagreed with this particular definition of progress. Louis Sullivan, an architect for the World’s Fair, even said, “The damage wrought by the World’s Fair will last for half a century from its date, if not longer. It has penetrated deep into the constitution of the American mind, effecting …show more content…
America’s “satisfaction” of Manifest Destiny (as America had already spread from coast to coast by 1893) spurred them to spread across international borders, thus the rise in the idea that progress was represented by the presence of multiple cultures in one place, but not necessarily the tolerance of all, if any, of them. For example, the World Parliament was where representatives of religion from around the world gathered to inform observers about global religion. Many Americans even converted to Buddhism after learning about its core principles, but many people, especially American Christians, were intolerant and rude towards foreign religions such as Islam. This sort of intolerance decreased the amount of international social cooperation and understanding, and instead put more focus upon the act of bringing together multiple religions and cultures itself. Even though the conception of progress was focused on gathering different religion and educating fair-goers about each one, progress was limited by the level of tolerance of the general
To head architect Daniel Burnham, it seemed clear that the city should be built in a style similar to that of government and other public buildings across America: the neoclassical style. Neoclassical, or Classical Revival style, is based upon the best parts of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. America’s government was even based upon the Greek democracy and Roman republic, so the idea of Greece and Rome being the pinnacle of modern civilization was not new. The general idea of progress from an 1893 standpoint reflected the innovations and styles that existed in ancient Greek and Roman civilization. However, there were those who disagreed with this particular definition of progress. Louis Sullivan, an architect for the World’s Fair, even said, “The damage wrought by the World’s Fair will last for half a century from its date, if not longer. It has penetrated deep into the constitution of the American mind, effecting …show more content…
America’s “satisfaction” of Manifest Destiny (as America had already spread from coast to coast by 1893) spurred them to spread across international borders, thus the rise in the idea that progress was represented by the presence of multiple cultures in one place, but not necessarily the tolerance of all, if any, of them. For example, the World Parliament was where representatives of religion from around the world gathered to inform observers about global religion. Many Americans even converted to Buddhism after learning about its core principles, but many people, especially American Christians, were intolerant and rude towards foreign religions such as Islam. This sort of intolerance decreased the amount of international social cooperation and understanding, and instead put more focus upon the act of bringing together multiple religions and cultures itself. Even though the conception of progress was focused on gathering different religion and educating fair-goers about each one, progress was limited by the level of tolerance of the general