In the twentieth century, the culture formed by the reformers came to an end because of limitations the culture. The younger generations thought of experiences and issues outside of what the reformers considered respectable. With the fall of the reformers, entrepreneurs found new opportunities. Impresarios soon became the platform for cultural refinement, moral elevation, and scientific instruction. Attractions that were once only available to high-class elites became available to working middle-class. Examples of these attractions were cakewalks, music, sports, and dancing. The most transformative attraction on American culture would have to be the amusement parks. Amusement parks began this "turn of the century," where mass culture thrived for entertainment.
The "turn of the century" was very different from what was known. Before the rise of amusement parks, America was only exposed to projects that stood for social culture. Two of these "projects" were New York's Central Park and Chicago's Columbian Exposition. The main idea of these projects was to bring social conduct and public taste to high standards. Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York's Central Park, and his ultimate goal was to have America become a "nation of cities." However his plan for the New York's Central Park was for it to be an escape from the urban society America was becoming. It would provide a restful environment for all who entered. He believed that having the park as an escape would relieve the unhappy and encourage individuals to uphold themselves to the social cultural standards (Kasson 12-15). Unfortunately, this idea of Central Park was not upheld when "Boss" William M. Tweed gained control. The old ideas clashes with the politician ideas and the park became more business controlled. The next to rise was the Columbian Exposition of 1893, which also strove to uplift society.
