How did the spread of information expose Americans to new ideas?

a. Jim Crow laws increased literacy, which helped spread information, so more people were reading new information.

b. Working-class Americans were able to see images and read the words of people far beyond their homes and outside their lived experience.

c. Working-class Americans were unable to work outside their homes in rural areas, which meant they had time to spread information.

d. Industrialist elites were able to see images and read the words of people who lived far away for the first time.

1 answer

The best answer to how the spread of information exposed Americans to new ideas is:

b. Working-class Americans were able to see images and read the words of people far beyond their homes and outside their lived experience.

This option highlights how advancements in communication, such as newspapers, magazines, and eventually radio and television, allowed individuals—particularly those in the working class—to access new ideas, perspectives, and experiences from people and places that they might never encounter in their everyday lives. This exposure played a significant role in broadening their understanding of the world and influencing societal change.