U.S. HistoryChapter 23
#21
U.S. HistoryChapter 23
#21
America
In THE 1950sProsperity & Conformity
America
In THE 1950sProsperity & Conformity
Assignment
1. Critical Thinking p. 809 Q. 1&2
2. Ch 23 Assessment p. 817-819 Q. 1-20
1. A - Closed Shop
Handwritten Due - Tuesday
Quiz 40 pts – Tuesday
Key Terms & People
Americans returned from WWII hoping to find a
better life than the one they left
The GI Bill June 20,1944 -- FDR signed into law “The Servicemen's Readjustment Act”
Prevent –Bonus March • Loans for Homes• $ for College Education
Suburban Living - start at
45Sec(8min)
Suburban Living - start at
45Sec(8min)
$7,990 or $60/month with no down $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.payment.
Levittown: Levittown: “The American “The American Dream”Dream”1949-1949-William LevittWilliam Levitt began to mass began to mass produceproduce
150 houses per 150 houses per wk wk
‘Cookie-Cutter Homes’
Suburban Living:The New “American Dream” Suburban Living:The New “American Dream”
k 1 story high1 story high
k 12’x19’ living rm12’x19’ living rm
k 2 bedrooms2 bedrooms
k tiled bathroomtiled bathroom
k garagegarage
k small backyardsmall backyard
k front lawnfront lawn
By 1960-1/3 of the U.S. pop. in the suburbsBy 1960-1/3 of the U.S. pop. in the suburbs
Suburban LivingSuburban Living
SHIFTS IN POPULATION SHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION
1940-19701940-1970
19401940 19501950 19601960 19701970Central CitiesCentral Cities 31.6% 32.3%31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0% 32.6% 32.0%
SuburbsSuburbs 19.5% 23.8% 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 30.7% 41.6%41.6%Rural Areas/Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9%48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4% 36.7% 26.4%Small TownsSmall Towns
U. S. Bureau of the CensusU. S. Bureau of the Census
Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families
Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families
The The Donna Donna Reed Reed ShowShow1958-1958-19661966
Leave It Leave It to Beaverto Beaver1957-19631957-1963
FatherFather Knows Knows BestBest
1954-19581954-1958
The Ozzie & Harriet The Ozzie & Harriet ShowShow
1952-19661952-1966
Suburban Living
“The American Dream”
Conformity was the desire
The Baby Boom The Baby BoomIt seems to me that every other It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant.young housewife I see is pregnant.
-- British visitor to America, 1958-- British visitor to America, 1958
1957 - 1 baby born every 7 seconds1957 - 1 baby born every 7 seconds
The Baby Boom The Baby Boom
Dr. Benjamin Dr. Benjamin SpockSpock
and the Anderson and the Anderson QuintupletsQuintuplets
““spare the rod” to spare the rod” to create happy create happy
childrenchildren
Baby Boom – Polio Eradicated• 1952 – 58,000 cases of Polio
• Dr. Salk & his family became human guinea pigs
• April 12, 1955 – CDC declared safe
Kid’s needs were catered to
- enjoyed a lifestyle of unprecedented privilege
Little League Baseball
Consumerism Consumerism
1950 - Introduction of the Diner’s Card1950 - Introduction of the Diner’s Card
* the first Credit Card in the World* the first Credit Card in the World
All babies were potential consumers who All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand-new market for food, spearheaded a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter.clothing, and shelter. -- Life -- Life Magazine Magazine (May, 1958)(May, 1958)
Consumerism Consumerism
A Changing Workplace
A Changing Workplace Automation: from 1947-1957
factory workers decreased by 4.3% eliminated 1.5 million Blue-Collar jobs
By 1956:more White-Collar than
Blue-Collar jobs in the U. S.
1st Computers:
ENIAC & Mark I
U.S. Army & Navy
Women in the Workforce
• After WWII – Women were encouraged to:
“Go back Home”
“Give your Job to a Vet”• Women stayed in the workforce, but
in more traditional roles
- low pay
- faced discrimination for talents
The Culture of the Car
The Culture of the Car
Car registrationsCar registrations: 1945 - 25,000,000: 1945 - 25,000,000 1960 - 60,000,000 1960 - 60,000,000
2-family cars doubles from 1951-19582-family cars doubles from 1951-1958
1956 - 1956 - Interstate Highway ActInterstate Highway Act
largest public works project in largest public works project in U.S.History!U.S.History!
Å Cost $129 billionCost $129 billion
Å 41,000 miles of new highways 41,000 miles of new highways builtbuilt
1959 Chevy 1959 Chevy CorvetteCorvette
1958 Pink 1958 Pink CadillacCadillac
Interstate Hwy Act-1956
“Death by Interstate”
The Culture of the Car
The Culture of the Car
First McDonald’s First McDonald’s (1955)(1955)
America became a more America became a more homogeneous nation because homogeneous nation because of the automobileof the automobile
Drive-In Drive-In MoviesMovies
Howard Howard Johnson’sJohnson’s
The Culture of the Car
The Culture of the Car
The U. S. pop. was on the move in the The U. S. pop. was on the move in the 1950’s1950’s
““Sunbelt” states - Sunbelt” states - southwestsouthwest1955 1955 Disneyland Disneyland opened in Southern opened in Southern California.California.- 40% of the guests: outside California, most by - 40% of the guests: outside California, most by carcar
Frontier Frontier LandLand
Main StreetMain Street Tomorrow LandTomorrow Land
TelevisionTelevision 1946 - 7,000 TV sets in 1946 - 7,000 TV sets in
AmericaAmerica
Mass Audience - TV celebrated traditionalMass Audience - TV celebrated traditionalAmerican values American values
““Television is a vast wasteland”Television is a vast wasteland”
Newton Minnow, Chairman of the FCC -Newton Minnow, Chairman of the FCC -19611961
Truth, Justice, and the American way!Truth, Justice, and the American way!
1950 - 50,000,000 TV sets in 1950 - 50,000,000 TV sets in Am.Am.
Television - Family Shows
Television - Family Shows
I Love I Love LucyLucy
The The HoneymoonersHoneymooners
Glossy view of mostly Glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban lifemiddle-class suburban life
BUT..Women secretly hoped their daughters would have better lives than they had lived
Women’s talents were put down
Gimbel’s Department store ad in 1952
Riddle – What’s College?
"That's where girls who are above cooking and sewing go to meet a man so they can spend their lives cooking and sewing."
Science FictionScience FictionUFO SightingsUFO Sightings skyrocketed in the skyrocketed in the
1950s.1950s.
War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds
Hollywood used aliens as a Hollywood used aliens as a metaphor for whom metaphor for whom ????
The TV Culture- for Society on the
Go
Called TV dinners from 1953-62
Teen CultureTeen CultureIn the 1950s -the word In the 1950s -the word “teenager”“teenager” entered entered
the American language the American language
By 1956- 13 mill. teens with $7 bill. to spend yr By 1956- 13 mill. teens with $7 bill. to spend yr
1951 - 1951 - “race music”“race music” - “ROCK ‘N ROLL” - “ROCK ‘N ROLL”
Elvis PresleyElvis Presley - “The King” - “The King”
Teen CultureTeen Culture““Juvenile Delinquency” Juvenile Delinquency”
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando inin
The Wild OneThe Wild One (1953)(1953)
James DeanJames Dean in inRRebel Without a ebel Without a
CauseCause (1955) (1955)
1951- 1951- J. D. Salinger’sJ. D. Salinger’s A Catcher in the RyeA Catcher in the Rye
Teen Culture Teen CultureThe “Beat” GenerationThe “Beat” Generation::
f Jack Kerouac Jack Kerouac On The RoadOn The Road
f Allen Ginsberg Allen Ginsberg poem, poem, “Howl”“Howl”
““BeatnikBeatnik””
““Clean” Clean” TeenTeen
Ultimately led to the counter-culture “hippie” of the 1960’s
Rejected materialism - experimented with drugs and sex
Religious Revival
Religious Revival Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in
the center of things.the center of things. -- -- TimeTime magazine, 1954 magazine, 1954
Church membershipChurch membership: : 1940 - 64,000,0001940 - 64,000,000 1960 - 114,000,000 1960 - 114,000,000
Television PreachersTelevision Preachers: :
1.1.Catholic Catholic Bishop Fulton J. SheenBishop Fulton J. Sheen
“ “Life is Worth Living”Life is Worth Living”
2. Methodist Minister 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Norman Vincent PealePeale The Power of Positive ThinkingThe Power of Positive Thinking
3. 3. Rev. Billy GrahamRev. Billy Graham - ecumenical - ecumenical message;message; warned against the evils of warned against the evils of CommunismCommunism