the fifties
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THE FIFTIES- THE GOLDEN AGE
The Golden Age
What were the characteristics of the affluent age?
1. Changed Economy 2. A Suburban nation 3. A consumer culture 4. The TV world A New Ford Women at Work Segregated Landscape
Economic Boom
Robust post war economy fueled by a society eager to spend after years of depression and war.
Factories re-tooled from machinery of war to consumer goods!
The Organization and the Organization Man
During the 1950’s businesses expanded rapidly
More people hold “white-collar” jobs
The fields of sales, advertising, insurance, and communication exploded
A Suburban Nation
Causes Good Economy Returning Veterans Baby Boom Shortage of housing in cities Highway Act Automobiles
Baby Boom During the late 1940s and
through the early 1960s the birthrate in the U.S. soared
Why did the baby boom happen? Husbands returning from war Decreasing marriage age Confidence in economy Advances in medicine
Baby boomers represent the largest generation on the nation’s history
Highway Construction
Interstate Highway and Defense Act, 1956
Purpose? Unintended Consequence?
Why would this bill promote suburbanization?
Federal funds helped cities pay for the highways needed for suburbanization
Levittown Houses cheap
and plentiful
FHA and VA subsidies
The dream of home ownership came within the reach of the majority of Americans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUrf_jzn_To
A Consumer Culture
Freedom interpreted as buying?
Consumer Goods TV, Cars, Stereos, Dishwashers National Fads Rise in Consumer Credit up 800% (1945-
57)
We will continue the 1950s notes tomorrow.
Homework – Create a visual summary for today’s notes. Write the main idea for 5 of the following subheading and illustrate each one. The Golden Age Economic Boom The Organization and the Organization Man A Suburban Nation Baby Boom Highway Construction Levittown Consumer Culture
The TV World
TV replaces newspaper as the most common source of information
Provided Americans with a common cultural experience
TV avoided controversy and projected bland image of middle-class life
Effective advertising medium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFbCGT_AWBI&list=FL_FeRENpHqj0K6lq4EsISow&index=1&feature=plpp_video
The average family watched 4 to 5 hours of TV a day
A New Car Culture
Along with a home and TV, the car became part of what sociologists called “the standard consumer package” of the 1950s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhR8GZ_WWMM
Main form of urban transportation Allowed the suburbs to expand In the 1950s car manufacturers
began making yearly changes to car designs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhR8GZ_WWMM
Female Sphere
Did Women lose or gain during this period?
After 1945, women lost many of the jobs they had performed during the war
By the mid-1950s women were working again, but the nature and aims had changed
Women were expected to get married, have children, and stay at home
Women at Home
Popular culture glorified marriage, family, and parenthood (Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best)
Educational programs promoted domestic sciences
Leisure in the 1950s
Shorter work weeks and longer vacations
Labor-saving devices added more spare time
TV Ads, TV Guides and TV Dinners TV ads increase from $170 million in
1950 to nearly $ 2 billion in 1960 TV Guide TV Dinners
Leisure Activities
In 1953 alone $30 billion is spent on leisure
Popular activities include bowling, hunting, golf
Americans attended or watched sports
Drive-ins
Fear in the 1950s
Internal Domestic Prosperity VS External Fear of Communism
Fear of the Bomb
Fear of Polio
Fear of Teenage Culture The term
teenager was not really used until after WWII
Cultural Split between parent/teens – different dress/ hair
Teenage Culture
The term teenager was not really used until after WWII
Cultural Split between parent/teens – different dress/ hair
Teens: Boring Suburbs
Teens rejected the suburbs/ nothing ever happened
Many teens felt misunderstood
The ideal of being a rebel increases juvenile crime
Teens: Rock and Roll
Birth of Rock and Roll Grown out of rhythm and
blues tradition Lyrics more explicit Teens love it, parents hate it Rock influenced race
relations/ integrated concerts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOvUdZgl7vo&list=PLF8106F33BA3D28A9&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Elvis
Elvis brought rock and roll to white middle class America
A huge hit with young female fans
Became a symbol of rebellious youth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PdVqWuqUsI&list=FL_FeRENpHqj0K6lq4EsISow&index=4&feature=plpp_video
Rebels without a Cause
Generational tensions lay beneath the bland surface of the 1950s life
The Beats The Beats were a
small group of poets and writers who went against mainstream culture
Rejected Work ethic The “desperate
materialism” of the suburbs
The militarization of US life by the cold war
Celebrated impulsive action, immediate pleasure
The Beatniks
Emergence of literature and film dealing with alienation
Against conformity Jack Kerouac J.D. Salinger Allen Ginsberg