1950s americanculture[1] history 1950's notes

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