1950s America
Ch 14
Monday, May 14, 2012
• Daily goal: • Understand how the GI Bill, Levittown,
Federal Highway Act and Baby Boom changed American Society.
Baby Boom
• During the War many young couples had put off starting a family, after the war the American population exploded.
• Between 1945-1964 more than 72 million American babies were born.
Think About it…
• What do growing families need?
GI Bill
• The GI Bill gave generous loans to veterans to help them buy homes, start businesses and go to College.
Interstate Highway System
I-80? I-880? I-680?
Federal Highway Act
• President Eisenhower passed the Federal Highway Act which constructed 40,000 miles of highways that linked America.
Levittown
• Planned communities of mass produced homes created at a low cost.
Who do you have more respect for?
White Collar America
• In the 1950s white collar workers (who worked in non-labor industries like sales and management) outnumbered blue collar workers (laborers) for the first time.
Franchises
• Franchise business grew in popularity in the 1950s because businesses believed that consumers liked dependability and familiarity.
Think About it…
• Franchises are owned and run by an individual, but the business is part of a large chain or corporation which sets the rules and usually distributes the products.
• McDonalds anyone?• Do you prefer franchises over small
businesses?