1. Conformity in the 50’s
Chris and Leah
Day 7 Group B

2. Thesis
• The 1950’s deserves its reputation as an age
of political, social, and cultural conformity to a
great extent by the increase in conservatives,
the increase in luxuries owned by all
Americans, and the cultural desire to achieve
the American Dream.

3. Political Conformity
• “White Flight” to the suburbs and economic
boom causes a shift towards conservative
views. People longed for decisive leadership
and economic conservatism, which they found
in Eisenhower. The suppression of minorities,
especially blacks, shows a great deal of
political conformity by the majority.

4. • Social Conformity: The business world and
increase in mass production contributed to
social conformity. This standardized the items
used in the homes, which led to the
standardization of the typical American life.
The desire and accessibility of luxuries
increased dramatically. People began buying
on consumer credit, the number of Americans
that owned cars tripled, and by the end of the
50’s, 87% of Americans owned a TV.

5. Cultural Conformity
• Cultural: The American Dream of a suburban
home with good schools, and friendly neighbors
contributed greatly to social conformity. Women
were once again homemakers. The “Baby boom”
also shows significant cultural conformity. . The
idea of the typical American is created during the
50’s. The Red Scare leads to conformity because
people feared of accusations that claimed they
were communist. To combat this, people tried to
appear as “American” as possible. This influenced
clothing, food, language, and belief system.

6. Cultural Conformity
• Cultural: The American Dream of a suburban
home with good schools, and friendly neighbors
contributed greatly to social conformity. Women
were once again homemakers. The “Baby boom”
also shows significant cultural conformity. . The
idea of the typical American is created during the
50’s. The Red Scare leads to conformity because
people feared of accusations that claimed they
were communist. To combat this, people tried to
appear as “American” as possible. This influenced
clothing, food, language, and belief system.