history 1950s notes for notes 19

1. U.S. History
Chapter 23
#21
America
In THE 1950s
Prosperity &
Conformity

2. 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

3. Americans returned from WWII hoping to
find a better life than the one they left

4. The GI Bill
June 20,1944 -- FDR signed into law
“The Servicemen's Readjustment Act”
Prevent –Bonus March
• Loans for Homes
• $ for College Education

5. Suburban Living -
start at 45Sec(8min)
$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.
Levittown:Levittown: “The American Dream”“The American Dream”
1949-1949-William LevittWilliam Levitt began to mass producebegan to mass produce
150 houses per wk150 houses per wk
‘Cookie-Cutter Homes’

6. 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

7. Suburban Living
SHIFTS IN POPULATIONSHIFTS IN POPULATION
DISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION
1940-19701940-1970
19401940 19501950 19601960 19701970
Central 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% 41.6%30.7% 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

8. Suburban Living:
The Typical TV Suburban
Families
The DonnaThe Donna
Reed ShowReed Show
1958-19661958-1966
Leave ItLeave It
to Beaverto Beaver
1957-19631957-1963
FatherFather Knows BestKnows Best
1954-19581954-1958 The Ozzie & Harriet ShowThe Ozzie & Harriet Show
1952-19661952-1966

9. Suburban
Living
“The American Dream”
Conformity was the desire

10. The Baby Boom
It seems to me that every other youngIt seems to me that every other young
housewife I see is pregnant.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

11. The Baby
Boom
Dr. Benjamin SpockDr. Benjamin Spock
and the Andersonand the Anderson
QuintupletsQuintuplets
““spare the rod” tospare the rod” to
create happy childrencreate happy children

12. Baby Boom – Polio
Eradicated• 1952 – 58,000 cases of Polio
• Dr. Salk & his family became human
guinea pigs
• April 12, 1955 – CDC declared safe

13. Kid’s needs were
catered to
- enjoyed a lifestyle of
unprecedented privilege
Little League
Baseball

14. Consume
rism
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 spearheadedAll babies were potential consumers who spearheaded
a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter.a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter.
-- Life-- Life Magazine (May, 1958)Magazine (May, 1958)

15. Consumerism

16. A Changing
WorkplaceAutomation: 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

17. 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

18. The Culture of the
CarCar registrationsCar registrations: 1945 - 25,000,000: 1945 - 25,000,000
1960 - 60,000,0001960 - 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 U.S.History!largest public works project in U.S.History!
Å Cost $129 billionCost $129 billion
Å 41,000 miles of new highways built41,000 miles of new highways built
1959 Chevy Corvette1959 Chevy Corvette1958 Pink Cadillac1958 Pink Cadillac

19. Interstate Hwy Act-1956

20. “Death by Interstate”

21. The Culture of the
Car
First McDonald’sFirst McDonald’s
(1955)(1955)
America became a more homogeneousAmerica became a more homogeneous
nation because of the automobilenation because of the automobile
Drive-InDrive-In
MoviesMovies
HowardHoward
Johnson’sJohnson’s

22. The Culture of the
CarThe U. S. pop. was on the move in the 1950’sThe U. S. pop. was on the move in the 1950’s
““Sunbelt” states - southwestSunbelt” states - southwest
19551955 DisneylandDisneyland opened in Southern California.opened in Southern California.
- 40% of the guests: outside California, most by car- 40% of the guests: outside California, most by car
Frontier LandFrontier Land Main StreetMain Street Tomorrow LandTomorrow Land

23. Television
1946 - 7,000 TV sets in America1946 - 7,000 TV sets in America
Mass Audience - TV celebrated traditionalMass Audience - TV celebrated traditional
American valuesAmerican values
““Television is a vast wasteland”Television is a vast wasteland”
Newton Minnow, Chairman of the FCC -1961Newton Minnow, Chairman of the FCC -1961
Truth, Justice, and the American way!Truth, Justice, and the American way!
1950 - 50,000,000 TV sets in Am.1950 - 50,000,000 TV sets in Am.

24. Television - Family
Shows
I Love LucyI Love Lucy The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners
Glossy view of mostlyGlossy view of mostly
middle-class suburban lifemiddle-class suburban life
BUT..Women secretly hoped their daughters
would have better lives than they had lived

25. 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."

26. Science Fiction
UFO SightingsUFO Sightings skyrocketed in the 1950s.skyrocketed in the 1950s.
War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds
Hollywood used aliens as aHollywood used aliens as a
metaphor for whommetaphor for whom ????

27. The TV Culture
- for Society on the Go
Called TV dinners from 1953-62

28. Teen Culture
In the 1950s -the wordIn the 1950s -the word “teenager”“teenager” enteredentered
the American languagethe American language
By 1956- 13 mill. teens with $7 bill. to spend yrBy 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”

29. Teen Culture
““Juvenile Delinquency”Juvenile Delinquency”
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando inin
The Wild OneThe Wild One
(1953)(1953)
James DeanJames Dean inin
RRebel Without aebel Without a
CauseCause (1955)(1955)
1951-1951- J. D. Salinger’sJ. D. Salinger’s
A Catcher in the RyeA Catcher in the Rye

30. Teen Culture
The “Beat” GenerationThe “Beat” Generation::
f Jack KerouacJack Kerouac  On The RoadOn The Road
f Allen GinsbergAllen Ginsberg  poem, “Howl”poem, “Howl”
““Beatnik”Beatnik” ““Clean” TeenClean” Teen
Ultimately led to the counter-culture “hippie” of the 1960’s
Rejected materialism - experimented with drugs and sex

31. Religious
RevivalToday in the U. S., the Christian faith is back inToday in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in
the center of things.the center of things. ---- TimeTime magazine, 1954magazine, 1954
Church membershipChurch membership:: 1940 - 64,000,0001940 - 64,000,000
1960 - 114,000,0001960 - 114,000,000
Television PreachersTelevision Preachers::
1.1.CatholicCatholic Bishop Fulton J. SheenBishop Fulton J. Sheen
““Life is Worth Living”Life is Worth Living”
2. Methodist Minister2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent PealeNorman Vincent Peale
The Power of Positive ThinkingThe Power of Positive Thinking
3.3. Rev. Billy GrahamRev. Billy Graham - ecumenical message;- ecumenical message;