Dwight D. Dwight D. EisenhowerEisenhower

THE POSTWAR BOOM

THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S

1950s Economy1950s Economya.a. Post-war spending trends Post-war spending trends

continued into the 1950scontinued into the 1950sb.b. Americans invested in items Americans invested in items

based around the home and based around the home and family lifefamily life

c.c. The American consumer was The American consumer was praised as a patriotic citizen praised as a patriotic citizen – one who contributed to the – one who contributed to the overall success of the overall success of the American way of lifeAmerican way of life

ConsumerismConsumerismConsumerismConsumerism

Westinghouse RefrigeratorWestinghouse RefrigeratorExample of 1950s Example of 1950s Consumerism Consumerism

d.d. Defense spending accounted for Defense spending accounted for half of the federal budgethalf of the federal budget

e.e. NationNation’’s first nuclear power plant s first nuclear power plant opened in 1957 – the chemical opened in 1957 – the chemical and electronics industry boomedand electronics industry boomed

f. Beneath this widespread prosperity, poverty was becoming more prevalent and the gap the gap between rich and poor between rich and poor widened (more than 1/5 lived widened (more than 1/5 lived below the poverty line)below the poverty line)

THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE

a. After WWII, returning vets faced a severe housing shortage

b. In response to the crisis, developers used assembly-line methods to mass-produce houses

c. Developer William Levitt bragged that his company could build a home in 16 minutes for $7,000

d. Suburbs were born

With the help of the GI Bill, many veterans moved into

suburbs

THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE

e. Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there

f. New highways and the affordability of cars and gasoline made commuting possible

g. Of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s, 85% were built in suburbs

h. For many, the suburbs were the American Dream

The American Dream complete with a white picket fence

Big Business and Labor Big Business and Labor Unions Unions

a.a. Big business flourished in the Big business flourished in the 1950s1950s – less than .05% of American – less than .05% of American corporations controlled more than corporations controlled more than half of the nationhalf of the nation’’s corporate wealths corporate wealth

b.b. Advances in science and technology Advances in science and technology decreased the amount of labor decreased the amount of labor necessary for industry and necessary for industry and agriculture to be financially agriculture to be financially successful which led to consolidation successful which led to consolidation of industry and agriculture into large of industry and agriculture into large corporationscorporations

c.c. Unions consolidated Unions consolidated as well – AFL and CIO as well – AFL and CIO merged in 1955merged in 1955

d.d.Prosperity meant high Prosperity meant high wages and few labor wages and few labor complaints – depriving complaints – depriving unions of the needed unions of the needed membershipmembership

Affluent SocietyAffluent Societya.a. Term coined by John Kenneth Term coined by John Kenneth

Galbraith in Galbraith in The Affluent SocietyThe Affluent Society (1958)(1958)

b.b. Ironic term that described the Ironic term that described the 1950s U.S.1950s U.S. as rich in the as rich in the private resources but poor in private resources but poor in public ones because ofpublic ones because of misplaced priority on misplaced priority on increasing production of trivial increasing production of trivial consumer goodsconsumer goods

John Kenneth GalbraithJohn Kenneth Galbraith

c.c. Galbraith argued the U.S. should Galbraith argued the U.S. should shift resources to improve shift resources to improve schools, the infrastructure, and schools, the infrastructure, and social servicessocial services

d.d. Galbraith will influence social Galbraith will influence social reform efforts of the 1960sreform efforts of the 1960s

e.e. The term Affluent Society has The term Affluent Society has lost its original ironic meaning –lost its original ironic meaning – today it is used to indicate today it is used to indicate widespread prosperitywidespread prosperity

Baby Boom and the Overall Baby Boom and the Overall ImpactImpact

a.a. Prosperity led Americans to start Prosperity led Americans to start families earlier and have more families earlier and have more childrenchildren

b.b. Birth rate grew steadily from 1950 to its Birth rate grew steadily from 1950 to its peak in 1957peak in 1957

c. U.S. population grew from 150 million to c. U.S. population grew from 150 million to about 180 million during the 1950sabout 180 million during the 1950s

d. Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the nation’s history

What are the official years of the Baby Boom Generation?

1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the number of births in North America.

How did the birthrate rise and fall during the baby boom years in the

US?

1940 2,559,000 births per year

1946 3,311,000 births per year

1955 4,097,000 births per year

1957 4,300,000 births per year

1964 4,027,000 births per year

19743,160,000 births per year

It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant.It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant. -- British visitor to America, 1958 -- British visitor to America, 1958

1957 1957 1 baby born every 7 seconds 1 baby born every 7 seconds

WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU

Your generation will be supporting an increasingly aging American population

WHY SO MANY BABIES?

Why did the baby boom occur when it did?

a. Husbands returning from war

b. Decreasing marriage age

c. Desirability of large families

d. Confidence in economye. Advances in medicine

ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND CHILDCARE

a. Advances in the treatment of childhood diseases included drugs to combat typhoid fever and polio (Jonas Salk)

Dr. Salk was instrumental in the eradication of polio

DR. SPOCK ADVISES PARENTS

a. Many parents raised their children according to the guidelines of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock

b. He thought children should be allowed to express themselves and parents should never physically punish their kids

Dr. Spock’s book sold 10 million copies in the 1950s

c. c. Dr. Benjamin Dr. Benjamin Spock author Spock author of Baby and of Baby and Child Care Child Care (1946)(1946) suggested suggested mothers mothers devote devote themselves to themselves to the fulltime the fulltime care of their care of their childrenchildren

Baby BoomBaby BoomBaby BoomBaby Boom

Dr. Benjamin SpockDr. Benjamin Spock and the Anderson and the Anderson

QuintupletsQuintuplets

d.d. Popular culture depicted marriage Popular culture depicted marriage and taking care of the family as and taking care of the family as the primary goal of the American the primary goal of the American womanwoman

e.e. Religious messages began to Religious messages began to merge into popular culture – merge into popular culture – during the 1950s Congress added during the 1950s Congress added ““under Godunder God”” to the Pledge of to the Pledge of Allegiance Allegiance (due to the fight against communism)(due to the fight against communism)

Fads of the Baby Boomers

Hula Hoops

Frozen Foods

Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes

Panty Raids

Barbie and GI Joe Dolls

Bikinis

Frisbees

Yo-yos

Ouija Boards

Dune Buggies

What celebrity deaths have most affected the Baby Boomers?

John F. Kennedy

Marilyn Monroe

Martin Luther King

John Lennon

Consumer Culture - Consumer Culture - TelevisionTelevision

a.a. TV dominated American TV dominated American culture during the 1950s – culture during the 1950s – only 6 TV stations broadcast in only 6 TV stations broadcast in 1946 and by 1956, 442 stations 1946 and by 1956, 442 stations were operatingwere operating

b.b. 7 million TV sets were sold in 19517 million TV sets were sold in 1951c.c. TV portrayed a cookie-cutter TV portrayed a cookie-cutter

stereotyped image of happy, stereotyped image of happy, prosperous Americansprosperous Americans

POPULAR CULTURE

d. A new era of mass media led by television emerged in the 1950s

e. In 1948, only 9% of homes had T.V

f. In 1950, 55% of homes had T.V.

g. By 1960, 90% of American homes had T.V.

h.h. TV brought TV brought messages of messages of conformity conformity and and consumerisconsumerismm

i.i. TV produced TV produced fads for the fads for the hula hoop and hula hoop and Davy Davy CrockettCrockett’’s s coonskin capcoonskin cap

Despite their success, some workers questioned whether pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as

conformity replaced individuality

THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISIONJ. The 1950s was

known as the “Golden Age of Television”

k. Comedies were the main attraction as Milton Berle, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were very popular

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball starred in I Love Lucy

TELEVISION EXPERIMENTS WITH VARIOUS FORMATS

l. Television innovations like on-the-scene-news reporting, interviews, westerns and sporting events offered the viewer a variety of shows

m. Kids’ shows like The Howdy Doody Show and The Mickey Mouse Club were extremely popular

TV ADS, TV GUIDES AND TV DINNERS EXPAND

n. TV advertising soared from $170 million in 1950 to nearly $2 billion in 1960

o. TV Guide magazine quickly became the best selling magazine

p. Frozen TV dinners were introduced in 1954 – these complete ready-to-heat meals on disposable aluminum trays made it easy for people to eat without missing their favorite shows

A SUBCULTURE EMERGES

a. Although mass media and television were wildly popular in the 1950s, dissenting voices emerged

b. The “Beat Movement” in literature and rock n’ roll clashed with tidy suburban views of life

BEATNIKS FOLLOW OWN PATH

c. Centered in San Francisco, L.A. and New York’s Greenwich Village, the Beat Movement expressed social nonconformity

d. Followers, called “beatniks”, tended to shun work and sought understanding through Zen Buddhism, music, and sometimes drugsBeatniks often performed

poetry or music in coffeehouses or bars

MUSIC IN THE 1950s

a. Musicians in the 1950s added electronic instruments to traditional blues music, creating rhythm and blues

b. Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was the first to play this music in 1951– he called it “rock and roll”

FREED

ROCK N’ ROLLc. In the early and mid-fifties, Richard Penniman, Chuck

Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, and especially Elvis Presley brought rock and roll to the forefront

d. The driving rhythm and lyrics featuring love, cars, and problems of being young --- captivated teenagers across the country

THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL

e. Elvis Presley’s rebellious style captured young audiences

f. Girls screamed and fainted, and boys tried to imitate him

Consumer Culture -Consumer Culture -Rock-n-RollRock-n-Roll

g.g. Elvis Presley epitomized Elvis Presley epitomized rock-n-roll of the 1950srock-n-roll of the 1950s

h.h. Born in Tupelo, MS in 1935 Born in Tupelo, MS in 1935

i.i. Presley produced 14 Presley produced 14 consecutive records between consecutive records between 1956 and 1958 – each sold 1956 and 1958 – each sold over a million copiesover a million copies

THE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE

a. After the rationing of WWII, inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy credit led many to buy cars

b. By 1960, over 60 million Americans owned autos

INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT 1956

a. In 1956 Ike authorized a nationwide highway network – 41,000 miles of road linking America

THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM

b. “Automania” spurred the construction of roads linking major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers and workplaces to residential suburbs

IMPACT OF THE HIGHWAY

c. The Interstate Highway system resulted in:1. More trucking2. Less railroad3. More suburbs, further away Trucking is the #1 means of

moving cargo in the United States today

HIGHWAYS “HOMOGENIZE”

AMERICA

d. Another effect of the highway system was that the scenery of America began to look the same

e. Restaurants, motels, highway billboards, gas stations, etc. all began to look similar

f. The nation had become “homogenized”

Anytown, USA

“Our new roads, with their ancillaries, the motels, filling

stations, and restaurants advertising eats, have made it possible for you to drive from

Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a change of diet, scenery, or culture.”

John Keats, The Insolent Chariots

1958

Duck and CoverDuck and Cover

a.a. Fears of nuclear attacks Fears of nuclear attacks from the Soviets from the Soviets prompted a new social prompted a new social phenomenonphenomenon

b.b. Americans began building Americans began building bomb shelters or fallout bomb shelters or fallout sheltersshelters

c.c. U.S. U.S. Government Government produced produced Duck and Duck and CoverCover (1951) (1951) as a public as a public awareness awareness campaign to campaign to illustrate illustrate that nuclear that nuclear attacks attacks could occur could occur at anytimeat anytime

d.d. School children School children helped in helped in making the making the project – the project – the cartoon cartoon character character ““Bert Bert the Turtlethe Turtle”” was was used as the used as the subject of subject of practicing duck practicing duck and cover and cover tacticstactics