17.2 A Society on the Move

Americans Move to the Suburbs : Over 40 million Americans moved to the suburbs Rural areas suffered greatest decline in population Older industrial cities also hit hard Cleveland for instance…

Suburbs Attract Young Americans A shortage in urban housing drew young ppl to the suburbs Huge demand due to post war pulls (end of GD and WWII) William Levitt mass produced affordable homes in groups aka a Levittown Ideal for young ppl 1949 William Levitt produced 150 houses per week.

Levittown – The American Dream $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment. Question: What do you think American society is like today? Do our neighborhoods look like this?

Suburban Development Federal gov’t assisted by establishing highway systems + providing financial aid for home buyers GI Bill and Federal Housing Admin (FHA) that gave low interest loans 5-10% of home + 30 yr mortgage Suburban dwellers increasingly looking inward No longer looking to the city for entertainment

Suburban Living SHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, SHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, Central Cities 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0% Central Cities 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0% Suburbs 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 41.6% Suburbs 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 41.6% Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4% Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4% Small Towns U. S. Bureau of the Census. U. S. Bureau of the Census. Question: Why does the chart tell you about population growth? Why?

The “Car Culture” Takes Over Suburban sprawl = more ppl required the use of cars 1945  26 million ppl owned cars 1960  60 million ppl owned cars New technology in cars Fancy chrome, power steering, lots of horsepower Businesses that dealt w/cars flourished

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System 1953: President Eisenhower authorized funding of the interstate highway system Congress also passed the Interstate Highway Act Authorized funding of 41,000 miles of roads Biggest expenditure of any public works project in history 1990: All renamed Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate and Defense Highways

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System Impact of the highways: Easily to get to work in cities Increase in travel and vacations Inspired the creation of Disneyland in CA Las Vegas gained fame National parks visited much more often

The Culture of the Car The U. S. population was on the move in the 1950s. NE & Mid-W  S & SW (“Sunbelt” states) 1955  Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.) Frontier Land Main Street Tomorrow Land

Questions: 1. What businesses would be associated with the increase in cars on the road and people driving? Make a list of 7-10! 2. Do you believe that the 1950s was the beginning of modern culture (culture as we know it today)? Why or why not?

Migrating to the Sunbelt Sunbelt: Southern and western U.S NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively Growth of cities in these areas CA became largest state by population

Seeking the Benefits of the Sunbelt Better climate in the Sunbelt Invention of AC = possible to live there Defense industry huge in CA = jobs Oil industry huge in TX Cubans fleeing from Fidel Castro went to Miami, FL Mexican population moves to cities

Impact of Migration The suburbs + Sunbelt gained political representation and increased power Midwest and Northeast urbanites lost political power Environmental concerns Traffic jams Water shortages Habitat damages Question: As the Sunbelt grows, what areas of science were also able to grow?

The American Economy Changes Focus More ppl in the service sector than in the manufacturing sector Service sector = Business that provide services (healthcare, law, retail, banking, insurance etc) Postindustrial society?

The Service Sector Grows Service sector also included those in the information industry First ppl who built/worked on computers The first computer: ENIAC (electronic numerical integrator and computer) in 1946 Was 18,000 square feet! (3 bball courts) Less powerful than computers/devices today

The Service Sector Grows 1960s all types of businesses (gov’t + private) were using computers Keeping records Tracking accounts Automate work

The Service Sector Grows Women and the Service Sector: Amount of women working doubled from Most jobs were part-time, underpaid and short-term Few went after careers BUT necessary for families to stay in the middle class

Questions: Why do you think there was such a spike/growth in the service sector? List 7-10 service sector jobs that you use on a weekly basis.

The Farming Sector Declines

Entrepreneurs Start Businesses Rise in franchise businesses Allows a company to distribute its products/services through retails outlets owned by independent operators Consumers enjoyed b/c quality + sameness anywhere in the country 1955

The Holiday Inn Franchise Kemmons Wilson: Home builder Trip to D.C. all hotels were hard to find, overpriced + inadequate Became VERY irritated + told his wife he was going into the hotel business This started the Holiday Inn! Critics called the U.S. bland in response to franchises Same food, same houses, watched the same shows Question: Do you agree with the critics? Was the U.S. bland in the 1950s? Are we bland today?

American Corporations Go Multinational The 1950s saw a rise in multinational corps = produce + sell goods/services all over the world Made even larger profits abroad!

Unions Consolidate Their Gains Labor mvm’t saw relative success in later ‘50s AFL-CIO: Became influential in Democratic Party American Federation of Labor + Congress of Industrial Organizations joined in 1955 But, most white collar workers didn’t join unions Also, corruption in the Teamsters Union hurt image of labor unions

Educational Opportunities Expand Achieving the American Dream 1940: only 15% of Americans attended college Early 1960s: 40% attended college Also more ppl finishing high school

Government Provides Funding for Education To meets needs of baby boomers: More funding for education For instance: 1960s – CA opened a new school/week Most funding from state/local gov’t until Sputnik I (Nat’l Defense Education Act - $1 billion)

Education is Democratized To make education more accessible: Funding towards public universities California Master Plan: 3 tiers of higher education Research universities State colleges Community colleges Other states followed suit Education is also integrated w/ Brown v. Board! Question: Education plays a huge role in shaping a person, a family, and a society. Which area do you believe education has the most impact? Personally is it most important, for the well being of your family, or for the overall growth of a society?