American Dream in the 50’s

Suburban Lifestyle ■Most worked in cities, few lived there. ■What supported this system? –New highways –Automobiles and cheap gas.

The Baby Boom ■Soldiers returned form WWII and settled into family life ■ , the birthrate in the U.S. soared ■In 1957 one American infant was born every seven seconds, a total of 4,254,784 ■Contributions to baby boom: –Reunion of families after war –Decreasing marriage age –Desirability of large families –Confidence in continued economic prosperity –Advances in medicine

Dr. Jonas Salk ■Vaccine for the crippling disease poliomyelitis (Polio) ■Most Famous person with Polio???

Nuclear Family ■Made up of two parents with children ■This was the social norm of the time

Leisure of the 50’s ■More leisure time than ever before ■Worked a 40 hour week ■Earned several weeks vacation ■More labor saving devices ■More sports, participation and viewing on television ■More avid readers

The Automobile Culture ■Suburban living made owning a car a necessity ■Many families owned 2 cars ■The interstate highway system –A nationwide highway network- 41,000 miles of expressways

Consumerism ■Buying material goods ■New products ■Planned obsolescence –Manufacturers purposely designed products to wear out in a short period of time ■Buy now, pay later ■The advertising age –TV and Radio

Popular Culture

The Rise of Television ■Federal Communications Commission (FCC) –The government agency that regulates and licenses television ■The number of stations jumped from 108 in 1952 to almost 500 in 1956 ■Television in the 1950’s portrayed an idealized white America

The Beat Movement ■San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City ■Expressed the social and literary nonconformity of artists and poets ■“Beats” or “beatniks,” lived non-conformist lives and cared little for material goods

Rock n’ Roll ■Added electronic instruments to traditional blues music ■1951 a Cleveland Ohio radio disc jockey Alan Freed gave the new music the name that has lasted: rock n’ roll ■Elvis Presley-the King of Rock n’ Roll ■Many adults condemned rock n’ roll