The American Dream
Study the above picture – what does it suggest about American life in the 1950s? What do you think the American Dream was?
Learning Objectives Recap causes of the American Dream Consider how the American Dream developed Evaluate the America Dream
Think back to last lesson – how do these 3 images link to explain why there would have been a consumer boom in the 1950s?
End of war saw businesses ‘Reconvert’ to consumer production End of war saw businesses ‘Reconvert’ to consumer production. The US public had savings of $150billion, ready to spend. The US was also able to export on a large scale, helping farmers too. GI Bill of rights meant 12m returning veterans could purchase homes, go to college (getting qualifications for a job) or be supported to avoid unemployment. Think back to last lesson – how do these 3 images link to explain why there would have been a consumer boom in the 1950s? The start of the cold war meant government military spending remained high – creating thousands of jobs.
Learning Objectives Recap causes of the American Dream Consider how the American Dream developed Evaluate the America Dream
What caused the American Dream in the 1950s? Recording your notes Baby Boom Copy this diagram & make notes around each section Growth of Suburbs What caused the American Dream in the 1950s? Cars Space race/cold war Electricity Shopping malls Consumer purchases
Consumer purchases When they’re confident. When they have a secure job. When they’ve got money saved. When new exciting products come on the market. When you feel patriotic. When you are building a new family. In 1950s America, all of these elements combined.
The Baby Boom Many Americans had postponed marriage in the Depression and WW2. Once married, the post-war era gave them confidence to have a family. Returning veterans had jobs or a future, corporations grew larger and more profitable and consumer goods were more plentiful than before. The environment was ripe for new families – the baby boom started. More babies were born than ever before in 1946 -3.4 million. This continued to rise and from 1954-1964, more than 4 million were born every year. The American Dream was growing.
The growth of suburbs Hand in hand with the baby boom were the development of suburbs. Developers like William Levitt (who built ‘Levittowns’ in NY, New Jersey & Pennsylvania), bought land to mass produce modest and affordable homes. The GI Bill helped many to buy these, but they were also perfect for young families – it was often cheaper to buy these and commute than rent an apartment in the cities. By 1960, suburban baby boomers (& parents!) comprised 1/3 of the US population. However, owning the homes led to further consumption. Think/Pair/Share – how would this lead to the next stage of consumerism?
Click on me for a typical 1950s advert! Cars! Commuting provided further incentives to the car industry. Car sales rocketed, and cars became a status symbol. By the end of the 1950s, 58 million were sold – around one car per 3 Americans. This also saw related industries boom – freeway construction, out of town shopping malls, drive in restaurants, cinemas and banks! By 1960, one in 7 US workers were linked to the automobile industry – and with their new wages, what did they invest in…? Click on me for a typical 1950s advert!
Click on me for the finest work in my lifetime. Electricity In the 1950s and into the 60s, 98% of the population had electric power – many in their new suburban homes. Electrical companies soon encouraged Americans to use as much electricity at home – future President Ronald Reagan endorsing this in a famous advert. With the rise in advertising, consumer product sales also boomed. Click on me for the finest work in my lifetime.
Rise in consumer purchases TV ownership grew – by the end of the 1950s, 90% of homes owned a TV. Adverts for new products soared – in 1951, $41m was spent on adverts, by 1953 it had soared to $336m! As a result, sales in new products boomed – hoovers, fridges, TVs, freezers – pretty much anything you could think of! The American Dream was alive! Click on me for a sample of TV ads
A dark day for men A final aspect of the American dream (???!) was the growth of the shopping mall. Framingham in Massachusetts was one of the first, with Northland in Detroit the first to have central heating/air con, and a car park that surrounded it. This encouraged Americans to spend even more on consumer goods and condemned husbands to hours of misery.
Space race/Cold War The Cold War had a big effect on America in the 1950s. A military race began between America and the USSR, but this also developed into a space race. This led to millions of expenditure by the government, creating thousands of jobs. Once the USSR developed their own nuclear bomb in 1952 & launched Sputnik in 1957, there was the realization that Russia could develop and drop a bomb from space at any time. This led to a fascination with space and the future by Americans. Futurism remained a popular idea among the American population by pushing every day technology forward with better washing machines, better refrigerators, new gadgets and gizmos for the home and office, and the introduction of basic computers in a commercial capacity.
The first malls appeared in the 1950s – this encouraged spending. Evaluating the dream Was this a dream? Or was it a temporary illusion has Americans tried to forget the war? Explain in your own words whether you think this really was American’s living the ‘dream’ and what the dream was. Growth of Suburbs GIs helped to buy houses led to a housing boom – which in turn led to the demand for other products. Baby Boom 1946 - 1964, 3-4 million babies were born every year. What caused the American Dream in the 1950s? Cars By the end of the 1950s, 58 million were sold – around one car per 3 Americans. This saw a growth in jobs in related industries . Space race/cold war Space race with USSR sparked a fascination with all things futuristic – inventions – creating more jobs. Electricity 98% had an electrical supply. This led to more adverts and consumerism. Shopping malls The first malls appeared in the 1950s – this encouraged spending. Consumer purchases 90% of Americans owned a TV by end of 1950s. This led to a huge rise in adverts and spending.
What was the American dream? The American Dream might involve a returning GI getting married and starting a family as part of the baby boom. His new family (still growing) would move into a new suburban house, maybe in Levittown. They would then need maybe two cars – one for him to travel to work (possibly in automobile industry, where 1 in 7 Americans worked) and one for his wife – to go shopping at the new mall. They would fill their house with new products – a TV (98% owned one), refrigerator, iron, clock, waffle maker, radio, hoover, in fact anything that has been advertised on telly! He might be further tempted by anything that sounds futuristic, which reminds him of his fascination with space!
And finally Some American adverts would not be able to pass today’s advertising rules…can you spot why..?