Peace, Prosperity, and Progress pg. 32 Why are the 1950’s remembered as an age of affluence?

PREVIEW Examine this collage of photographs. What are some interesting things you see?

In this lesson you will Examine different photographs that reveal what life was like for many Americans in the years after World War II.

In God We Trust In midst of the Cold War, Congress declared this our Motto to stress the American belief in God and to contrast it with the Communist belief in Atheism

Truman’s First Term Taft-Hartley Act – reduces the power of labor unions 22nd Amendment – limits president to two term limit

Truman Wins Re-Election Increases minimum wage

Eisenhower in the 1950s Supreme Allied Commander during WWII Helped to create the Interstate Highway System Warned about the military-industrial complex

Interstate Highway System Cars become more popular – increased mobility Highway system – internal government project, linking the nation Roadside businesses become more popular Gas stations, restaurants, and motels

Migration in the 1950s People begin to move from urban to suburban GI Bill – helped veterans to receive home loans and get a college education Americans also moved from the north to south

Franchises in the 1950s Franchises start to develop across the United States, streamlining the service industry

Marriage Boom = Baby Boom = Economic Prosperity After the war people married and quickly started having children More children meant an increase in schools, consumer spending, and housing

Increase in Consumer Spending Shopping centers grew across the country Businesses offered credit cards to increase spending Planned obsolescence invented to increase consumer spending

Traditional Family Roles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SiwgMgBLgo Fathers went to work; Mothers stayed at home to take care of the house and family Boys played with cars; girls played with dolls Television became more popular people stayed home and re-enforced gender roles

Shift in Worker Population Majority of the work force shifts from blue-collar to white-collar jobs

Advances in Medicine Advances in medicine helped to extend life expectancy Vaccines (polio) and antibiotics First open heart surgery and kidney transplants successfully performed

Developments in Technology X-rays are developed from the exploration of nuclear energy

Picture Matching Activity Pg. 33 Find the photograph that corresponds with each photo description. Next to the image you will put the letter of the correct picture. You will then write a headline that captures the main idea of the image. Hint: Use the bolded words in your description

Why are the1950s remembered as an age of affluence? PROCESSING: Pg 34 Examine your notes and the photographs in your notebook. Write a paragraph that answers this question: Why are the1950s remembered as an age of affluence? Your paragraph should include: an introduction with a clear thesis statement that summarizes your position. two arguments that support your thesis. two or three sentences that explain how each argument supports your thesis. conclusion sentence