1. Living in a “Beaver Cleaver” World

2.  Marriage rates soared, marriage ages dropped, and divorce rates dropped  The “baby boom” (1946-1964) ◦ Largest “generation” in U.S. history, 77.3 million babies, peaked in 1957 ◦ Changed society with each new stage they reached ◦ The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock

3.   marriages + baby boom =  demand for housing  Levittown: The first mass- produced housing tract  Standardized homes, efficient community model, strict guidelines on conduct  Produced 150 houses per week; $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.

4.  Americans reverted back to traditional gender roles in the wake of WWII ◦ Reiterated through television and advertising

5.  Men were the breadwinners and head of household  “The Organization Man”: A man completely and totally dedicated to his company, who identified with the company they worked for and internalized the sense of belonging to the company.  Best illustrated in Sloan Wilson’s 1956 novel, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

6.  The baby boom led to a new focus on children  Rise of children’s programming  Radio to television  Taught morals and behavior  Dr. Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine in 1952.

7.  First time the majority of Americans had access to a TV ◦ 1946  7,000 TV sets in the U. S. 1950  50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S.  TV celebrated traditional American values.  Further homogenized American cultural and speech patterns  Rise of TV Dinners and advertising  Popular genres: Westerns, sit-coms, variety shows, and children’s programs.

8.  Postwar religious revival ◦ Church membership nearly doubled in the postwar world. ◦ Tradition, conformity, not godless communists  Television preachers denounced communism and promoted patriotism as much as their religious messages. ◦ Reverend Billy Graham

9.  American Bandstand: Started off as a local dance show in Philadelphia; became the most watched TV program for teens.  Bandstand was where America's teens went to learn what was cool ◦ New songs, new styles, new dances.  The most popular musicians performed their top hits on the show

10.  The Ed Sullivan Show: A variety show; one of the most popular shows on TV during the 1950s.  Most popular musicians and comedians introduced themselves to the country. ◦ 82% of TV viewers watched Elvis Presley’s first appearance on the show

11. Conformity and Conflict

12.  The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan (1963)  “The Pill” is developed in 1954, but not widely available until the 1960s. It earns its nickname because of the drastic impact it has on women’s control of their reproductive systems

13.  The “Beat Generation” – an underground, anti-conformist youth movement that developed in the artistic neighborhood of Greenwich Village in NYC  Central elements of "Beat" culture: experimentation with drugs, alternative forms of sexuality, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, and the idealizing of free expression and being.

14.  Most influential Beat Authors ◦ Alan Ginsburg – Howl ◦ Jack Kerouac – On The Road

15.  The term “teenager” was first coined in the 1950s  By 1956 there were13 million teens with $7 billion to spend a year  Behavioral rules of the 1950s: ◦ Obey Authority. ◦ Control Your Emotions. ◦ Don’t Make Waves; Fit in with the Group. ◦ Don’t Even Think About Sex!!!

16.  “Bubble Gum” Music ◦ Lyrics were clean, melodies were light, and the singers were wholesome  Sounded very similar to the music of their parents’ generation  Artists such as Doris Day, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, and Pat Boone Dominated the charts ◦ Mr. Sandman ◦ Que Sera Sera ◦ (How Much is that) Doggie In The Window? ◦ Sh-Boom

17.  J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye  Teenage Rebels (AKA: Juvenile Delinquents, JDs, Greasers, DAs, etc.)  Inspired by movies - The Wild One; Rebel Without A Cause  Listened to rock and roll  Experimented with drugs and alcohol  Rebelled against authority  Drove dangerous vehicles  More promiscuous then their peers

18.  Evolved from the combination of rhythm and blues, country, and jazz.  Early rock and roll was dubbed “rockabilly”: rocking beat + Hillbilly western  Rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language, and spawned numerous sub-genres.  Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets - the first true rock and roll song (1954)

19. Most early rock music wasn’t heard by mass audiences because the artists were black – dubbed “race music” The music was often mellowed, cleaned up, and covered by “acceptable” white artists

20.  Alan Freed, AKA: Moondog – A Cleveland DJ who coined the term “Rock and Roll” and is responsible for introducing the genre to mainstream audiences ◦ Presented music by African- American artists (rather than cover versions by white artists) on his radio program, and arranged live concerts attended by racially mixed audiences

21.  Sam Phillips ◦ Memphis Recording Service ◦ Sun Records

22.  Elvis Presley is the undisputed King of Rock and Roll  Elvis was “a white artist able to sing black music,” bringing rock and roll to a wider audience than ever before.  He had a massive following, with young girls near hysteria at the mere mention of his name.  He was considered too “sexual” for many audiences, including Ed Sullivan.