1. 1950s – Age of Conformity

4. Economic Boom Decade of prosperity Average American income tripled
Spent on consumer goods like refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners
Advertising became fastest growing industry in US
More white-collar jobs

5. GI Bill
Provided generous funds to veterans to help them buy homes, attend college, and create businesses
Low Interest loans to veterans

7. Fair Deal Truman’s Program to promote his domestic agenda
Raised minimum wage to 75 cents
Increased social security
Passed National Housing Act – provided construction of low income housing

9. Eisenhower Won election in 1952 Conservative Cut federal spending
Extended social security
Extended unemployment compensation

11. Interstate Highway Federal Highway Act
Allowed people to move to suburbs
Impact of car
Allowed vacationing
Drive-ins
Hotels

13. Levittown Earliest mass-produced suburbs (New York)
Planned residential communities
Moved to suburbs to escape crime and overcrowding
Thought it would be better life for children
GI Bill made it affordable

15. Baby Boom Increase in American birthrate
Young people who delayed marriage due to war could marry, buy home with GI bill, and start family
Pop culture (TVs, mags, etc) celebrated pregnancy

17. Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk developed vaccine to prevent polio
Threat of polio disappeared
Other medical breakthroughs: radiation and chemotherapy, CPR, Tuberculosis antibiotics

20. Rock n Roll Alan Freed – Cleveland radio jockey
First to convince station to play Rock n Roll music
White artists began making music that stemmed from African American R&B sounds
Elvis Presley – King of Rock n Roll
Chuck Barry, Buddy Holly, Lionel Richie
Created Generation Gap

22. Television More than 80% of families had a TV by 1957
Comedy, action, adventure, variety
I Love Lucy
Ed Sullivan show
Gunsmoke
Dragnet
Athletic events
Presidential debates

24. Beat Generation Mostly white writers and artists Beatniks
Criticized conformity of American culture and emptiness of popular culture
Created values gap
Laid foundations of youth cultural rebellion of 1960s

25. Groups Left Out of the Prosperity
African Americans
Racial discrimination in schools, housing, hiring, and salaries kept them in poverty
Hispanics
Hard laborers who lived in extreme poverty
Native Americans
Termination Policy- the gov’t withdrew all recognition of Native American groups as legal entities; now had to pay taxes
Encouraged them to ‘blend in’ with mainstream society
Appalachia
Few doctors
Unemployment due to mechanization of mining
Poor education
Other Problems:
Inner city Decline
Middle class moved to the suburbs leaving behind poor
City centers deteriorated due to no longer receiving taxes from middle class that moved out
Juvenile Delinquency
Increase caused people to stereotype teens
Reasons: TV, Racism, Rebelling against conformity?
Education – parents started focusing on school to keep kids out of trouble
When Sputnik was launched increased focus on education especially science and math