1. Car Culture
-post-war boom period
“Automania”
-Interstate Highway System signed by Eisenhower created a nationwide highway system for more than 41,000 miles of expressway
-trucking industry boomed!
-social effects: *noise, exhaust, traffic jams, raised stress levels, drive-ins/ thru become very popular

2. Suburbia
-most new homes were in the suburbs 85%
-baby boom generation population explosion height, *1baby born every 7 secs, 4,308,000
-Medical breakthroughs w/Polio
Jonas Salk
-Childrearing
Dr. Spock’s influence “Common Sense Book of Baby & Childcare”
*No spanking or scolding, instead let children Express themselves
* Moms should stay at home

4. Television
-Widely available in 1948
-FCC strongly controls/regulates the industry
-Golden Age of Television
Milton Berle
Lucille Ball ‘I love Lucy”
Edward R. Murrow – 1st TV news reporting
Quiz Shows/ Kids Shows: Mickey Mouse Club, Howdy Doody
-spurred other industries

5. Television -
-spurred other industries
* Such as Frozen TV Dinners!

6. Effects of T.V.
-women often appears as perfect homemakers
-more males represented
-few minorities seen
-portrayed ideal America
-programming concerns
quiz show scandals

7. Radio and Movies
-radio continued to prosper
-movies struggled, but had several advantages
stereo sound “Surrounding the viewer”
color 50 % of movies
3-D movies

8. Beatniks
-beat movement
social and literary non-conformists- followers of the movement
-non-material lifestyle
-set precedent for the hippy generation
-*Writing had to be free form, often heard in coffee shops
-clashed with regular America-Non conforming young people that looked up to James Dean “Rebel w/o a Cause”

9. Rock-n-Roll
-Alan Freed –Cleveland Oh, Disc Jockey Coined the name- rock-n-roll
-Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley
-Ed Sullivan Show
-Dick Clark
-reaction to rock music

10. Rock-n-Roll
-Alan Freed
rock-n-roll
-Little Richard, Tutti Fruitti
Chuck Berry, Johnny B Goode
Bill Haley, Rock around the Clock
Buddy Holly,-plane crash, Huge Influence, “That will be the day that I die”
Elvis Presley The King, 45 records hit #1, made R&R popular, *Hound Dog, Blue Swede Shoes
-Ed Sullivan Show
-Dick Clark
-reaction to rock music

12. Rock-n-Roll
-Ed Sullivan Show
-Dick Clark
-reaction to rock music lead to teenage delinquency & immorality
*Became more acceptable at the end of the decade
Jerry lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire

13. Poverty
-1/4 of Americans were below poverty line
-”Other America”
-White Flight
-million of middle class whites moved to suburbs
-loss of tax dollars hurt city services
-lots of rural poor move to cities
-breakdown of inner cities
-Urban Renewal

14. Women in America
-many working women were paid less and restricted to certain jobs
-role of women
-glorified role of the housewife
-boredom and un-fulfillment
-Betty Freidan
“Feminine Mystique”
-beginning of women’s liberation movement

15. Minority Groups
-immigration from Mexico
-discrimination
-Indians
citizenship, 1924
-Indian Reorganization Act

16. Links: Elvis: Bill Haley: Rock around the Clock
Chuck Berry:Johnny Be Goode
Buddy Holly: That will be the Day
I love Lucy