2. Life in the 1950s US History

3. Consumer Spending After World War II, Americans were ready, able, & willing to spend their money Factories had converted from producing military supplies to consumer goods Many had saved up from wartime jobs

4. Consumer Spending

6. Suburbanization Thanks to “baby boom” & GI Bill there was a rise in new homes Building outside of major cities begins Levittowns  nearly identical homes built on treeless lots; mass production of houses Impact Decline of the Cities Fewer taxpayers  not enough funds for services Greater concentration of poor in the cities puts a strain on cities due to demand for social services

7. Suburbanization

8. Automobile Cars made growth of suburbs possible and in turn caused greater demand for cars Helped steel, rubber, & glass industries Caused America’s dependence on oil & pollution

9. Automobile Federal Highway Act of 1956 Largest public works program in US History $31 billion dollars to construct over 40,000 miles of roadways Intended to facilitate commerce & allow military to move about the country Helped integrated South into national economy Expands metropolitan areas (suburbanization)

10. Television Impact Education/News Homogenized culture Increases consumerism via advertising Alters sense of reality? Less socialization? Hurt movie industry?

11. Rock-n-Roll Seen as the music of the devil Associated with rebellious teens Led to moral depravity (Elvis hip swivel)

12. Education After Sputnik, US makes education a matter of national security National Defense Education Act (1958) Funded programs in math, science, and foreign language

13. Bomb Shelters & Air Raid Drills