Obj SWBAT Describe the changes in American culture after WWII America in the s Do now: Quiz The Century, America s Time: The Best Years (3 36-13:13) A day in the life of the s Suburban Living The G.I. Bill of Rights Provided unemployment benefits to veterans unable to find work. Levittown, L. I.: The American Dream 1949 William Levitt produced 150 houses per week. Offered low interest loans to veterans who were starting businesses or buying homes or farms. Made money available for schooling. Hospital care for the sick and wounded was made available. $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment Suburban Living Suburban Living: The New American Dream SHIFTS IN POPULATION 1 story high DISTRIBUTION, 1940 1970 12 x19 living room 1940 1960 1970 2 bedrooms Central Cities 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0% tiled bathroom Suburbs 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 41.6% garage Rural Areas/ Small Towns 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4% small backyard U. S. Bureau of the Census. front lawn By 1960 1/3 of the U. S. population lives in the suburbs 1
Welcome to Levittown Why Build a Levittown? After World War II there was a major shortage of houses for returning soldiers Baby Boom: 30 Million babies born between 1947 1961 Baby Boom Baby Boom It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant. -- British visitor to America, 1958 1957 à 1 baby born every 7 seconds Suburban Living: The Typical TV Suburban Families Year Number of Live Births Birth Rate 1940 2,559,000 19.4 1945 2,858,000 20.4 3,632,000 24.1 1952 3,913,000 25.1 1953 3,965,000 25.1 1954 4,078,000 25.3 1955 4,104,000 25.0 1956 4,218,000 25.2 1957 4,308,000 25.3 The Donna Reed Show 1958-1966 Father Knows Best 1954-1958 Leave It to Beaver 1957-1963 The Ozzie & Harriet Show 1952-1966 2
Well Defined Gender Roles The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. Life magazine, 1956 The ideal s man was the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. Life magazine, 1955 How To Be a Good Wife Have dinner ready. Prepare yourself. Clear away the clutter. Prepare the children. Don t greet him with problems or complaints. Listen to him, let him talk first. Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. Opportunities Lacking Consumerism Introduction of the Diner s Card Women, and minorities took a back seat to the goals of white men. Would lead to social, racial, and gender rights movements in the 60 s All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand new market for food, clothing, and shelter. Life Magazine (May, 1958) Television Consumerism 1946 7,000 TV sets in the U. S. 50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S. Mass Audience TV celebrated traditional American values. Truth, Justice, and the American way! 3
Television The Western Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier Television Family Shows Glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban life. Sheriff Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke The Lone Ranger (and his faithful sidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man?? I Love Lucy The Honeymooners The Culture of the Car Car registrations: 1945 25,000,000 1960 60,000,000 The Culture of the Car 2 family cars doubles from 1951 1958 1958 Pink Cadillac 1959 Chevy Corvette First McDonald s (1955) Drive-In Movies Interstate Highway Act 1956 largest public works project in American history! Cost $32 billion. 41,000 miles of new highways built. The Emergence of the Highway Eisenhower realized the need for an interstate highway system for national defense Howard Johnson s And Hotels The US built massive limited access highways to connect cities Created a new summer vacation culture The first Holiday Inn, founded by Arkansan Charles Kemmons Wilson, located at 4941 Summer Ave., Memphis, Tennessee 1952. 4
Teen Culture A Changing Workplace In the s the word teenager entered the American language. Automation: By 1956 13 mil. teens with $7 bil. to spend a year. 1947 1957 factory workers decreased by 4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million blue collar jobs. 1951 à ROCK N ROLL By 1956 more white collar than blue collar jobs in the U. S. Computers Mark I (1944). First IBM mainframe computer (1951). Elvis Presley à The King Progress Through Science UFO Sightings skyrocketed in the s War of the Worlds Hollywood used aliens as a metaphor for whom?? 5