1950 s Average. Cost of New Car: $2, Average

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1 Big Business & Consumerism The Decade of Prosperity By 1950 people generally recognized that the nation's economy, the financial performance of its businesses, affects every American personally. The security of our jobs and how much we earn doing them, the cost of the goods we buy, and the price we pay to borrow money, are all directly related to the health of the economy. During the 1950s the American economy was the strongest in the world s Average Cost of New Car: $2, Average Cost of New Car: $33,560 Car sales: 6,665,800 Vice President Nixon told Soviet leader Khrushchev that there were 60 million cars in the United States, but the Soviet leader simply refused to believe him. When Khrushchev came to visit America, Eisenhower arranged for him to fly in a helicopter over busy roads and parking lots to witness it for himself s Average Salary: $2, Average Salary: $56,516

2 Big Business & Consumerism The Company Man For men, it was ideal to get a white-collar job, (clerical, managerial, or professional occupations). Unlike bluecollar jobs, white-collar workers tended to work in sales and advertising. Whitecollar jobs also paid more. However, this financial security came with a price. Businesses do not like creative thinkers or rebels. This created a loss of individuality for individuals. Advertising Consumerism was driven by advertising. Spending on product promotion boomed, from $6 billion annually in 1950 to more than $13 billion by "The reason we have such a high standard of living," Sarnoff, president of NBC, said in 1956, "is because advertising has created an American frame of mind that makes people want more things, better things, and newer things.

3 Big Business & Consumerism First Modern Decade After WWII, with new inventions and mass consumerism, writers, artists, and architects began to produce goods that were representative of the times: sleek and industrial. Travel If one word could describe American society during the Eisenhower era, it would be "restless." With the popularity of the automobile, more families began to travel, leading to vacation spots like Disneyland, Route 66, & resorts across the country. Mass Media Although TV broadcasts had begun in the 1940s, there were few stations and sets were expensive. By the end of the 1950s, these black-and-whitescreened sets sat in living rooms across the country. Families were encouraged by advertisers to eat in front of the TV for dinner, leading to the TV Dinner. Television s popularity forced other forms of mass media, namely motion pictures & radio, to change in order to keep their audiences.

4 American Dream The American Dream With victory from WWII under their belts and money in their pockets, Americans in the 1950s could optimistically pursue the American dream. Part of that dream included the comforts of home ownership and the opportunity to start a family. Although the housing boom began shortly after World War II, it wasn t until 16 million veterans actually returned from the war that America went on a fullfledged housing spree. Factors contributing to Suburban Life Highways/Freeways Automobiles Crowded Cities New Schools

5 American Dream White Flight of 1950s Housing demands exploded in the decades following WWII. New developments appeared almost overnight in outer-city and suburban areas. The attractions of new suburbs, available only to middle and upper class whites, and the growing housing needs of African Americans in urban cities produced a time of radical racial turnover in cities & suburban neighborhoods in a short period of time. White Flight Flight to the suburbs created isolated areas of poverty in the city. Non-White Americans Were Excluded from the American Dream. Black Migration Poor southern blacks continued to move to northern and western cities.

6 American Dream Conformity During the 1950s, a sense of uniformity pervaded American society. Conformity was common, as young and old alike followed group norms rather than striking out on their own. Rebellion But not all Americans conformed to such cultural norms. A number of writers, members of the so-called "beat generation," rebelled against conventional values. Musicians and artists rebelled as well. Tennessee singer Elvis Presley popularized black music in the form of rock and roll and demonstrated that there was a white audience for black music.

7 American Dream Levittown, Long Island, NY In 1947, Abraham Levitt and his two sons broke ground on a planned community located in Nassau County, Long Island. Within a few years, the Levitts had transformed the former farmland into a suburban community housing thousands of men many of whom were veterans returned from World War II and their families. The Levitts level of control did not stop at the yards and houses, but extended to the inhabitants themselves. Bill Levitt only sold houses to white buyers, excluding African Americans from buying houses in his communities even after housing segregation had been ruled unconstitutional by the courts. The Levitts homes were affordable, designed as a picture-perfect, carefully controlled community, and were equipped with futuristic stoves and television sets. The houses were simple, unpretentious, and most importantly to its inhabitants, affordable to both the white and blue collar worker.

8 Medical Innovations Medical Advances of the 1950s The 1950 was a turning point in modern medicine. There were many important advances in medicine including the first human aorta transplant, the discovery of the polio vaccine, as well as the synthesis of the world s first wonder drug, Penicillin. Polio Poliomyelitis (Polio) is a contagious viral infection that can cause permanent paralysis, deformity, or death. An epidemic in 1950 afflicted 32,000 children. Another in 1952 made 58,000 ill and killed 1,400. Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine from killed viruses. Salk began a program of inoculations in 1954, and once the vaccine's effectiveness was shown, widespread vaccination virtually eradicated polio. By 1962, just a few years after the vaccine was introduced, only 910 cases were reported nationwide.

9 Medical Innovations Measles During the 1950s an average of more than 500,000 cases of measles and nearly 500 deaths due to measles were reported in the United States. Surveys indicated that 95% of the population had been infected with measles by the age of 15 years. The introduction of measles vaccine and its widespread use in the 1960s, has had a major impact on the occurrence of measles in the United States. Reported numbers of cases, deaths due to measles, and complications of measles have declined dramatically.

10 Medical Innovations Heart Transplant In 1950 the first human aorta transplant was conducted in Detroit. Soon after, the first open heart surgery was conducted, as well as the first kidney transplant and dialysis. In the later 1950's, the American Cancer Society linked lung cancer to smoking.

11 Medical Innovations Dr. Spock Dr. Benjamin Spock's revolutionary book about how to raise children was first published on July 14, The book, The Common Book of Baby and Child Care, has become one of the best-selling non-fiction books of all time. Many parents in the 1950s were told to not pick babies up when they cried and to feed them on a strict schedule. Dr. Benjamin Spock, the author of Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, went against this theory. He wrote about how parents should just trust their instincts and have faith in their actions. He believed in just following the doctor's orders and using common sense. People responded to this novel in an astounding way. This book became a best-seller in no time.

12 The Automobile Revolution We tend to imagine the Fifties as a tranquil decade, but in fact Americans spent the years moving & searching. They moved Automobiles physically, from the Northeast to the South and West California's population grew by 49% during the Fifties, Florida's by 79%. They moved from rural areas to cities and from cities to suburbs. By 1960, a third of the country's population lived in the 'burbs. Many people were content, but many others felt ill at ease because of the speed at which the world was changing. Automania During the Fifties the number of cars in the US nearly doubled from 39 million to 74 million. By 1960, 80% of American families had at least one car and 15% had two or more. This was due, in part, by cheap gas prices and easy credit to buy.

13 Automobiles The Interstate Highway System One of President Eisenhower s most enduring legacies is the Interstate Highway System, which his Secretary of Commerce called "the greatest public works program in the history of the world. The new freeway system, officially known as the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, was a monumental undertaking, building some 41,000 miles of four-lane roads. The roads, whose wide shoulders and easy curves were designed for high-speed driving, would end up costing a grand total of some $129 billion. To satisfy urban interests, sections of highway were constructed into and around cities. Americans were delighted with the ability to drive from place to place at high speed, with no stoplights or intersections to worry about.

14 Automobiles Culture of the Car Of course, culture of the 1950s could not have flourished without the use of cars. During this decade, the creation of new suburbs made owning a car a necessity. This caused the automotive industry to flourish, stimulating production and providing jobs in related areas. Drive-in movies, drive-thru franchises, restaurants, and shopping malls became popular. The necessity of cars also created a wider gap between the middle class and the poor. This automania, however, was also deadly. Car accidents increased every year, and traffic jams raised stress levels. On September 30, 1955, actor James Dean was driving his new Porsche 550 when he was involved in a head-on collision with a Ford. James Dean, only 24 years old, died in the crash.

15 Baby Boom The Baby Boom Young males returning to the United States, Canada, and Australia following tours of duty overseas during World War II began families, which brought about a significant number of new children into the world. This dramatic increase in the number of births from 1946 to 1964 is called the Baby Boom. In the United States, approximately 79 million babies were born during the Baby Boom.

16 Causes Baby Boom GI Bill Young Veterans of WWII Better Healthcare Conformity

17 Effects Fads of the Baby Boomers Baby Boom Hula Hoops Frozen Foods Poodle Skirts & Saddle Shoes Barbie and GI Joe Dolls Bikinis Frisbees Yo-yos Toy Advertising Ouija Boards Dune Buggies Suburbs New Schools (especially Elementary)

18 WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU Baby Boom Your generation will be supporting an increasingly aging American population

19 Women in the 1950s Gender Roles For women, the role of a homemaker and mother was glorified in the 1950s. It was the dream of many women to work at home and become the "keeper" of the family. The labor force at the time was 5 men to every 2 women in the workforce. The M.R.S. Degree In the 1950s, women felt a tremendous pressure to focus their goals on a wedding ring. The U.S. marriage rate was at an all-time high and couples were tying the knot younger than ever before. Getting married right out of high school or while in college was considered the norm. A common stereotype was that women went to college to get a "Mrs." (pronounced M.R.S.) degree, meaning a husband. Although women had other dreams about life, the dominant one promoted in the media at the time was that a husband was far more important for a young woman than a college degree.

20 Women in the 1950s Family Values & the Cold War American society in the 1950s was geared toward the family. Marriage and children were part of the national agenda. And the Cold War was in part a culture war, with the American family at the center of the struggle. A Propaganda War The propaganda of the 1950s was the idea that the nuclear family was what made Americans superior to the Communists. American propaganda showed the horrors of Communism in the lives of Russian women. Russian women were shown dressed in gunnysacks, as they worked in drab factories while their children were placed in cold, anonymous day care centers. In contrast to the "evils" of Communism, an image was promoted of American women, with their feminine hairdos & delicate dresses, tending to the hearth & home as they enjoyed the fruits of capitalism, democracy, & freedom.

21 Women in the 1950s Large Families Not only did most married women walk down the aisle by age 19; they also tended to start families right away. A majority of brides were pregnant within seven months of their wedding, & they didn't just stop at one child. Large families were typical. From 1940 to 1960, the number of families with three children doubled & the number of families having a fourth child quadrupled. Stay at Home Moms After WWII, many women left their jobs and returned to the home. This was also the era of the "happy homemaker." For young mothers in the 1950s, domesticity was idealized in the media, and women were encouraged to stay at home if the family could afford it. Women who chose to work when they didn't need the paycheck were often considered selfish, putting themselves before the needs of their family.

22 Women in the 1950s Dissatisfaction at Home However, this led to dissatisfaction among some women. The boredom of being at home and the lack of fulfillment in their lives caused more and more women to work outside of home. Even so, jobs for women outside of the house were limited to nursing, teaching, and office support. Women were also paid less for the same amount of work. Betty Friedan & The Feminine Mystique Betty Friedan was inspired to write a book when she surveyed her classmates for a 15 year reunion and learned that none of them were happy with the idealized housewife role. The result of her extensive research was a book: The Feminine Mystique in Betty Friedan argues that women should develop their intellectual abilities, rather than making a choice to be just a housewife. The Feminine Mystique became an international bestseller as it launched the secondwave feminist movement. It has sold more than one million copies and been translated into multiple languages. It is a key text in Women s Studies and U.S. history classes.