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Culture in the 1950s
Culture in the 1950s
Do Now:
Imagine you are the President of the US near the end of WWII. Millions of soldiers are about to return home from war.
–What do you do with all these men?
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
GI Bill• Bill passed in 1944 to
provide benefits to new WWII veterans
– Low cost mortgages buy more homes
– Low interest Loans start new businesses
– Tuition for college increase education levels
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
Baby Boom• Returning veterans start
families after war
• Young couples felt secure starting families because GI Bill gave them financial support
• 79 million babies born from 1945-1965 made up “Baby Boomers”, who were the largest age group
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Percentage of “Baby Boomers” in Population
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Growth of Suburbs
• Expanding population moved increasingly from cities to suburbs
• Appeared to offer more space than cities
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Levittown: Symbol of “New” Suburbia
• Long Island Housing development by William Levitt
• Standardized construction and design made them cheap
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
Television
•TVs become cheaper and more common in homes
•TV programs had national audience and large cultural influence
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Women at Home
• Most women stopped working after WWII and became housewives (stayed home, raised children)
• Strict definition of a good, or proper, housewife
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Is this a good or bad housewife? Why?
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
Consumerism
– Consumerism:societal value in buying, or consuming, new goods/products
– “The Good Life” defined in economic terms.
• “stuff”= happiness
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Daily N
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An Advertisement for a Levittown house with a special offer for Veterans
Lyrics to “Little Boxes”
• Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes all the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow one,And they're all made out of ticky tackyAnd they all look just the same.
• And the people in the housesAll went to the university,Where they were put in boxesAnd they came out all the same,And there's doctors and lawyers,And business executives,And they're all made out of ticky tackyAnd they all look just the same.
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
• And they all play on the golf courseAnd drink their martinis dry,And they all have pretty childrenAnd the children go to school,And the children go to summer campAnd then to the university,Where they are put in boxesAnd they come out all the same.
• And the boys go into businessAnd marry and raise a familyIn boxes made of ticky tackyAnd they all look just the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow one,And they're all made out of ticky tackyAnd they all look just the same.
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P Phone boothStuffing
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10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
HULA HOOPS!
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
10/25/2016 Culture in the 1950s
