1950s

The American Dream

Post War Boom

Leave it to Beaver - TV

• Idealized white America

• Didn’t show poverty and civil rights struggle

• Few TV roles for Latinos and African Americans

• Women as ideal mothers/wives

• Male characters outnumbered females

WWII is over – what’s next???

• GI Bill of Rights

• Paid some college tuition

• Low-interest, home loans– Movement to the suburbs

The Suburb

• Housing developers, like William Levitt, mass-produced houses

• Located outside of cities

Levittown Homes

Changing Jobs

• Less industrial (blue-collar) jobs

• More people have higher paid jobs (office setting)– Sales, advertising, insurance or

communications

“Company” People

• Rewarded for teamwork and loyalty

• Personality tests used to make sure people would “fit in”

Effects

• CONFORMITY

• No individuality

Baby Boom

• Causes– Soldiers come home and start families– Confidence in prosperity– Medical advances

• At height of boom (1957), one American infant born every 7 seconds!

Effects

• Impact on child care

• economy (toy sales reached $1.25 billion)

• education– Teacher shortage

Leisure in the 1950s

• Americans have more free time b/c…– Only worked 40 hrs per week – vacation time– washing machines and dishwashers

• Activities included– Playing and watching sports, t.v., reading

Car Culture

• Living in the suburbs = owning a car

• More cars = more roads needed– Interstate Highway Act signed by Eisenhower

in 1956

Effects

• Decline in use of railroads (truckers)

• Unified the nation

• Vacationing to new places – Disneyland opens in 1955

• Noise, exhaust, traffic

Consumerism

• Buying material goods (the “extra” stuff) • Planned obsolescence

– To encourage people to buy more– Design items to become out of date – US as a “throwaway society”

Commercials and Ads

• Some of you have seen this, but watch the following commercials and look for…– Products– Role of each characters– Diversity?

• Now, create your own….– Can do a commercial or print ad– May work with one other person or alone

Commercial

• Find a product to promote (use the pictures on the side of the room to get ideas)

• Create a quick 30 second commercial about the product

• Use ideas from your notes today and include at least TWO of those ideas– Cars, suburbs, conformity, baby boom,

gender roles, etc.

Print Advertisement

• Must include a picture that I have printed or you may draw your own

• Include a slogan or information regarding the product

• Use ideas from your notes today and include at least TWO of those ideas– Think cars, suburbs, conformity, baby boom,

gender roles, etc.