American Culture in the 1950s US History Standards: SSUSH21 The student will explain economic growth and its impact on the United States, 1945-1970. a. Describe the baby boom and its impact as shown by Levittown and the Interstate Highway Act. b. Describe the impact television has had on American culture; include the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon,1960) and news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement. c. Analyze the impact of technology on American life.
Transcript
American Culture in the 1950s
US History Standards:SSUSH21 The student will explain economic growth and its impact on the United States,
1945-1970. a. Describe the baby boom and its impact as shown by Levittown and the Interstate Highway
Act. b. Describe the impact television has had on American culture; include the presidential
debates (Kennedy/Nixon,1960) and news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement. c. Analyze the impact of technology on American life.
• Distance: 46,837 miles• Largest public works project in history• Cost: Estimated $25 billion over 12 years Total Cost was $114 billion over 35 years• Numbering System:
– North/South routes have odd numbers– East/West routes have even numbers
• Why did Eisenhower want to build it? Would be useful in a nuclear attack
What were some of the downsides of the Interstate Highway System?
Consumer Culture in the 1950s
• The 1950s witnessed a huge expansion of the middle class with disposable income and a desire for the American dream
• Americans had access to easy credit and new forms of recreation with which to spend their ample leisure time
Examples of Consumer Culture in the 1950s
Television in the 1950s
Television in the 1950s
• In the 1940s, tvs were for rich people• By 1960, nearly every American home had one• Attendance at movies dropped• Advertisers spent $10 billion per year by the
mid 1950s• In addition to sitcoms, people also watched
game shows, televangelists, and sports
The Television Revolution, 1950–1994
Television in the 1950s
The Rise of the Teenager• By 1950s middle class youths were expect to finish high
school• The economic prosperity of the time period allowed more
kids to enroll in college• Teenagers had more free time and more independence
(cars)• Generation gap develops between teens and their parents• One of the sources of conflict was Rock and Roll – music
which blended black rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country styles to create a new style of music
• Cleveland DJ Alan Freed called the new style of music Rock and Roll
Elvis Presley
Teenage Rebellion in Rebel Without a Cause
• Rebellion among teens was marked with the release of Rebel Without a Cause
