Unit 9 1950 s60 sPart 1 Consumerism Baby

Unit 9: 1950 s/60 s-Part 1 ■Consumerism ■Baby Boom ■Suburbs/Levittown ■GI Bill ■Rock n’ Roll ■Auto Mania ■White Flight

The 1950 s: Consumerism ■Consumerism returned in the 1950 s. –TVs, record players, clothes, cars –Credit became available (The 1 st credit card was created in 1950) –Advertisers used newspaper ads, radio, & new TV commercials to market goods to Americans

The “Affluent Society”

The 1950 s: The Baby Boom • Americans produced a “baby boom ”in the 1950 s, leading to the largest generation in U. S. history. • The return of soldiers from war led to an increase in marriages & a rise in the birthrate • The baby boom led to a demand for new baby products, schools, & homes for growing families.

U. S. Birthrate, 1940 -1970 The late 1940 s & 1950 s experienced the “baby boom” In 1957, a baby was born every 7 seconds

The 1950 s: Suburbs • Suburbs-(smaller communities outside a city) boomed in the 1950 s: • Suburbs offered peace of mind, affordable homes, & good schools • GI Bill offered returning soldiers cheap loans for new homes & tuition for college

The desire for homes in the suburbs led to massive communities like Levittown in NY SHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, 1940 -1970 1940 Cities 31. 6% Suburbs 19. 5% Rural Areas 48. 9% 1950 32. 3% 23. 8% 43. 9% 1960 32. 6% 30. 7% 36. 7%

The 1950 s: Suburbs • Suburbs changed American life: • Suburbs increased America’s need for cars & highways • Churches, schools, grocery stores, & shopping centers were built to service the suburbs • The migration to the suburbs was mostly by white families. • “White flight” left African Americans in urban areas

Southdale Shopping Center, Minnesota— the 1 st enclosed, air-conditioned shopping mall

The 1950 s: Auto Mania • In the 1950 s, Americans bought cars in record numbers: • The growth of suburbs, creative advertising, easy credit, & cheap gasoline led to a car boom. • Congress added 41, 000 miles of expressway when the Interstate Highway Act was passed in 1956 • Automobile companies made big, powerful, flashy cars

“Automania” transformed Americans were mobile, took long-distance vacations, & lived further from their jobs

“Automania” transformed America Cars led to drive-thru restaurants & drive-in movies

The 1950 s: Popular Culture • Television boomed as Americans watched comedies, news reports, westerns, & variety shows • TV ownership jumped from 9% in 1950 to 90% by 1960 (45 million)

Television in the 1950 s

The 1950 s: Popular Culture • Music changed in the 1950 s: • “Doo-wop” music dominated the early 1950 s, but, was challenged in popularity by Rock n’ Roll • Rock ‘n’ roll music was inspired by black artists, but Elvis Presley made it popular among the youth. • Rock scared parents who thought the fast beats were immoral.

This rock ‘n’ roll music is a SIN!

Teenagers were an important force in the 1950 s Suburban teens had leisure time & money to spend

Teenagers were an important force in the 1950 s Businesses targeted teenagers, selling billions of dollars of “cool” consumer goods

Hollywood movies targeted teens & made films about “juvenile delinquency”

The 1950 s: Conformity • TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950 s promoted conformity & stereotypes The “ideal woman” was a housewife & mother

• TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950 s promoted conformity & stereotypes The “ideal man” was provider & boss of the house

Life in the 1950 s/1960 s Exam First Name/Last Name Todays Date is March _____, 2014. Subject: US History Test No: Unit 9 Exam You will have 30 seconds to answer each question-NO EXCEPTIONS!!

• 1. What was the significance of the 1960 presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy? • A. Catholicism vs. Quakers • B. It was the first debate to feature a current Vice President. • C. It demonstrated the influence of television on an election. • D. It proved that the invention of radio was a powerful tool in politics.

• 2. Why was Gideon v. Wainright a landmark court case? • A. It requires states to provide counsel ( attorney) for all persons arrested regardless of their financial situation. • B. It ended segregation on all public transportation in the United States. • C. States were required to place railroad crossing signs where train tracks cross a road • D. It was a guideline for all immigrants living illegally in the USA.

• 3. The growth of suburbs, creative advertising, highways, easy credit, cheap gasoline, and the demand for quality transportation, led to _____ in the 1950 s. • A. the Cold War • B. Auto Mania • C. segregation • D. building the of the Transcontinental Railroad

• 4. African beats, blues, country, swing, folk, and the invention of the electric guitar introduced a new style of music in the 1950 s, known as: • A. Rock n’ Roll • B. Reggae • C. Punk • D. New Wave

• 5. Lyndon B. Johnson’s programs of Head Start, free lunch in schools, and the introduction of Medicare just some highlights of his________. • A. New Frontier • B. Great Society • C. New Deal • D. Fair Deal

• 6. How did the United States government respond to the news of Sputnik being launched into space by the Soviet Union? • A. It led to the Red Scare in the USA. • B. The USA created the Marshall Plan • C. Congress praised the technology and leadership of the Russians • D. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created. (NASA)

• 7. “Ask not what your country can do for youask what you can do for your country. ” • A. Dwight D. Eisenhower • B. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • C. Lyndon B. Johnson • D. John F. Kennedy

• 8. A large part of the suburb’s popularity and appeal to Americans was due to the massproduced housing project first created in ______, New York. • A. Levittown • B. Buffalo • C. Albany • D. Woodstock

• 9. White Americans traded life in the city for the suburbs, known as: • A. the Great Migration • B. the New Deal • C. the Harlem Renaissance • D. White Flight

• 10. Sending humanitarian aid and improving relations with third-world nations was part of Kennedy’s _____. • A. Peace Corps • B. Presidential Fitness Program • C. Great Society • D. Cold War

• 11. Soldiers returning home from the war eventually led to the greatest increase in the nation’s birthrate, known as the: • A. Roaring 50 s • B. Baby Boom • C. Rock n’ Roll age • D. Great Society

• 12. John F. Kennedy was the first and only president who happened to be: • A. Jewish • B. Quaker • C. Hindu • D. Catholic

• 13. The number of Americans who owned a tv jumped from 9% in 1950 to over ____% by 1960. • A. 70 • B. 80 • C. 90 • D. 100

• 14. JFK was killed by the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963. ____was sworn in as the new president that same day: • A. Harry S. Truman • B. Richard Nixon • C. Lyndon B. Johnson • D. Robert F. Kennedy

• 15. “……. that’s one small step for man-one giant leap for mankind. ” These were the words of the first man to set foot on the moon in July of 1969. • A. Neil Armstrong • B. Louie Armstrong • C. John Glenn • D. George Lopez

• 16. Buying new products such as new inventions, cars, and clothes are examples of ______during the 1920 s and 1950 s. • A. Consumerism • B. White Flight • C. the Great Society • D. the Apollo Program