Car Culture-post-war boom period

*no more rationed gas= “Automania”

-growth of suburbia

-Interstate Highway System signed by Eisenhower created a nationwide highway system for more than 41,000 miles of expressway

-trucking industry boomed!

-social effects: *noise, exhaust, traffic jams, raised stress levels, driveins/ thrus become very popular

Suburbia-most new homes were in the suburbs 85%

-baby boom generation population explosion 1957 @ height, *1baby born every 7 secs, 4,308,000

-Medical breakthroughs w/Polio

Jonas Salk

-Childrearing

Dr. Spock’s influence “Common Sense Book of Baby & Childcare”

*No spanking or scolding, instead let children Express themselves

* Moms should stay at home

Suburbia

-most new homes were in the suburbs

-baby boom generation

-Medical breakthroughs

Jonas Salk

-Childrearing

Dr. Spock’s influence

Suburbia

-most new homes were in the suburbs

-baby boom generation

-Medical breakthroughs

Jonas Salk

-Childrearing

Dr. Spock’s influence

Television-Widely available in 1948

-FCC strongly controls/regulates the industry

-Golden Age of Television

Milton Berle

Lucille Ball ‘I love Lucy”

Edward R. Murrow – 1st TV news reporting

Quiz Shows/ Kids Shows: Mickey Mouse Club, Howdy Doody

-spurred other industries

Television

-

-spurred other industries

* Such as Frozen TV Dinners!

Effects of T.V.

-women often appears as perfect homemakers

-more males represented

-few minorities seen

-portrayed ideal America

-programming concerns

quiz show scandals

Radio and Movies

-radio continued to prosper

-movies struggled, but had several advantages

stereo sound “Surrounding the viewer”

color 50 % of movies

3-D movies

Beatniks-beat movement

social and literary non-conformists- followers of the movement

-non-material lifestyle

-set precedent for the hippy generation

-*Writing had to be free form, often heard in coffee shops

-clashed with regular America-Non conforming young people that looked up to James Dean “Rebel w/o a Cause”

Rock-n-Roll

-Alan Freed –Cleveland Oh, Disc Jockey Coined the name- rock-n-roll

-Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley

-Ed Sullivan Show

-Dick Clark

-reaction to rock music

Rock-n-Roll

-Alan Freed

rock-n-roll

-Little Richard, Tutti Fruitti

Chuck Berry, Johnny B Goode

Bill Haley, Rock around the Clock

Buddy Holly,-plane crash, Huge Influence, “That will be the day that I die”

Elvis Presley The King, 45 records hit #1, made R&R popular, *Hound Dog, Blue Swede Shoes

-Ed Sullivan Show

-Dick Clark

-reaction to rock music

Rock-n-Roll

-Ed Sullivan Show

-Dick Clark

-reaction to rock music lead to teenage delinquency & immorality

*Became more acceptable at the end of the decade

Jerry lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire

Links:Links:

• Elvis:Elvis:• Bill Haley: Rock around the ClockBill Haley: Rock around the Clock

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN8yHdyLd9Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN8yHdyLd9I

• Chuck Berry:Johnny Be Goode Chuck Berry:Johnny Be Goode – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULM

• Buddy Holly: That will be the DayBuddy Holly: That will be the Day– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbCDVkfw8Cchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbCDVkfw8Cc– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_l7-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_l7-

SNjPs&feature=relatedSNjPs&feature=related

• I love Lucy http://www.youtube.com/watch?I love Lucy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLp7Y4TxXSAv=GLp7Y4TxXSA

Poverty

-1/4 of Americans were below poverty line

-”Other America”

-White Flight

-million of middle class whites moved to suburbs

-loss of tax dollars hurt city services

-lots of rural poor move to cities

-breakdown of inner cities

-Urban Renewal

Women in America

-many working women were paid less and restricted to certain jobs

-role of women

-glorified role of the housewife

-boredom and unfulfillment

-Betty Freidan

“Feminine Mystique”

-beginning of women’s liberation movement

Minority Groups

-immigration from Mexico

-discrimination

-Indians

citizenship, 1924

-Indian Reorganization Act