Postwar America: �Conformity and Rebellion
1945-1960
Get out a sheet of paper.
Get out a sheet of paper.
Get out a sheet of paper.
Postwar Economy
"Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government a fair deal."
Harry Truman
1945-1953
FAIR DEAL
Postwar Economy
1944 - GI Bill of Rights
…intended to help returning GI’s as they entered society and the economy when returning from war…
Postwar Economy
Baby Boom (1945-1957)
…returning GI’s and a strong economy…
…led to housing boom and consumption boom
Postwar Economy
Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953-1961
1956 - Interstate Highway Act
The Culture of the Car
First McDonald’s (1955)
America became a more unified nation because of the automobile.
Drive-In Movies
Car registrations: 1945 25,000,000�1960 60,000,000
2-family cars doubles from 1951-1958
Postwar Economy
Consumerism
systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts
Postwar Economy
Consumerism: Television
1946 7,000 TV sets in the U. S.�1950 50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S.
Mass Audience TV celebrated traditional�American values.
Glossy view of mostly �middle-class suburban life.
Postwar Economy
Putting it all together:
SUBURBIA
Levittown
Well-Defined Gender Roles
The ideal modern woman married, cooked and �cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure.�-- Life magazine, 1956
Marilyn�Monroe
The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector, �and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955
How to be a Good Housewife
Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home, and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so that you are refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house. Gather up the books, toys, and newspapers. Dust the tables so that they appear clean. Your husband will feel that he has reached his haven of rest and order. Doing this for him will give you a lift also.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash their faces and hands. Comb their hair and change their clothes if necessary to make them look presentable to him. They are “God’s creatures,” and your husband would like to see them playing their part.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all the noises of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and vacuum. You've had plenty of time to do these things during the day. Don’t do them now. Encourage your children to be quiet. Be happy to see your husband. Greet him with a warm smile.
Do not greet your husband with problems or complaints. Don’t complain when he is late for dinner. Count this as a minor when compared to what he had to go through all day.
Make him very comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest that he lie down down for a few moments in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to rest and unwind.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him speak first.
Make the evening his.. He is special! Never complain that he does to take you out to dinner or to pleasant entertainment. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to unwind. Remember that you relaxed all day waiting for his return. Now it’s his turn to enjoy what you enjoy.
Try to make his home a place of peace and order, a place where your husband can relax in body and spirit.
The Woman’s Home Companion: A Word to the Wives
Rebellion
In the 1950s the word “teenager” entered �the American language.
By 1956 13 mil. teens with $7 bil. to spend�a year.
“Clean” Teen
“Beatnik”
Rebellion
Rock and Roll
Rebellion
Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode (1958)
Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans�Way back up in the woods among the evergreens�There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood�Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode�Who never ever learned to read or write so well�But he could play the guitar just like a ringing a bell��Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…�Johnny B. Goode��He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack�Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track�Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade�Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made�People passing by they would stop and say�Oh my that little country boy could play
Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…�Johnny B. Goode��His mother told him "Someday you will be a man,�And you will be the leader of a big old band.�Many people coming from miles around�To hear you play your music when the sun go down�Maybe someday your name will be in lights�Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight."��Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…
Johnny B. Good
How does the story in this song relate to the history of rock and roll?
Rebellion
Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode (1958)
Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans�Way back up in the woods among the evergreens�There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood�Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode�Who never ever learned to read or write so well�But he could play the guitar just like a ringing a bell��Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…�Johnny B. Goode��He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack�Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track�Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade�Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made�People passing by they would stop and say�Oh my that little country boy could play
Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…�Johnny B. Goode��His mother told him "Someday you will be a man,�And you will be the leader of a big old band.�Many people coming from miles around�To hear you play your music when the sun go down�Maybe someday your name will be in lights�Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight."��Go go�Go Johnny go�Go…
Johnny B. Good
Rebellion
Jerry Lee Lewis: High School Confidential (1958)
You better open up honey its your lover boy me that's a knockin'�You better listen to me sugar all the cats are at the High School rockin'�Honey get your boppin' shoes Before the juke box blows a fuse�Got everbody hoppin' everybody boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�I've rollin' at the High School Hop�I've been movin' at the High School Hop�Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Come on little baby gonna rock a little bit tonight�Woooh I got get with you sugar gonna shake things up tonight
Check out the heart beatin' rhythm cause my feet are moving smooth and light�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�
Rollin' at the High School Hop�Movin' at the High School Hop �Everybodys hoppin' just a boppin' just a boppin'�Piano Solo!�Come on little baby let me give a piece good news good news good news�Jerry Lee is going to rock away all his blues�My hearts beatin' rhythm and my soul is singin' the blues�Oooooh Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�Rollin' at the High School Hop�Gettin' it at the High School Hop�Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Solo Time!�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�Rollin' at the High School Hop�Movin' at the High School Hop�Well Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop
What does this song reveal about teen culture in the 1950s?
What do you think parents thought of this song?
Rebellion
Jerry Lee Lewis: High School Confidential (1958)
You better open up honey its your lover boy me that's a knockin'�You better listen to me sugar all the cats are at the High School rockin'�Honey get your boppin' shoes Before the juke box blows a fuse�Got everbody hoppin' everybody boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�I've rollin' at the High School Hop�I've been movin' at the High School Hop�Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Come on little baby gonna rock a little bit tonight�Woooh I got get with you sugar gonna shake things up tonight
Check out the heart beatin' rhythm cause my feet are moving smooth and light�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�
Rollin' at the High School Hop�Movin' at the High School Hop �Everybodys hoppin' just a boppin' just a boppin'�Piano Solo!�Come on little baby let me give a piece good news good news good news�Jerry Lee is going to rock away all his blues�My hearts beatin' rhythm and my soul is singin' the blues�Oooooh Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�Rollin' at the High School Hop�Gettin' it at the High School Hop�Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Solo Time!�Boppin' at the High School Hop�Shakin' at the High School Hop�Rollin' at the High School Hop�Movin' at the High School Hop�Well Everybodys hoppin' Everybody's boppin'�Boppin' at the High School Hop
Rebellion
Beatniks
Rebellion
Beatniks
Jack Kerouac: On the Road (1951)
Allen Ginsberg: Howl (1955)
“Conservatism, Complacency, and Contentment”
“Anxiety, Alienation, and
Social Unrest” ??
OR
The postwar era witnessed tremendous economic growth and rising social contentment and conformity. Yet in the midst of such increasing affluence and comfortable domesticity, social critics expressed a growing sense of unease with American culture in the 1950s.
Write a Beatnik Poem