Suburban changes:
-a population explosion created a demand for affordable family housing in the 1950s
-growth of suburbs can be explained by the ending of World War II
-a demographic shift took place that led to substancial growth in the "sunbelt" states - arc that stretches from the Carolinas to Florida, Texas, and California
>millions relocated because of the ideas of lower taxes, more temperate climate (plus air conditioning), and economic opportunities in defense-related industries
-the northeast was the most densely populated
-by the early 1960s population growth was mostly a suburban phenomenon, so by the 1970s, many more Americans were living in suburban neighborhoods than cities
-Black Americans were also moving more to the North in high numbers because of World War II involvement
Reasons for Suburban Growth:
-the automobile
-the highway system
-consumer demand to live outside congested urban areas
-efforts of development contractors (see Levittown)
"Suburbanization across the United States was influenced by both social and technological developments. In most areas, suburban development was directly related to the evolution of transportation routes. Therefore, these suburbs can be characterized as railroad suburbs, streetcar/trolley suburbs, early automobile suburbs, and freeway suburbs. In addition, the location and design of suburbs throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were influenced by such factors as the ethnic heritage and the income of the prospective residents. Philosophies in the nineteenth century that promoted the health benefits of living outside the city and the escape from urban living encouraged settlement in areas outside urban centers. Later in the twentieth century, the philosophy was further perpetuated by urban and regional planning ideals. In both the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, the phenomenon of pattern-books and mail-order houses influenced and standardized the development of housing across the United States. All of these influences combined to create a nationwide trend away from urban living and toward suburban development." Suburbanization
Consumer Culture!
-the 1950s experienced a huge expansion of the middle class and the blossoming of a consumer culture
-first plastic credit card: 1949
-first MacDonald's hamburger stand: 1948
-Disneyland open: 1955
-new innovations of easy credit, high-volume "fast food" production, and new forms of recreation showed the new lifestyle of leisure and affluence
-new technology of televisions helped develop the lifestyle
>1946-6 tv stations operating
>1956-442 tv stations operating
>5 million tv sets were sold by 1951
>nearly every home had a tv set by 1960
>advertisers spent $10 billion annually on advertisements on tv in the mid-1950s -Religion changed, as "televangelists" like the Baptist Billy Graham, the Pentecoastal Holiness preacher Oral Roberts, and the Roman Catholic Fulton J. Sheen took the airwaves to spread the Christian Gospel
-Sports reflected the shift in population towards the West and South, as the New York Giants moved to San Francisco and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to LA
>shifting population and spreading affluence led eventually to substantial expansion of the major baseball, football, and basketball teams
-Music changed as Elvis Presley can forth
-Marilyn Monroe helped to push new sensuous sexuality - selling sexual allure (ex: Playboy)
Levittown:
-Made by William Levitt
-He mass produced low-priced family homes
-The prototype was Long Island, New York's Levittown
-This massive construction project offered low interest rates on mortgages that were government insured and tax deductible, paved the way for millions to own their own suburban homes
-These houses were great for veterans coming out of the war who needed a home for their families. Discounts were given to veteran soldiers.
-Were not available to blacks
>This demographic shift and racial discrimination was "white flight" from urban to suburban areas. Consequently, inner cities became increasingly poorer and racially segregated
Consumer Culture
After the war ended, the Defense Plant Corporation sold properties that were no longer needed to produce war materials. Businesses began to invest exceptional amounts of capital to procure plants and equipment now prime for commercial use. By 1948, the gross national product began to steadily increase. Beginning in the 1950s, America's economy experienced an unprecedented level of growth that lasted until the early 1970s. In the 1950s, the national income came close to doubling and nearly doubled again in the 1960s. The surge peaked in 1973, with American households collectively earning more than a trillion dollars. Though the United States' population was only six percent of the world's population, Americans controlled more than 40 percent of the world's wealth.
Women particularly benefited from this period of economic growth. Since the majority of job growth was in the service sector, women found employment in urban offices and shops. Women, who composed only 25 percent of the workforce during World War II, accounted for more than 50 percent of the labor pool by the 1990s. As women took on additional responsibility in the workplace, they struggled to balance their careers with their traditional roles as wives and mothers. Conflict over the changing role of women in American society gave rise to a new feminist movement, which began in the 1960s.
The mobilization of industry in response to the war fueled the early economic boom in the United States. While other countries experienced the hardships of war, the United States reopened factories and repaired industries that suffered under the Great Depression. The war decimated the infrastructure, and the economies of many countries in Europe and Asia, and Americans capitalized by exporting products to the countries.
Americans had experienced economic growth before the post-World War II era, but what differentiated this era of economic prosperity was its far-reaching effects. More than ever before, Americans were affluent. The number of Americans earning between $3,000 and $10,000 per year, defined as the country's middle class, had doubled since the late 1920s and included about 60 percent of the American population.
The standard of living in America increased tremendously, sustained by strong home and automobile sales. Consumerism exploded as Americans spent their disposable income. Consumer demand encouraged companies to develop new, innovative products. For the first time most Americans could afford refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and electric mixers, and all products were sold on the promise that they could make Americans' lives easier.
By far the most popular product was the television set. In 1946, only 7,000 Americans owned black and white TV sets. By 1960, there were more than 50 million sets in households across the country. Americans embraced this new technology, and watching their favorite shows on TV became a daily activity. The mass production of television programming shifted social patterns and redefined American lifestyles. No longer were individuals reading, visiting, playing games, listening to the radio, or going to the movies with the frequency they had before television; now, Americans were fascinated with widely popular TV shows, including I Love Lucy and Ozzie and Harriet.
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