1. consider: How have you ever been pressured to be like other people? If so, how?

2. essential question: How do we see conformity in 1950s society? from the end of World War II through the early 1960s

3. In general, there is an emphasis on conformity (being like the majority) in America during the 1950s.

4. Adjusting Back to Civilian Life GI Bill of Rights helps veterans pay for college and buying a house

5. most, but not all, women return home to be a housewife again

6. baby boom: huge increase of babies when WWII veterans come home

7. fear of nuclear war led to bomb shelters and “duck and cover” drills “Duck and Cover” video for schoolchildren

8. Eisenhower’s National Interstate and Defense Act builds national highway system

9. The Growing Middle Class per capita income up = growing middle class (white collar)

10. rise of the suburbs, or “cookie-cutter” neighborhoods outside of cities (i.e. Levittown) Levittown

12. a bigger middle class means that cars and televisions become household items

14. racial and ethnic stereotypes common in the media What do these images say about each ethnicity shown?

17. Youth culture car-related activities (i.e. drive-ins)

18. rock n’ roll sees whites follow black culture; white musicians copying black musical form Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton)Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)

19. non-conformist beatnik subculture

20. Business conglomerates = big company that controls smaller companies all the channels owned by General Electric

21. franchise = store with same products at different locations

22. On the back of your page, draw a scene from the 1950s to show the conformity of the time. Be sure to include at least one thing to show each of the four categories we have discussed.