1. Abundance in the U.S.

2. Look familiar?

3. Suburbia The postwar era was responsible for many aspects of life we experience today (popular music, adolescence, rock and roll) and the suburbs are no exception Increased wealth, population, advertising, as well as new housing projects created this phenomenon

4. Levittowns G.I. Bill provided returning soldiers with low- interest loans which allowed veterans to purchase houses One family revolutionized housing industry Levittowns: earliest form of suburbs; areas of mass produced, “cookie cutter” houses in tightly packed neighborhoods The suburbs and G.I. Bill help many more Americans own their homes (1940-1960, 20% more Americans owned their homes)

5. Levittown

6. Phoenixville, PA

7. Discussion Slide Why would this method of production be effective? Why would people want to move to the suburbs? What was the appeal? What consequences, positive or negative, could the suburbs have? Relate this to your own life.

8. Reasons for Moving to the ‘Burbs Escape crime in cities Leave the stress and congestion of the city behind Suburbs provided better life for children Provided security after stressful times White-collar workers in the workforce Conformity in the 1950s Fulfillment of the American Dream

9. The Baby Boom Growth of suburbs went hand in hand with the baby boom 1945-1960: more than 65 million children born in the U.S. At its height, one child born every seven seconds

11. Discussion Slide What are possible reasons for this increase in population?

12. Causes of the Baby Boom Young couples married when soldiers returned from war and started families Government encouraged growth of families with G.I. benefits for home purchases Popular culture celebrated the large, nuclear family

13. Advertising With more disposable income than ever to spend, Americans were anxious to buy new products With consumption running high, the advertising industry boomed (it became the fastest growing industry in the U.S.) Companies paid large sums of money to market their products

14. Advertisements from the 1950s GE Refrigerator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB7asgcOXB4 What is this commercial communicating? How does the commercial try to persuade you to purchase this item? How could this commercial influence life in the 1950s? Why would it be important to sell convenience items during this time?

15. Cereal advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Actu5Da5IPY Do you see similarities between this commercial and commercials you see today? Are you influenced by advertising today? Do you think advertising is as important to us today as it was in the 1950s?

16. Other Ideas Rise of Television/Impact on radio and movies Rock ’n’ Roll stems out of R&B movement Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Little Richard Generation Gaps appear Beat Movement: criticized the conformity of American life, meaninglessness of politics, and emptiness of popular culture African Americans impact entertainment