A Changing Society

Ch. 28 Sec. 2 cont’d.

The Baby Boom Families grew with the postwar economy

soaring birthrate known as a baby boom; population rose nearly 20% during the 1950s

Causes: Husbands and wives postponed having children because of the Depression and World War II; higher incomes made couples think they could afford more children; advances in health care, nutrition, and vaccinations reduced the infant death rate

Effects: Women left the workplace to raise children; economy stimulated by demand for baby products and services; school enrollment shot up as the “baby boomers” reached school age causing a strain on the educational system

Expanding Suburbs Fringe of major cities=suburbs; 75% of

new homes built there during the ’50s Levittown—development on Long Island,

NY; William Levitt mass-produced 17,000 identical homes

Affordability and privacy made them attractive; not always available to minorities

Cars were more readily available; also big ole jet airliners (Steve Miller Band reference) replaced trains and ocean liners as the preferred method of long-distance travel

A Consumer Society Affluence wealth; people bought more

luxury items Appliances such as the dishwasher,

washing machine, and TV were showing up in more homes

Teens: caught on to fads like….

The hula hoop

The crew cut for boys

And poodle skirts for girls

And a new snack-pizza

An American Culture Television profoundly changed American

society, perhaps more than any other invention (until the home computer)

Billy Graham, a Baptist preacher, had evangelical specials on the networks; sentiment acknowledged that the postwar society was focused on the family

Popular TV Shows: The $64,000 Question

American Bandstand

I Love Lucy

And Leave It to Beaver