Mr. Davis' US History Website - Home



1950s Themes/Music LessonRags to RichessTony Bennett Could Be a DreamThe Crew Cuts ItalianoRosemary Clooney Rattle and RollBill Haley and the Comets’s AmoreDean Martin Send MeSam Cooke Belong to MeJo Stafford BoyPaul Anka Avalon Far more than a mere musical style, rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. In addition, rock and roll may have contributed to the civil rights movement because both African-American and white American teens enjoyed the music.Many early rock and roll songs dealt with issues of cars, school, dating, and clothing. The lyrics of rock and roll songs described events and conflicts that most listeners could relate to through personal experience. Topics such as sex that had generally been considered risky began to appear in rock and roll lyrics. This new music tried to break boundaries and express emotions that people were actually feeling but had not talked about. An awakening began to take place in American youth culture.Cars/ConsumerismAt the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home and saw a remarkable rise in their spending power. Jobs were plentiful; wages were higher, Americans were eager to spend. During the same years, young couples were marrying and having children at unprecedented rates. New and expanded federal programs, including the G.I. Bill of Rights, allowed many young families to purchase their own homes, often located in rapidly expanding suburbs.Americans invested in items based around home and family life. At war's end, the items people most desired included televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners: the machines that would help them modernize their lives. Between 1945 and 1949, Americans purchased 20 million refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves, a trend that continued well into the 1950s.McCarthyism/Red Scare During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credit despite questionable evidence, many people suffered loss of employment and/or destruction of their careers; some even suffered imprisonment. McCarthyism was fueled by the fear of communist spies and the possibility of them infiltrating the US government. This era was similar to the Red Scare during the 1920s when thousands of suspected Communists were kicked out the country.Baby Boom!After World War II had drawn to a close, the United States experienced unprecedented population growth that to this day has shaped the social and political landscape of the country, and changed how and where many Americans live. Known as the "baby boom," this population expansion took place between the years 1946 and 1964, with the peak occurring in 1957. The elevated birthrate added more than 50 million babies by the end of the 1950s.The baby boom went hand and hand with the drastic growth of suburbs during the 1950s. Young families moved out of the cities to buys houses in newly developed suburbs all over the United States.1950s4 corners questionsName:Music:Why did Rock and Roll have an impact on the civil rights movement?Why did Rock and Roll music become so popular, why could young people relate to it?Cars/Consumerism:What factors led to a growth in American spending (consumerism) after WWII?What were the most popular items people purchased during the 1950s?McCarthyism/Red Scare:Why were people accused of being Communist spies during the 1950s?How was McCarthyism similar to the Red Scare during the 1920s? Baby Boom!:How many babies were born during the 1950s?What impact did the baby boom have on America? ................
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