Don’t get lost in dullsville….. dig this warm-up!

1. Don’t get lost in dullsville…..dig this warm-up! • Grab a worksheet at the front of the room! • Independently, answer the two “warm-up questions” • Don’t wig out or be a drag, it’s not hairy • Be ready to discuss! • This is going to be a swell and far-out kind of day!

2. Post-WWII Changes Baby Boom: dramatic increase in the birth rate after WWII. GI Bill of Rights: 1944 law that helped veterans buy homes and pay for education.

5. SUBURBS • Growing families left the cities and moved into the suburbs that outlined urban areas. • Developers like William J. Levitt catered to the huge demand for housing.

8. HIGHWAYS As suburbs were growing, people began to rely more on automobiles for transportation. The growth in the car industry created a need for better roads. The 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act provided $25 billion to build an interstate highway system.

10. Pre-WWII, American citizens got entertainment from the radio. Only 7% had a T.V. Post-WWII, entertainment shifted to include the television. By the 1960’s, 91% of all households owned the tube. Television

12. CONFORMITY • “The Silent Generation:” youth in the 1950s who seemed to have no interest in the larger world.

13. Conformity - Teenagers Young people chose to stay in school rather than have jobs.

14. Conformity - Teenagers With new opportunities for advertising, businesses sold products to the youth by building the image of a “perfect teenager.”

16. Conformity - Teenagers

17. Conformity - Teenagers

18. Conformity - Teenagers

19. Conformity - Children

21. Role’s In Society - Men Men were expected to go to school, find jobs, and support their families. Made important political, economic, and social decisions.

22. Role in Society - Women Women were expected to support their husbands, manage their house, cook meals, and raise children. Took the role of a domesticated, suburban housewife.

24. Conformity - Religion Renewed interest in religion – In 1950, 95% of all Americans belonged to a church. In 1954, Congress added the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1955, Congress added the phrase “In God We Trust” to all American currency.

25. Challenges to Conformity – Women at Work Women were supposed to leave their jobs once they were married. Not all women conformed and by 1960, 31% of all married women had jobs. Most women were secretaries, teachers, nurses, or sales clerks.

28. Challenges to Conformity – Youthful Rebellions • Some youth rejected the values of their parents and felt misunderstood and alone.

29. Youthful Rebellions They wanted a style to call their own, and they found it in rock-and-roll.

30. Youthful Rebellions Beatniks: group of people who promoted spontaneity and spirituality. Wanted to release society from the world of money and property. Challenged traditions with their open sexuality and use of illegal drugs.

31. Jack Kerouac Kerouac was an author and “father” of the Beat Generation. Published his best selling novel On the Road Again in 1957. This was an autobiographical work based on spontaneous road trips across the country and inspired by jazz, poetry, and drug experiences.

33. 1950 fads

34. Other 1950 fads

35. Closure Turn to your neighbor and explain to them: What were men and women’s “proper roles” in 1950’s society? How did youth rebel in the 1950s? What new style emerged as a result of their rebellion? What are beatniks? How did their views challenge society’s norms?

36. “Little boxes” by Malvina Reynolds Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,Little boxes, on the hillside,Little boxes, all the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow oneAnd they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same. And the people in the housesAll went to the university,where they were put in boxes,Little boxes, all the same.And there's doctors and lawyersAnd business executives,And they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same.

37. “Little Boxes” What do the “little boxes” represent? What is the overall tone of the song? How does this song portray 1950’s suburbs? Compare 1950’s suburbs vs. today’s suburbs. How are they similar? How are they different?

38. “Little boxes” by Malvina Reynolds Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,Little boxes, on the hillside,Little boxes, all the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow oneAnd they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same. And the people in the housesAll went to the university,where they were put in boxes,Little boxes, all the same.And there's doctors and lawyersAnd business executives,And they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same.

39. “Little Boxes” What do the “little boxes” represent? What is the overall tone of the song? How does this song portray 1950’s suburbs? Compare 1950’s suburbs vs. today’s suburbs. How are they similar? How are they different?