10 in 10

1. 10 in 10 Top 10 Notes in 10 minutes or Less American History Unit 10 Lesson 9: New Ways of Life Textbook pages 146-152

2. Note 1 • Couples had put off having children during the war years. • When the soldiers got home, they got free college under the G.I. Bill of Rights. • By the 1950s, most veterans were out of school, married, and having children. • Their jobs were better than their fathers had ever had. • They dreamed of a house of their own, but there was a housing shortage.

3. Note 2 • William Levitt had worked in the navy and was in charge of building airfields. • He knew veterans like himself would be looking for homes. • He created a series of steps to build a house and turned house-building into an assembly line. He increased production from 5 houses a year to 36 houses a day! • He owned his own lumber, nails, and timberland, allowing him to keep his home prices very low.

4. Note 3 • Soon other builders began to copy Bill Levitt’s ideas. • The idea of suburbia was born. • Tracts of land were purchased outside of the cities for these homes for veterans.

5. Note 4 • In the suburbs, there was no mass transportation, so a car (or two) became necessary. • Detroit responded by making pretty, fancy cars. • They sold cars on the idea that styling changes were important (not engineering), and last year’s cars were sorely out of fashion!

6. Note 5 • Most Americans believed fancier was better. • Since their income was better, they didn’t have a problem paying for their homes and fancy cars. • They had contracts to work and were given a share of their profit, too! • The change to oil occurred, which was much cheaper than coal. Americans didn’t worry about how much gas they guzzled!

7. Note 6 • Kemmons Wilson decided he needed to build motels that weren’t falling apart. • Now that cars were taking over the road, families needed a place to stay on vacation that didn’t charge for children! • He developed the Holiday Inn, and placed them along highways everywhere. Children still stay free there!

8. Note 7 • Despite the increase in income, most families still did not go out to eat. • Moms were expected to stay home and cook meals.

9. Note 8 • Mac and Dick McDonald wanted to change the fact that most people didn’t go out to lunch, either. • They made a place for cheap hamburgers, and soon the lines were too long! • They got rid of the waiters, limited the menu, and added ketchup, mustard, and pickles to your hamburger for you. • Soon people were lined up at the California restaurant to get hamburgers!

10. Note 9 • Ray Kroc was a milkshake maker salesman. • He was interested in why McDonalds was doing so well! • He offered to handle franchising for the McDonald brothers, and bought the McDonald name.

11. Note 10 • Soon Ray Kroc was opening one McDonald’s restaurant after another. • They were everywhere! • Kroc wanted hamburgers in California to be the same as hamburgers in Michigan. • Employees had harsh rules: no gum, beards, mustaches, long fingernails, or women (they might flirt with the customers!)

12. Go try your lesson assessment! If you don’t pass, read your textbook pages 146-152, and highlight or take notes. Then take the assessment again. If you don’t pass again, complete the reading guide on page 144-145 in your student guide. Use your textbook and reading guide as you work through the lesson assessment.