Standard 21
The student will explain
economic growth and its
impact on the United States,
1945-1970.
A
The Baby Boom
An estimated 78.2
million Americans
who were born
between 1946 and
1964.
Levittown
Levittown was the first truly
mass-produced suburb and
is widely regarded as the
archetype for postwar
suburbs throughout the
country. (Impact of the car)
It was a reaction to the
houses required by all of
the growing families from
the Baby Boom.
Levittown provided
affordable houses in what
many residents felt to be a
congenial community, critics
attacked its homogeneity,
blandness, and racial
exclusivity
Interstate Highway Act
Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed this bill into law.
Appropriating $25 billion for
the construction of
41,000 miles of interstate
highways over a 20-year
period.
Eisenhower argued for the
highways for the purpose of
national defense.
One result of building the
roads made commutes
between urban centers to
suburbs much quicker,
furthering the flight of
citizens and businesses.
Why was the 1947 suburban development
Levittown of importance?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Levitt was a well-known developer.
Other suburban developments failed.
It signified a trend in American society.
It was the only suburban development for
years.
Someone born in 1948 would be
considered a
A.
B.
C.
D.
GI
Baby Boomer
Sputnik
Member of the space race
The 1956 National Interstate and Defense
Highway Act reads in part, “It hereby
declared to be essential to the national
interest…” What was an important concern of
this legislation?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To enhance rural life
To add to the economy of the cities
To provide good roads for suburban living
To create a system of roads for the efficient
transport of military troops
What was the significance of Levittown?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It showed the need for a working GI Bill.
It sparked the growth of American suburbs.
It was the center of American industry.
It was the site of the Kennedy-Nixon
debates.
A US army soldier returning home after
WWII to find that he could get a loan and
buy an affordable new home in the
suburbs would most likely owe a debt of
gratitude to
A.
B.
C.
D.
HUAC and Joseph McCarthy.
“Reaganomics”.
The New Deal.
The GI Bill and William Levitt.
People born in the US in the first few years
following WWII became known as
A.
B.
C.
D.
Post-war citizens.
Population surgers.
Conservatives.
Baby-boomers.
B
The Kennedy/Nixon Debate
This was the first televised
debate in American history.
The first debate for the 1960
election drew over 66 million
viewers out of a population of 179
million, making it one of the mostwatched broadcasts in U.S.
television history.
Kennedy is generally considered
to have won the debate. Nixon
appeared worse than Kennedy on
television, with poor makeup, a
haggard appearance.
The televised debates were
thought to be the difference in
what was an extremely close
election.
The Civil Rights Movement
Television brought the
violence of Southern
police against peaceful
African American
protesters into the living
rooms of America.
These visuals helped
motivate White America
to stop segregation and
work towards racial
equality.
What had a major impact on the outcome
of the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Political platforms
Radio
Computers
Television
What effect did news coverage of the civil
rights movement have?
A. It resulted in new Jim Crow legislation in the
South.
B. It forced the federal government to place
restrictions on the media.
C. It increased pressure on the federal
government to pass civil rights legislation.
D. It reduced the momentum of the civil rights
movement.
In what way did television greatly impact
culture in the ‘60s and ‘70s?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Its popularity made radios obsolete.
It ended social and political strife by promoting unity.
It led to a lack of interest in social issues and concerns
because more and more people stayed home to watch
television rather than become involved in causes relevant to
the time period.
It created greater social awareness – and many time divisions
– as people were able to witness things like civil rights
protests, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal
firsthand from their own living rooms.
It signaled the beginning of a new era in US politics. For
the first time, candidates for president had to pay
attention to how they looked on television in addition to
the words they spoke and the programs they supported.
What was it?
A. Franklin Roosevelt’s campaign in 1932
B. The first televised campaign between Harry Truman
and Thomas Dewey
C. The presidential debate between Jimmy Carter and
Gerald Ford
D. The Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960
C
Personal Computers
In the early 1970s,
computers were generally
large, costly systems
owned by large
corporations, universities,
government agencies,
and similar-sized
institutions.
The introduction of the
microprocessor led to the
proliferation of personal
computers after about
1975.
Cell Phones
Motorola was the first
company to
successfully use a
mobile phone in
America in 1973.
The first cell phone
sold in America was
in 1983.
Computers and cellular phones have had
an affect on US culture similar to that
originally had by
A.
B.
C.
D.
The creation of the atomic bomb.
The Emancipation Proclamation.
The invention of railroads and television.
Jacksonian Democracy.
D
The Arms Race
Throughout the 1950s the
US and the Soviet Union
fought each other for
world leadership.
This manifested in an
arms race for weapons
superiority.
Between 1954 and 1958
the US conducted 19
hydrogen bomb tests at
Bikini Island in the
Pacific.
Sputnik
In 1957, the Soviet
Union launched
Sputnik into space.
It was the 1st
artificial satellite to
orbit Earth.
The launch of
Sputnik begins the
space race.
National Defense Education Act of 1958
The launch shook the
American belief that the
USA was superior in Math
and Science to all other
countries.
The act provided aid to
education at all levels, both
public and private.
It was instituted primarily to
stimulate the advancement
of and education in
science, mathematics, and
modern foreign languages.
Sputnik concerned leaders in the US
because
A. It was an agreement between the USSR and Cuba
that placed nuclear missiles within ninety miles of
the US.
B. It was a Soviet satellite that signaled that the US
was far behind the Soviets in the space race.
C. It was a submarine that US ships were defenseless
against.
D. It was a bomb ten times more powerful than the
atomic bomb dropped on Japan.
The US wanted to win the space race
because it
A. Wanted to start a colony on the moon to deal with the
earth’s overpopulation.
B. Wanted to start a colony on the moon that US citizens
could relocate to in the event of a nuclear war.
C. Feared that the USSR would use its space technology to
develop nuclear weapons capable of destroying the US.
D. Hoped to fulfill Kennedy’s dream of developing a satellite
shield capable of destroying Soviet missiles.
The launch of Sputnik
A. Thrilled people in the US because it finally put a
satellite in space.
B. Boosted NASA’s morale because it meant that
the US had answered President Kennedy’s
challenge.
C. Concerned US leaders who feared falling
behind the Soviets in nuclear technology.
D. Concerned the Soviets because it revealed that
the US had been spying on them.
Unit 5 Book Questions
Pg. 910: 1-8
Pg. 948: 1-8
Pg. 976: 1-8
Pg. 1042: 1-10
Pg. 1070: 1-8
Pg. 1100: 1-9
Pg. 1134: 1-10
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