
Discuss “Suburbia, of Thee I sing” and answer the following
(on paper):
• What stands out to you and why?
• How are the 1950s depicted? Provide specific evidence.
• What ideals/values come through? Provide specific evidence.

Discuss “America” (note that it has been edited) and answer
the following:
• What stands out to you and why?
• How are the 1950s depicted? Provide specific evidence.
• What ideas/values come through? Provide specific evidence?

Now consider the two pieces together and answer the
following:
• What connections/relationships can you draw between the two (i.e.
how do they compare, contrast, or elucidate one another)
• Do you believe one is a more accurate depiction of the decade than
the other? Why or why not?
To what extent does the 1950s serve
as a bridge from the unity of WW2 to
the revolution of the 1960s?
 Everyone
stand up.
 A name will be randomly selected; that
person will be presented with a term
from the reading.
 If the person correctly defines the term,
s/he may sit down; if not, s/he remains
standing and the term passes to the next
randomly selected person.
 Don’t worry… a little embarrassment
never hurt anyone 

GI Bill
•

Baby Boom
•

Region of warm southern/western states
White Flight
•

Small towns located outside of larger urban areas
Sunbelt
•

Dramatic increase in birthrate following WW2
Suburbia
•

Program designed to help WW2 veterans
transition to civilian life; provided loans for
education, buying homes, and starting businesses.
Movement of middle-class whites out of urban
areas and into suburbs
Quickly work together to develop a
“summary statement” that links these
ideas together and helps describe
this time period.

Dynamic Conservatism
•

Interstate Highway Act
•

Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s quest to root out Communist
sympathizers – relied on unfounded information to
spread fear
HUAC
•

High-speed roadways that linked states across the
country
McCarthyism
•

Eisenhower’s policy – conservative when it came to
money but liberal when it came to people
House Un-American Affairs Committee that
investigated possible Communist threats – most
notable investigation involved the Hollywood 10.
Quickly work together to develop a “summary
statement” that links these ideas together and
helps describe this time period.

Television – how does it reflect and influence
50’s society?
•

Rock-N-Roll – how does it reflect and
influence 50’s society?
•


Reflected the growing youth culture and their
spending power; contributed to a growing sense of
youth rebellion and challenges to conformity
Youth Culture – how does it reflect and
influence 50’s society?
•

Lots of depictions of the “ideal” suburban life, though
representations of minorities were often
stereotypical; increase in advertising fueled
consumerism and conformity
Became a driving force for marketing and
production; they had money and time; memories of
Great Depression/WW2 are fading so society is
changing
Beatniks – this is a tough one
•
Cultural movement (driven by writers) who
questioned mainstream values, experimented with
non-traditional lifestyles, and challenged authority
Quickly work together to develop a “summary
statement” that links these ideas together and
helps describe this time period.
 How
do you think Americans defined the
“American Dream” in the 1950s?
 Was
this dream a reality for all Americans?
For most? For whom?
 Was
this dream accessible for all
Americans? For most? For whom?
 What
do you anticipate will happen to
address these issues of inaccessibility?
 Compare
and contrast United States society
in the 1920s and the 1950s with respect to
TWO of the following: race relations, roles
of women, consumerism.

Now… we haven’t talked about all of these issues
yet, but I think you can figure it out.
1.
2.
3.
Determine what the question is asking of you? Are there
multiple parts? To effectively answer the question, what must
you do?
Brainstorm a list of information that you could use in this essay.
Craft a thesis statement for this essay.
1920s
1950s
Race Relations
Ku Klux Klan
Jim Crow Laws
Marcus Garvey
Great Migration
Harlem Renaissance
Sacco and Vanzetti
Immigration Policies
Brown v. Board of Education
Montgomery Bus Boycott
SCLC
Little Rock 9
Use of federal troops to desegregate
Emmitt Till
Integration of sports
Women’s Roles
19th Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment
Flappers
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
Clara Bow
Margaret Sanger
More working women
Cult of domesticity
TV stereotypes
Baby Boom
Suburbia
Betty Friedan
conformity
Return to traditional roles
Laissez-faire
Normalcy
Trickle-down policy
Installment plans and credit
Speculation
Assembly line
Mass marketing and advertising
Prosperity
“keeping up with the Joneses”
Automobile culture
Youth market
GI Bill
Suburbia
Interstate system
Consumerism



“The 1920s and 1950s share many characteristics, anticommunism and consumerism, for example; however,
they also share similarities in the societal role of
women and the race relations of their respective
times.”
“The 1920s and 1950s have socially been known for
superficiality in culture, but despite the common
characteristic of consumerism and having fun, women’s
roles differed greatly. And although consumer culture
was evident in both decades, each focused on a
different commodity.”
What’s strong? What’s weak? Which is better? What
would you change?