Conformity and Non-Conformity
in the 1950s
Conformity
• Pressure to achieve the American dream
How do each of the following
contribute to conformity in
American society?
• Highways
• Suburbs
• Chain businesses
• Television
Highways
• Interstate
• http://www.history.com/topics/interstate-highwaysystem/videos#keep-it-moving
Suburbs
• Levittown, outside NYC-85% of new home
construction located here
• # of people moving out of city is double
• Quote page 816
• Why moving out?
• “American Dream”
• “White Flight”
•
Chain businesses
•
•
•
•
Rise of the franchise
Uniform in look/style/food choice
McDonald’s-1940
US in 2006-$142 billion in sales in fast-food
industry
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5D6_6sSM8&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_saf
ety_mode=1
John Taylor Dry Goods (dept. store) in KC was
renamed Macy's Missouri-Kansas in the 1950s
1962
1962
Television
• Classic 1940s/50s spousal conflicts
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta10k2
TuTWI
Television
• Excerpt pg. 820
• Began early 1940s-expensive
• By end of 1950s-every household had one
• 1946: 7,000-8,000 in country
• 1957: 40 million in country
• Conformity (rise in advertisements)
• Athletic events
• Portrayed common image
• Movies decrease
• http://www.corp.att.com/history/television/
American Bandstand was a long-running dance music television show that aired in
various versions from 1952 to 1989. It is known not only for the emerging
performers that it promoted but the many dance styles it featured through the
decades. The show featured teenagers dancing to Top 40-type music introduced by
Clark; at least one popular musical act would usually appear in-person to lip-sync
one of their latest singles.
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfHtvUr9Ycw&feature=fvsr&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode
=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hkaghHu6ec
What does American conformity
look like in the following areas?
• Women’s roles
• Men’s roles
• Material possessions
• Higher education
Women’s roles
• Read HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Men’s roles
• Work and bring home the money
• Discipline of children
Material possessions
•
•
•
•
•
Own/have same as neighbor
Home appliances (advertising)
Labor-saving machines
Freezer
2nd car
Higher education
•
•
•
•
GI Bill
Increase in attendance
Becomes important/status symbol in society
“Working professional”
What does American nonconformity look like in the
following areas?
• Birth control
• Youth culture
• Rock ‘n roll
• Inner city/rural
Birth control
• Due to baby boom
• 1945-1961 one kid born every 7 seconds
(65 million new babies)
Birth control
• Due to baby boom
• 1945-1961 one kid born every 7 seconds
(65 million new babies)
Birth control
• Due to baby boom
• 1945-1961 one kid born every 7 seconds
(65 million new babies)
•
•
•
•
Lack of sex with WWII & Korean War
Opposite of women’s role
Make/control when baby comes
Family planning
Youth culture
• Turn back on conformist ideas of adult
society
• Longed for greater excitement and freedom
• Found this in new and controversial styles
of music and literature
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfHtvUr
9Ycw buzzin cousin
Rock ‘n roll
• Loud and heavy beat made ideal of dancing
• Elvis Presley
• Loud, mindless, dangerous (parents listened
to Frank Sinatra-banned in San Antonio,
TX)
• Generation Gap
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzV_0l
5ILI
King of Rock ‘n Roll
Inner city/rural
• Excerpts pg. 829 (20% Americans below
poverty line)
• Poverty is most noticed in is area
• Whites moved to suburbs (increase MC)
• Inner city deteriorates when people go to
suburbs (tax money decreases)
• Left blacks in cities who fled there during
Great Migration of war time