American Culture in the 1950’sPresentation by

Adam Turner

Why was the decade so important?You should walk away from this

lesson understanding two basic concepts.

One: That many trends of today have their roots in 1950’s culture.

Two: Historical cause and effect, and the impact of the 1950’s on today.

Some Basic Stat’s on the 1950’sPopulation of the United States:

Around 160 millionAverage Salary: Around $3,000Workforce gender ratio: 5/2

male/femalePrice of a loaf of bread: 14 cents

A Time of Economic prosperityGrowth of the Suburbs and

home ownershipNew products appear, such as

Kraft Cheese slices in 1950M & M’s and Trix in 1954The Barbie Doll in 1959

More free time for teenagersThe U.S.A. had come out of a

World War and a Depression on top

Teenagers before had to worry about the future, and quickly found work and settled down upon finishing high school

Trends included

Biker jacketsCoon-skin

capsPoodle skirtsHula hoopsAnd last but

not least…

Rock N’ Roll

Rock had its roots in the blues, which was popular with African-Americans

One performer took African-American blues and made it popular with white audiences. His name was…

Elvis He shook it like

no one had ever shook it before

Helped popularize the guitar as an instrument

Chuck Berry

Also helped popularize the guitar as Rock N’ Roll’s main instrument

Quite energetic on stage

Haley and the Comets“One two

three o’clock four o’clock rock, five six seven o’clock eight o’clock rock…”

Last but not least, the rock death tragedy of the 50’sOn February

2nd, 1959, a plane crash claimed the lives of three of the great performers of the decade

Television and its impact on American cultureThe TV became a household

item during the decadePeople’s dress styles and

purchasing decisions began to be influenced by what they saw on TV

I Love Lucy

So popular it still has reruns

Ricki and Lucy, although married, slept in separate beds

The Honeymooners

“One of these days Alice…Pow!! Right in the kisser!”

The Mickey Mouse Club

“Now’s the time to say goodbye to all our company..M-I-C—see you real soon--K-E-Y—why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E”

Fun trivia fact

Believe it or not, Britney Spears got her start on a re-incarnation of the Mickey Mouse Club

Unfortunately, not all was peaches and cream in the 1950’s

Fear of nuclear attack was a constant fact of life

Americans built bomb shelters in the futile attempt to protect themselves

Fear of Nuclear attack in the High SchoolsSchool drills

were given quite often on what to do in case of disaster

And now…a short presentation

Conclusion and assessment

Picture yourself sitting in the exact same classroom, in the exact same seat, only it is fifty years ago. How would your life be different? How would it be the same? Using examples we have discussed here, write a short essay with the remaining time we have. Use concrete examples from the material we have covered, but feel free to bring in examples from whatever else you know about the 1950’s.