The USA 1955-92 conformity and challenge

In what year was the USA the worlds largest military power?

1945

What was the GNP in 1940?

$99.7 billion

What was the GNP in 1945?

$211 billion

By 1947 what percentage of the worlds steel was the USA producing?

57%

By 1947 what percentage of the worlds electricity was the USA producing?

43%

By 1947 what percentage of the worlds oil was the USA producing?

62%

In 1960 what was the USA's GNP?

$503.7 billion

Wages rose from what in 1950 to what in 1960?

1950- 8.4bn

1960- 45 bn

In 1953 what was the median income of a white family?

4,392 a year

In 1953 what was the median income of a non white family?

2,461 a year

By 1960 what had the gap between white and non white family income became?

5835 bn for white families

3233 bn for non white families

What did the population rise from in 1940 to what in mid 1950s?

1940- 130 million

mid 1950s- 165 million

What did the number of people living in urban areas rise from in 1950 to what in 1960?

1950- 96.5 million

1960- 124.7 million

What did the number of people living in rural areas fall from in 1950 to what in 1960?

1950- 23 million

1960- 13.4 million

In the 1950s the USA s 12 largest cities gained how many non white residents?

1.8 million

which areas in the 1960s were becoming black american areas only?

Watts district of LA

West and north Philadelphia

South Bronx

and Harlem in NYC

Where did new interracial tension develop in the 60s?

It had been in the past in the Old South but was now developing in northern and western cities as settlement patterns of these cities changed.

What did the FHA support?

Anti-jewish and anti-black restrictive covenants on new suburban housing developments.

what was the FHA's aim?

To ensure neighborhood's has racial cohesion.

what was levvitown ?

earliest suburbs in New York and in eastern Pennsylvania. They discriminated against black americans and other minorities.

How many Levvitowns were built?

Over 17,000

When was the first levvitown built?

1947

in 1960 how many families owned a home?

3 in 5.

Between 1950 and 1960 how many people moved to the suburbs?

18 million

What was the meant by the term megalopolis?

A term to describe the suburban growth from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington DC.

By 1970 how many americans lived in suburbs?

80 million

What did the rapid growth in Suburbia go hand in hand with?

A demand for cars and increased highway construction.

Between 1945 and 1960 the number of cars increased by what percentage?

133%

When was the National interstate and Defense Highways Act?

1956

was the culmination of a number of federal initiatives of a number of federal initiatives to improves the USA's highway structure.

In 1952 what did President Truman proposed how much to pay for highway construction?

$25 million

By 1953 state governments had only completed how many miles?

6,500 miles

In 1956 what did the National interstate and Defense Highways Act set up? and how much did it cost?

set up a ten-year programme that cost 25 billion to construct 42,500 miles of highways.

What percentage of the cost of construction did the highways act make up?

90%

What was another reason in relation to the cold war for the highways act?

For rapid movement of troops and military equipment across the country.

In 1946 how many cars did the USA produce per year?

2 million

In 1955 how many cars did the USA produce per year?

8 million

Where became the car producing centre of the world?

Detroit

What three car companies was Detroit dominated by?

Ford

Chrysler

General Motors

How many americans worked in a car manufacturing company?

1 in seven americans

How many workers were members of the UAW (United automobile workers)?

1 million

By 1960 what percentage of Americans owned at least one car?

75%

By 1960 what percentage of Americans owned more than one car per family?

15%

What did the Growth in car ownership mean for suburbia?

Meant people could live in the suburbs and still work in the inner city.

By 1956, how many vehicles were on the road?

75 million

in 1956 how many drive in movie theatre's opened?

3,000

By the mid 1950s how many out of town malls were built?

1,800

When did Mcdonalds open?

1954

by 1959 how many Mcdonalds restaurants opened?

100

by 1959 how many burgers was Mcdonalds selling annually and how much for?

50 million annually at 50c a burger.

How did car ownership fuel the growth of teenage culture?

American teenagers were more mobile than ever before.

Rock n roll music went alongside the new 'hot rod' culture in which you men bought fast cars.

How did car ownership affect the tourist industry?

For the first time the country's national parks became more accesible to millions of car owners.

In the 1950s approximately how many cars were discarded every year?

7 million as the affluent wanted the latest car model.

What did car ownership reflect?

The age of affluence

What happened in 1956 regarding white collar jobs?

For the first time in US history the number of white collar jobs outnumbered the number of blue collar jobs.

What is a white collar job?

office jobs; usually require a certain level of education (Ex. teachers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, etc.)

What is a blue collar job?

a job that requires manual labor (plumbers, farmers, mechanics, etc.)

By 1960 what was the change in the amount of women in employment?

In 1960 twice the number of women were at work as in 1940.

In 1960 what percentage of all women over 16 held a job?

40%

Throughout the 1950s what did defence spending stand at?

$40 billion a year

What percentage of the federal budget and what percentage of the GDP did defence spending stand in the '50s?

60% of the federal budget

10% of the GDP

By 1957 how many people did the federal government employ?

8 million

During the 1950s the average family in suburbia earned how much?

6,500 a year

70% higher than the rest of the nation

When did Disneyland open?

1955 in Anaheim Southern California

what was the consumer boom made easier by in the 50s and 60s?

the ready availability of credit to buy goods and services.

In what year did diners club introduce the first credit card?

1950

in what year did American express introduce its first credit card?

1958

In 1960 how many customers did the mail order company sears roebuck have on credit?

10 million

In 1945 how many shopping centre's was there?

8

In 1960 how many shopping centre's was there?

4,000

When was the worlds first satellite launched into space and by who?

1957

Soviet Union

Was called Sputnik

When did JFK announced that a priority for the USA was to get a man on the moon by the end of the 60's?

1961

Give 3 words to describe the 50's and early 60's?

A period of stability and affluence and tranquility.

In 1960 what percentage pf suburban dwellers were black americans?

5%

How many residents in the Levvitowns were black?

57 out of 65,000

What years was the era of the baby boomers?

50s and 60s

What was the life of a middle class family in the suburbs portrayed in?

'American way of life' in 1956

A magazine which produced a special issue on the ideal middle class woman.

'Pretty and popular'

Give an example of how suburban life was not a popular theme with US film audiences?

1957- 'No down payment'

was a flop.

What films dominated American film theatre's in the period 1955-1963?

escapist, blockbuster films about war and adventure.

what was voted best Hollywood film in 1957 by the Oscar committee of the Academy of film sciences?

Around the world in 80 days.

What year was 'The Bridge on the River Kwai best picture and what was it about?

1958

About British troops in Japanese Prison camp

What year was 'Lawrence of Arabia' best picture and what was it about?

1963

About British involvement in the Arab Revolt in the First World War.

In what year sis West Side Story fill the movie theatres?

1961

what did films about everyday life tend to portray that were popular?

Young people who grew up in the 50's that found suburbia constraining.

In what year was 'Rebel without a cause' and what was it about?

1955

Sensation at the time and made an instant star of James Dean.

Dean played a moody youth who represented the 'quiet generation' of young people.

What were the two most popular television shows of the 50's that were set in suburbia?

I love Lucy

Father knows best

What years was the Dick Van Dyke show aired and what was it about?

1961-66

happily married man living the suburban ideal

When did Father knows best appear and what was it about?

1953

it centered life in a new suburb 'springfield' and the Anderson family who lived there in a large house.

Jim anderson portrayed a typical middle class father . Wife played a typical housewife.

When did I love Lucy run and what was it about?

1951-57

Lucille Ball was a loyal wife to her musician husband it centered on the home life.

When Lucy had a baby on the series 'I love Lucy' what percentage of people tuned in?

70% of national television sets.

What was the most popular game show and when did it begin?

$64,000 question

Began in june 1955

Give an example of a black person playing a minor role in TV?

Butler rochester in popular television programme The Jack Benny Show.

In what year did the first black actor win an oscar and what for?

1963

Sidney Poitier

Lillies of the field.

By when did almost every home in the US possess a TV?

early 1960's

what was US television wholly financed through?

Advertising between programmes.

What did television companies advertising revenue grow by in the 50s?

1000%

Overall how much did advertisers spend on persuading consumers to spend during the 50s and early 60s?

$10 billion

What were teenagers portrayed as?

'Juvenile deliquents'

When was the film 'the wild one' and what was it about?

1953

Starring Marlon Brando

Captured the mood, Brando led a motorbike gang that intimidated small communities.

What was published in 1951 to explain these new developments and show disrespect for teachers?

Margaret Mead in the American culture.

What to studies did Alfred Kinsey produce and when?

1948- Sexual behaviour in the human male

1953- Sexual behaviour in the human female