American Culture in the 1950s Quiz

GI Bill of Rights

A name given to the Servicemen's Readjustment Act that provided financial and educational benefits for World War II veterans.

Loans

Homes

Health

Educational

The GI Bill of Rights gave WW2 Veterans the following opportunities:

1. Government ____ for businesses or farms

2. Buy _________

3. Pensions and ____________ care

4. _________________________________ opportunities

suburbs

A residential town or community near a city

Levittown

Standardized and cheap homes built by William Levitt in the NY, NJ, and PA areas.

urban centers

By 1960, 85% of the population lived near...

Building Boom

The time between 1950-1960 where one million new houses and apartments were built each year.

Fair Deal

Truman's economic program that was an extension of FDR's New Deal program...

minimum wage

Social Security

Low-income

The Fair Deal made the following changes:

1. Increased _________________________

2. Extend _________________________________

3. Provide housing to ____________________________ families

Conglomerates and Franchises

What were the two types of businesses developing during the 1950s?

Conglomerate

A major corporation that owns a number of smaller companies in unrelated businesses

Franchise

A business that has bought the right to use a parent company's name and methods, thus becoming one of a smaller businesses in various locations

EX: McDonalds

Baby Boom

The sharp increase in the US birthrate following World War II

Dr. Jonas Salk

Invented a vaccine for Polio in 1953

typhoid

Another medical advance was the prevention of ____ fever.

automobiles

These sales skyrocketed during the 1950s because of the people moving to the suburbs....

one

3/4 of families have ___________ car

Movies

Restaurants

Highway

Effects of the automobile:

Drive-in ___________________

Drive-Thru _________________________

Interstate ________________________ Act

Interstate Highway Act

Led to the building of the highway system. Built 41,000 miles of highway.

Consumerism

A preoccupation with the purchasing of material good

Televisions, Record Players, Dishwashers, Washing machines and other appliances

Consumerism lead to the puchasing of the following items:

Planned Obsolescence

Designing products to wear out or to become outdated quickly, so that people feel a need to replace their possessions frequently

Diner's Club Card

first credit card in 1950

Mass Media

Forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people.

Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

An agency that regulates US communications industries, including radio and television broadcasting

The Golden Age of Television

The period of time when television shows like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners were popular

Beat Movement

A social and artistic movement of the 1950s, stressing unrestrained literary self-expression and nonconformity with the mainstream culture

Rock and Roll

Evolved in the 1950s out of rhythm and blues, country, jazz, gospel, and pop

Impacts on dancing, clothing, fashion, and expressions of protest

Bill Haley and the Comets

Elvis Presley

Two popular Rock and Roll Artists during the 1950s

Jazz

a style of music characterized by the use of improvisation

Miles Davis

Dizzy Gillespie

Two popular Jazz musicians