How Did The Baby Boom Affect The Economy
After a brief time of turbulence following WWII, the economy rebounded into a period of prosperity and promise. World War II ended and America soon after became one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The GI Bill was a new law that provided generous living stipends and unemployment insurance to help veterans get back on their feet, it helped people buy a house, start businesses, and attend college. After the great depression and WWII, people were ready to start a family feeling more confident in life. This time became known as the baby boom. The baby boom increased the population 30 percent. The economy grew with suburbs expanding from the cities. The 1950s was a time of new things for America including television, mobile cars, Rock ‘N’ Roll, and the economy ever growing.
The baby boom began in 1946, with a record of 3.4 million born in the United States. During the 1950s about 4 million babies were born each year. The baby boom ended in 1964, resulting with almost 77 million baby boomers. Almost as soon as World War II ended, developer William Levitt applied the techniques of mass production to home building. These …show more content…
Levittown’s in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania would become the most famous symbols of suburban life in the 1950s. The G.I. Bill subsidized low-cost mortgages for returning soldiers, which meant that it was often cheaper to buy one of these suburban houses than it was to rent an apartment in the city. The suburbs increased dramatically with one in five Americans living in them in 1940 to one to three Americans living in them in 1960.
In the U.S. from 1945 to 1960, the gross national product grew from $200 billion to more than $500 billion. This increase was from the government spending including the construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veteran’s benefits and most of all the military spending on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers. All of these things made a big contribution to the decade’s economic growth. During this time rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. This lead to middle class people having more money to spend and because of their variety and availability, consumer goods expanded right along with the economy.
In the 1950s, many began to think they might acquire practically anything they desired. In the 1950s life was comfortable and prosperous for millions of the working class and middle class Americans. People in America started living better through science. Cables carried electricity to most homes in America. Families started filling their homes with electrical appliances like, washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Another popular appliance, the microwave, transformed the cooking in the kitchen. Universal electricity helped women at home with exhausting housework, vacuum cleaners made it so much easier to clean the carpet. There was also radar and jet engines that transformed air travel. During this time, scientists also found a vaccine to eliminate polio. On February 23, 1954 the first large scale vaccination of children against polio began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These all contributed to the growth of America.
The television was a big entertainment for people, and they became more affordable for people to buy.
In 1946, about 7,000 American homes had televisions and by 1950, there were 10 million TV sets in the United States. Most families spent their evening watching it together. After network officials learned viewer’s craved entertainment, National networks and local stations turned popular radio shows into TV programs. People craved entertainment including comedy, westerns, sporting events, and soap operas along with singing, and short comedy sketches, where the whole family enjoyed. The television started out black-and-white and then it had color. Then in December 30, 1953 televisions in color went on sale. The television became a symbol of affluence, it spread the idea that affluence was now the American norm, the standard for judging one’s
life.
The car culture changed in the 1950s, owning a car meant more than just use for transportation, they were a sign of affluence, a status symbol. In 1950 the percentage of families who owned a car was 59 percent, but then it jumped to 70 percent five years later. Every year manufactures introduced new models, largely unchanged in performance and engineering but sporting new colors and body styles. The car culture changed many things like, new drive-in restaurants where people could pull into parking spaces and place an order through a two-way speaker, and in minutes the food is delivered to the car on trays that attached to the car door with the window rolled down. Drive-in movie theaters also became popular. People would park the car and attach a speaker to the door, and peer through the windshield at the movie projected on the huge outdoor screen. The ever-growing and popular car industry enabled people to expand how they were able to live and socialize with one another.
In June 29, 1956, Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which called for the expansion of a network of interstate highways. The construction of the interstate highways was to be paid for largely by an increase in the federal tax on gasoline. The construction of the interstate highway system amounted to the largest public works program in the nation’s history. The interstate highways helped unite the country and made travel far easier for commerce and leisure alike, with it comprising nearly 50,000 miles of high speed pavement. The country’s vastly expanded roads system gave rise to the transit culture. Roadside proliferated in the 1950s and breathed new life into the nation’s tourism industry and development of the interstates transformed how consumers could be easily travel across the entire country.
In 1954, Ray Kroc founded the idea for the McDonalds Corporation, agreeing to franchise the idea of Dick and Mac McDonald, who had the first McDonalds restaurant in 1940 and 8 others by 1954. Kroc convinced the brothers to let him spread McDonald’s franchises around the country, capitalizing on the public’s desire for a quick and reliable place to eat while driving the open road. McDonalds became especially popular and by 1970 there was more than 3,000 different franchise locations. McDonalds transformed how companies would be able to expand across America allowing more people to access their products.
For women during this time after World War II, their lives changed in many ways. During the war many women had to enter the workforce when the men went to war, but after the war women were expected to give up their jobs and return home. Television, movies, and ads all contributed to the role of women and how they should be as the perfect ideal housewife. In reality, all women did not fil or fit this role any longer. Some middle class women had jobs to help the family pay for the mortgage, cars, and other expenses. The number of working mothers increased from 1.5 million to 6.6 million from 1940 to 1960. This working class of women later led to the women’s rights movements seeking equalities in the workplace.
The 1950s youth was known as the “silent generation.” Adolescence changed from an early 1950’s period of acquiescence to a time of rebellion expressed in literature, art, drama, and music. Many fifties kids dressed like their parents and watched the same TV shows that Mom and Dad did. The young people of the Eisenhower era were asking questions, pushing boundaries, and raising doubts about the nature of authority in a world threatened by the destructive power of the atomic bomb.
The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll began in the 1950s. Rock ‘n’ Roll was a new style of music, it had rhythms of blues, country music, pop, and gospel. This new popular style of music helped break racial barriers in America. Young people could play their favorite music on a jukebox Elvis Presley became the king of rock n roll with his hit “That’s All Right Mama” and the hit “Hound Dog” in 1956. Kids in the fifties bought their favorite music on records. Many white parents were scandalized at hearing “race music” in their homes. That only made it more enticing to the kids, and they didn’t need the radio in the living room. They could listen on their own miniature transistor radios, or turn on the car radio and let it blast away, or play records on portable phonographs. A so-called “Silent Generation” had found its sound – the rock ’n’ roll era had begun.
Life for America after World War II was great, where America became the wealthiest country. People felt safer to start a family and set out to live a good life. Science and technology were improving the lifestyles of Americans. More entertainment came with the television being more affordable, bringing drama, comedy, sports, and news for people to watch. Transportation changed as well with the car culture changing and the Federal Aid Highway Act, which made America more connected as a country. There was the silent generation that believed in peace. The birth of rock ‘n’ roll which was a new type of music that didn’t determine race as it brought more people together. Life in America was a major turning point for entire country after World War II. This turning point in America made it possible for economic growth and prosperity to happen more than ever enabling people to lead and live better lives.
The baby boom began in 1946, with a record of 3.4 million born in the United States. During the 1950s about 4 million babies were born each year. The baby boom ended in 1964, resulting with almost 77 million baby boomers. Almost as soon as World War II ended, developer William Levitt applied the techniques of mass production to home building. These …show more content…
Levittown’s in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania would become the most famous symbols of suburban life in the 1950s. The G.I. Bill subsidized low-cost mortgages for returning soldiers, which meant that it was often cheaper to buy one of these suburban houses than it was to rent an apartment in the city. The suburbs increased dramatically with one in five Americans living in them in 1940 to one to three Americans living in them in 1960.
In the U.S. from 1945 to 1960, the gross national product grew from $200 billion to more than $500 billion. This increase was from the government spending including the construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veteran’s benefits and most of all the military spending on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers. All of these things made a big contribution to the decade’s economic growth. During this time rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. This lead to middle class people having more money to spend and because of their variety and availability, consumer goods expanded right along with the economy.
In the 1950s, many began to think they might acquire practically anything they desired. In the 1950s life was comfortable and prosperous for millions of the working class and middle class Americans. People in America started living better through science. Cables carried electricity to most homes in America. Families started filling their homes with electrical appliances like, washers, dryers, and refrigerators. Another popular appliance, the microwave, transformed the cooking in the kitchen. Universal electricity helped women at home with exhausting housework, vacuum cleaners made it so much easier to clean the carpet. There was also radar and jet engines that transformed air travel. During this time, scientists also found a vaccine to eliminate polio. On February 23, 1954 the first large scale vaccination of children against polio began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These all contributed to the growth of America.
The television was a big entertainment for people, and they became more affordable for people to buy.
In 1946, about 7,000 American homes had televisions and by 1950, there were 10 million TV sets in the United States. Most families spent their evening watching it together. After network officials learned viewer’s craved entertainment, National networks and local stations turned popular radio shows into TV programs. People craved entertainment including comedy, westerns, sporting events, and soap operas along with singing, and short comedy sketches, where the whole family enjoyed. The television started out black-and-white and then it had color. Then in December 30, 1953 televisions in color went on sale. The television became a symbol of affluence, it spread the idea that affluence was now the American norm, the standard for judging one’s
life.
The car culture changed in the 1950s, owning a car meant more than just use for transportation, they were a sign of affluence, a status symbol. In 1950 the percentage of families who owned a car was 59 percent, but then it jumped to 70 percent five years later. Every year manufactures introduced new models, largely unchanged in performance and engineering but sporting new colors and body styles. The car culture changed many things like, new drive-in restaurants where people could pull into parking spaces and place an order through a two-way speaker, and in minutes the food is delivered to the car on trays that attached to the car door with the window rolled down. Drive-in movie theaters also became popular. People would park the car and attach a speaker to the door, and peer through the windshield at the movie projected on the huge outdoor screen. The ever-growing and popular car industry enabled people to expand how they were able to live and socialize with one another.
In June 29, 1956, Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which called for the expansion of a network of interstate highways. The construction of the interstate highways was to be paid for largely by an increase in the federal tax on gasoline. The construction of the interstate highway system amounted to the largest public works program in the nation’s history. The interstate highways helped unite the country and made travel far easier for commerce and leisure alike, with it comprising nearly 50,000 miles of high speed pavement. The country’s vastly expanded roads system gave rise to the transit culture. Roadside proliferated in the 1950s and breathed new life into the nation’s tourism industry and development of the interstates transformed how consumers could be easily travel across the entire country.
In 1954, Ray Kroc founded the idea for the McDonalds Corporation, agreeing to franchise the idea of Dick and Mac McDonald, who had the first McDonalds restaurant in 1940 and 8 others by 1954. Kroc convinced the brothers to let him spread McDonald’s franchises around the country, capitalizing on the public’s desire for a quick and reliable place to eat while driving the open road. McDonalds became especially popular and by 1970 there was more than 3,000 different franchise locations. McDonalds transformed how companies would be able to expand across America allowing more people to access their products.
For women during this time after World War II, their lives changed in many ways. During the war many women had to enter the workforce when the men went to war, but after the war women were expected to give up their jobs and return home. Television, movies, and ads all contributed to the role of women and how they should be as the perfect ideal housewife. In reality, all women did not fil or fit this role any longer. Some middle class women had jobs to help the family pay for the mortgage, cars, and other expenses. The number of working mothers increased from 1.5 million to 6.6 million from 1940 to 1960. This working class of women later led to the women’s rights movements seeking equalities in the workplace.
The 1950s youth was known as the “silent generation.” Adolescence changed from an early 1950’s period of acquiescence to a time of rebellion expressed in literature, art, drama, and music. Many fifties kids dressed like their parents and watched the same TV shows that Mom and Dad did. The young people of the Eisenhower era were asking questions, pushing boundaries, and raising doubts about the nature of authority in a world threatened by the destructive power of the atomic bomb.
The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll began in the 1950s. Rock ‘n’ Roll was a new style of music, it had rhythms of blues, country music, pop, and gospel. This new popular style of music helped break racial barriers in America. Young people could play their favorite music on a jukebox Elvis Presley became the king of rock n roll with his hit “That’s All Right Mama” and the hit “Hound Dog” in 1956. Kids in the fifties bought their favorite music on records. Many white parents were scandalized at hearing “race music” in their homes. That only made it more enticing to the kids, and they didn’t need the radio in the living room. They could listen on their own miniature transistor radios, or turn on the car radio and let it blast away, or play records on portable phonographs. A so-called “Silent Generation” had found its sound – the rock ’n’ roll era had begun.
Life for America after World War II was great, where America became the wealthiest country. People felt safer to start a family and set out to live a good life. Science and technology were improving the lifestyles of Americans. More entertainment came with the television being more affordable, bringing drama, comedy, sports, and news for people to watch. Transportation changed as well with the car culture changing and the Federal Aid Highway Act, which made America more connected as a country. There was the silent generation that believed in peace. The birth of rock ‘n’ roll which was a new type of music that didn’t determine race as it brought more people together. Life in America was a major turning point for entire country after World War II. This turning point in America made it possible for economic growth and prosperity to happen more than ever enabling people to lead and live better lives.