The culture of Consumerism

1. “I was in third grade at the time. Suddenly, the next day, everybody in my class but me was Davy Crockett. And because I didn’t have my coonskin cap and my powder horn, or Old Betsy, my rifle, and my chaps, I was deemed the Mexican leader, Santa Anna. And they chased me home from school until I got my parents to buy me a coonskin cap.” Steven Spielberg, recalling the Davy Crocket craze of 1955 What does this quote suggest about the power of fads?

2. “A penny saved is a penny earned” That is what Americans had been taught However, US economy began a boom in the 1950s Americans were caught up in a wave of consumerism, buying as much as they could, much of it on credit What accounted for this spending spree? Median Income: Rose from $3319-$5417 Consumer oriented companies found new and innovative ways to encourage buying on credit Diner’s Club introduced the first credit card The culture of Consumerism

3. Home appliances topped the list of the goods Washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and ranges Transformed housework Money to spend, easy credit, and new goods shopping became a new pastime Record number T.V. sets sold 1946=6,000, 1953=7 mill Buying New Conveniences

4. Portraying the “Ideal” family NUCLEAR FAMILY Mother, Father, Children Children-backbone Women accepted role of homemaker “A Woman isn’t a woman unless she’s been married and had children” But, by 1960, women held 1/3 of the nation’s jobs Family Life in the Fifties

5. Best selling book of the era was Common Sense book of Baby and Child Care Another sign of the degree to which family revolved around their children Amount of money parents spent on their teens Children are the Focus

6. Regular church attendance rose from 50 million to 80 million from 1940-1958 Billy Graham attracted millions to revivals held around the nation During the 1950s, Congress added “In God we trust” to the dollar bill “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance Celebrating a Religious Revival Billy Graham

7. Numerous advances in medicine 1954-Jonas Salk developed a vaccine against polio Penicillin-controlled numerous infectious diseases These advances and better understanding of diet, children born after 1946 had a higher life expectancy Improved Healthcare Benefits Baby Boomers

8. Television takes Center Stage

9. T.V. shows reflected and reinforced the ideal of the 1950s family None had important African American characters None got divorced None had real-life problems like alcoholism, depression No family problem was so great it couldn’t be cleared up within the allotted twenty minutes Nationally broadcast radio programs, Hollywood films and TV shows eroded distinct regional and ethnic cultures Television changed political campaigns. During the 1952 presidential campaign, Americans could see candidates in action The impact of television on elections continues today Reflection on T.V.

10. Drawing on African-American roots Rock originated in the rhythm and blues tradition of African Americans Rock borrowed heavily from rhythm and blues “It used to be called boogie-woogie, it used to be called blues, used to be called rhythm and blues…It’s called rock now.” Chuck Berry Rock-and-Roll Shakes the Nation

11. Elvis, who was from the south, set off a new rock craze. Effects: Generation gaps Many parents objected to his gyrating hips and tight pants Ministers complained that rock music seemed to unleash many youngsters Congress held hearings on the subversive nature of rock music Nonetheless, it became a symbol of the emerging youth culture and the growing power of youth on mass culture Attracting a Wider Audience