Pop Culture in 1950's America

William Levitt is best known for what?

• Urban renewal projects

• Constructed expensive housing developments in cities

• Mass-produced suburban housing

• Advocated for more affordable housing in cities

After World War II, the United States economy...

• Returned into a severe depression

• Withdrew from world markets

• Remained exactly the same

• Shifted to produce consumer goods

The car culture of the 1950's led to...

• Spread of fast food chains and drive-in movies

• Increased the dependence on public transportation

• A decline in the number of shopping malls

• Revitalized older city neighborhoods

Rock and roll music...

• Became a symbol of youth culture

• Was created by a communist movement

• Attacked traditional religious authority

• Was used mainly in political campaign ads on tv

Television programs in the 1950's

• Dealt with problems such as illness, alcohol, and depression

• Showed high divorce rates among couples

• Did not allow commercials

• Showed families where the father worked & mother stayed home

Why did many American cities begin to decline after World War II?

• Middle class white families moved to suburbs

• There was an increase in taxes

• They weren't being rebuilt from damage incurred during war

• There was a decrease in segregated public housing

Why was the baby boom considered an economic advantage?

• Increase in production of consumer goods

• Spike in educated Americans

• More payments to social security

• None of these

During the 1950's, there was an American emphasis on what?

• Conformity

• Individualism

• Diversity

• Intellectualism

The main factor in suburban growth was what?

• Travel & Tourism

• High Interest Loans

• Interstate Highways

• Multinational Corporations

How was Kerouac's second novel, On The Road, different from the first?

• More in line with the philosophy of the beat generation

• It took three years to write

• Used a ghostwriter

• He relied on the experience of others to write it