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WorksheetsThe 1950's American Dream
Total questions: 99
Worksheet time: 48mins
One of the benefits that the GI Bill of Rights offered to returning veterans was what?
counseling
low interest loans
free homes
government jobs
President Truman threatened to_____ striking workers to prevent strikes from crippling the nation.
arrest
sue
draft
deport
The Dixiecrats nominated ___ to run for president in 1948?
Harry S. Truman
Thomas E. Dewey
J. Strom Thurmond
Henry a. Wallace
During the 1950's, ____ jobs declined
manufacturing
advertising
communications
service
A ____ is a large corporation that owns a number of smaller companies
franchise
monopoly
government agency
conglomerate
The vast majority of new homes in the 1950's were built in the ___
big cities
suburbs
small cities
rural areas
With more money to spend and an increased number of products to buy, ___ became an American way of life.
consumerism
social conformity
planned obsolesence
a 40-hour work week
Most Americans in the 1960's relied on ___ as their primary source of entertainment and information.
radio
movies
telephones
television
The expression of nonconformity by ___ developed into the beat movement.
college students
artists, poets, and writers
teenagers
rock 'n' roll performers
Most ___ enjoyed the prosperity of the postwar period.
Latinos
African Americans
white Americans
Mexican Americans
This was the marketing strategy to purposely design products to become outdated.
consumerism
planned obsolescence
termination policy
franchise
Buying material goods that came to be equated with success.
consumerism
planned obsolescence
termination policy
franchise
The unprecedented population explosion that began in the late 1940s through the early 1960s
Generation Z
consumerism
baby boom
planned obsolescence
Beatnik
an elderly person in the 1920s who suffered financial loss.
the fact or process of converting someone or something back to a former state.
a young person in the 1950s and early 1960s belonging to a subculture associated with the beat generation.
This was a type of music which challenged earlier music and was popular to teenagers.
Commission made by LBJ after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.The point was to investigate if someone paid for the assassination of Kennedy. This concluded that Oswald killed Kennedy on his own.
Black Commission
Warren Commission
Justice Commission
Johnson Commission
Brown V. Board of Education
Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional
Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal.
All state laws prohibiting abortions were made unconstitutional based on a woman's right to privacy
Ruled that a defendant in a felony trial must be provided a lawyer free of charge if the defendant cannot afford one.
These "super" structures connected multiple states across the country. Built during the Cold War in case of a nuclear attack
Transcontinental Railroad
Amtrak Rail System
Federal Highway System
Old Town Road
Click on all the consumer products of the 1950s that Americans bought after WWII (3 answers)
This planned communities sprang up after WWII. They were usually located outside major market cities; families would commute to work with their new luxury cars and homes were "cookie cutter" and affordable
Suburbs
Inner City
Ultraburbs
Shopping Malls
Choose all the similarities between William Levitt's houses in the 40s and Henry Ford's automobiles in the early 1900s: (3 Answers)
Expensive
Similar look and easily replicated
Assembly line construction
Affordable
Not reliable/sturdy
The spread of McDonald's fast food franchises and Holiday Inns during the 1950s contributed most directly to which of these post war trends?
a population shift from small families to large families
a population shift from northern states to southern states
an economic shift from blue-collar jobs to white-collar jobs
an economic shift from producing goods to providing services
Which of the following most accurately describes planned postwar communities like Levittown?
simple, low-cost housing for the working poor in cities
large country homes designed to attract buyers
small suburban homes that middle class families could afford
custom-designed homes built to meet the needs of individual buyers
Which of the following did not rise in the United States during the 1950s?
average age of marriage
gross national product
life expectancy
real income
The map shows population growth in the Sunbelt from the fastest growing states (Big 3) to the slowest growing states (Lagging Four). Which of these statements does the map best support?
Population growth in the Sunbelt has slowed since 2000.
The slowest growing Sunbelt states are in the Southwest.
Population growth in the Sunbelt has been uneven from state to state.
Population growth in the Sunbelt has been slower than in other states.
Read the statement below.
I avoid traditional jobs. I reject all forms of convention. I study Eastern religions. I groove on modern jazz.
Which type of person in the 1950s would have been most likely to say these things?
a beat writer
a "baby boomer"
an "organization man"
an abstract expressionist painter
Examine the cartoon. What aspect of American society in the 1950s was the cartoonist making?
high culture
stay-at-home moms
suburban conformity
planned obsolescence
What new style of music did teenagers popularize during the 1950s?
country 'n' western
blues
jazz
rock 'n' roll
The maps show Chicago in 1960. Which of these statements best supported by the data on the maps?
The poor were spread evenly throughout Chicago.
Chicago had more poor people than most other cities.
Poverty affected all of Chicago's ethnic groups equally.
Poverty was highest in Chicago's best black neighborhoods.
What impact did the termination policy have on many Indian tribes during the 1950s?
They fell deeper into poverty.
They expanded their reservation lands.
They became economically self reliant.
They lost their chance to relocate to cities.
After the war, the ___?___ replaced radio and movies as the main entertainment for American families.
television
YouTube
internet
community swimming pool
Suburbia as the "American Dream" represented
conformity.
stability.
happiness.
All of the above
People who perform professional, managerial, or Administrative type work, these people usually wear suits or business attire.
White Collar Jobs
Blue Collar Jobs
What was the effect of Truman's Executive Order in 1947?
Integration of Defense Industries
Integration of Major League Baseball
Integration of Schools
Integration of the Armed Forces (and federal government)
What best characterizes the economy of the 1950s?
Consumer Culture
Economic Depression
Underproduction of Consumer Goods
Slow Growth
The prosperity of the 1950s was accompanied by
a decrease in government spending.
corporate mergers and the formations of conglomerates.
equitable distribution of corporate profits
the survival and renewal of the family farm.
a decrease in military spending.
According to many social observers, American culture in the 1950s seemed dominated by a(n)
restless search by individuals for identity and purpose
quest for economic political justice within the United States.
absorption with consumer goods by a growing middle class.
isolationist desire to avoid international affairs or commitments.
collective desire to rid the world of communism.
During the 1950s, television
affected only a small percentage of the total population.
encouraged independent value formation among members of the white middle class.
heightened the sense of alienation and powerlessness among minority groups.
failed to attract significant interest from commercial advertisers.
saw a rapid decline in popularity.
Which of the following describes the stereotypical Beatnik?
Wore black turtle necks and berets
Read unintelligible poetry in dark coffee shops.
Lived a life full of dangerous fun and rebellion.
Shallow, slang-using hipster who played bongo drums
The model American citizen living in the suburbs.
Mainstream Americans became worried when the Beat Movement gained popularity as a left-wing, pleasure-seeking group of rebels.
True
False
How did mainstream society view the Beat Movement?
Beats were seen as bums and shunned good jobs.
Beats were seen as positive role models for the baby boomers.
Beats were seen as a youth fad that rejected America's traditions.
Beats were seen as inspirers of violence, rebellion, and juvenile delinquency.
The Beats thought it was "hip" to be materialistic.
True
False
Rock and Roll music was very popular with baby boomers. It reflected their desire to rebel against traditional authority and their parents.
True
False
Rock and Roll music began breaking the color barrier among U.S. teenagers.
True
False
Which of the following is true regarding the stereotypical white collar worker?
Implies manual labor in agriculture, manufacturing, or construction.
Implies a lower social class and lower salary.
Implies a higher social class and higher salary.
Implies the avoidance of manual labor and suit-and-tie workers.
Which of the following is true regarding the stereotypical blue collar worker?
Implies manual labor in agriculture, manufacturing, or construction.
Implies a lower social class and lower salary.
Implies a high social class and higher salary.
Implies the avoidance of manual labor and suit-and-tie workers.
Which of the following became popular in the 1950s and 1960s?
Disneyland
Fast-food restaurants
Drive-in and Drive-thru
T.V. Dinners
The FCC (federal communication commission):
Allowed over 500 new television stations during the 1950s and 1960s.
The FCC did not allow businesses to advertise on television.
Television was used by advertisers to convince American to buy more consumer goods.
Allowed over 5000 new radio stations during the 1950s and 1960s to compete with the television.
Which of the following is true regarding Automania in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s?
The commercial use of railroads declined in favor of long-haul trucking.
The commercial use of railroads increased while long-haul trucking decreased.
The growth of the suburbs led to the need for an automobile to travel for work and leisure.
Automania led to better roads and Interstate highways to accommodate the many cars.
Purposefully designing products to wear out or become outdated is called planned obsolescence.
True
False
Which of the following is an example of durable consumer goods?
Appliances, furniture, jewelry, electronics, sporting goods, etc.
Food, drinks, toothpaste, laundry detergent, paper plates, etc.
His book on childcare influenced many parents during the 1950s and 1960s.
Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr. Benjamin Spock
He developed the important polio vaccine in 1953.
Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr. Benjamin Spock
Which of the following would Dr. Benjamin Spock most agree with regarding raising children?
Babies and children should be pushed to become adults as soon as possible.
Babies and children should not be pushed to become adults as soon as possible.
Babies need love and affection from their parents for good development.
Babies do not need love and affection from their parents but rather physical punishment.
Stay-at-home mothers are ideal for raising children and should be government supported.
Which of the following is true regarding the U.S. economy after WW2?
Jobs were plentiful.
Jobs were scarce.
Wages were higher.
Wages were lower.
GDP grew from $200 billion to $500 billion.
In order to improve travel in the 1950's, Eisenhower created...
the Eerie Canal
the subway system
the Interstate Highway System
carpooling
the 1950s, both the beat movement and rock ‘n’ roll were viewed as forms of ____.
harmless entertainment
rebellion
mainstream American values
African-American culture
What is the subdivision called that was built after World War II and helped give middle-class families affordable housing?
Levittown
Hooverville
Midtown
Schererville
Why was the Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan an important book?
All women must be housewives and enjoy it
Many women were not happy with the stereotypical house wife life and many wanted jobs outside the home
If women do not have children they will be unfulfilled in their lives
All women must work outside the home to be fulfilled in life.
What was the image of the ideal woman in the 1950’s?
Nurse
Teacher
Housewife
Astronaut
