Happy+Days?



That's a great question, don't you think? We will answer it in class on Thursday in a (hopefully) fun activity, but to prepare, we should do a little background reading and watching. R**ead "The Fifties" in __Creating America__ (28-3, pp. 800-803), read over the ABC-CLIO links posted below, and w****atch the videos below.**
 * FOR HOMEWORK, CREATE A LIST (IN YOUR ONLINE NOTEBOOK) OF POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES CONCERNING LIFE IN THE FIFTIES FOR CLASS ON THURSDAY. WE WILL USE IT TO WRITE SOME DIALOGUE ...**

[|The Cold War at Home] / [|The Economy Booms] / [|The Sky is the Limit] / [|Boom-Time for Babies and Houses]

Positives:
 * Eisenhower became president-good policies, etc..
 * after war- Americans began to feel more prosperous- economy booming
 * baby boom spurred growth of suburbs
 * suburbs, shopping malls, movie theaters, and restaurants were built in what used to be farmland
 * car businesses boomed- public transportation became less and less popular
 * many goods for consumers were being made
 * life in the suburbs- American dream
 * 1950s- magazines, films, and television praised women for their roles as homemakers
 * rock 'n' roll music was created
 * popular tv shows started- Lassie, I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, The Lone Ranger, etc..
 * Kennedy was elected president- youngest president elected- first televised presidential debates
 * Doctors began to use antibiotics more often to treat disease

Negatives:
 * Nearly one out of every 5 people lived in poverty
 * Many moved out of cities- African Americans and Latinos were left in the urban decay because they could not afford to live in the suburbs
 * immigration from Mexico increased greatly-mostly illegal immigration
 * McCarthy, WI senator, blame the US for the troubling foreign policy issues on communism and communist spies
 * Red Scare- the fear of communism taking over the US


 * An overview of the Red Scare and McCarthyism**

The "Duck and Cover" video - 1950 classic - a must watch

= =
 * Some more 1950s Cold War propaganda - giggles **

Did you ever watch or hear of the show, set in the beautiful city of Milwaukee? Here's a look back ... (ask your parents if they remember the show)