Chapter 17 Section 3

Mass Culture and Family Life

Objectives

Explain why consumer spending increased Discuss postwar changes in family life Describe the rise of new forms of mass

culture

Why it matters? Why do I care? During the 1950’s, the ideal family was one in which

men worked and supported their families and women stayed home and reared their children. Television and other forms of mass culture suggested that this ideal was the norm. Whether most American families actually lived like the ones they saw on prime-time television, however, remain unclear. The family values of the 1950’s still affect who we are and who we want to be

Section Focus Question: How did popular culture and family life change during the 1950’s?

Vocabulary p. 560

Consumerism Median family income Nuclear family Benjamin Spock rock-and-roll Elvis Presley

Consumerism

Large-scale buying, much of it on credit What accounted for this spending?

More $ What was bought?

TV’s, 1945 no one owned a TV in U.S., in 1950 over 7,500,000 sold

Cars, 1945 only 70,000 cars built, in 1950 over 6,665,000 built

Median Family Income

Measure of average family income Went from $3,319 to $5,417

Nuclear Family

Ideal or typical household with a father, mother, and children

Benjamin Spock

American pediatrician, whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its revolutionary message to mothers was that "you know more than you think you do."

Rock-and-Roll

Music originated in the gospel and blues traditions of African Americans Chuck Berry The Official Site of Chuck Berry Little Richard

Early Rock and Roll: Little Richard - Picture and Sound Clip - MSN Encarta Jerry Lee Lewis The Official Jerry Lee Lewis Website Johnny Cash JohnnyCash.Com (THE OFFICIAL JOHNNY CASH SITE)

Elvis Presley

January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977 Singer, musician, and actor Blue Suede Shoes Video by Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock Video by Elvis Presley

American Bandstand

American Bandstand was a television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, hosted from 1957 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer. The show featured teenagers dancing to Top-40 music introduced by Clark

New Forms of Mass Culture

Television 1945 No TV’s owned in the U.S., by 1950 over 7

million TV’s were bought

TV Shows

Felix the Cat

TV Shows

Popeye

TV Shows

Mickey Mouse Club

TV Shows

Howdy Doody

TV Shows

Leave it to Beaver

TV Show

I Love Lucy TeacherTube - 1A I Love Lucy in Paris Matter

of Translation

Chapter 17 Section 4 Questions What were the main arguments of groups who rejected the

culture of the 1950’s? Why was J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye so popular with

teens? How did the actions of the beats show their concept for

mainstream culture? Why was Michael Harrington’s book The Other America such a

shock to many Americans? What transformation occurred in cities during the 1950’s? How did federally subsidized housing for low-income people both

help and hurt urban areas? How did the federal government respond to the decline of

American cities? What were some problems that minorities had to overcome in the

postwar era?