Were+the+1950's+Really+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. **Watch the videos below, read over the ABC-CLIO links posted below, and read "The Fifties" in __Creating America__ (28-3, pp. 800-803).** 
 * FOR HOMEWORK, CREATE A LIST (EITHER IN PRINT OR ONLINE) OF POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES CONCERNING LIFE IN THE FIFTIES FOR CLASS ON THURSDAY!**

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

• In 1957, nearly one out of every five Americans lived in poverty • Illegal immigration from Mexico increased in the 1950s • The Red Scare • Threats of nuclear bombs • Spread of communism • Cold War Positive- • The 1950s had a baby boom, the population of the US increased by 30 million people during that time period • Because so many people were moving to the suburbs, car sales boomed • %3Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 26nbsp; People moved to the “Sunbelt” • For millions of mainly white Americans, they were living the dreams in the suburbs • American industry was increasing • Hollywood • TV shows • Music • Kennedy won the election**
 * Negative-


 * 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< **