Question

Read the quotation from builder William Levitt, then answer these questions.

To what “housing problem” is Levitt referring?

To what “racial problem” is Levitt referring?

We can solve a housing problem, or we can try to solve a racial problem. But we can’t combine the two.

–William Levitt

Answer 1

1) The “housing problem” Levitt means: the acute post‑World War II shortage of affordable single‑family homes for returning veterans and growing families. Levitt was talking about the need to build large numbers of cheaply produced suburban houses quickly (his mass‑produced Levittowns) so veterans and middle‑class families could buy homes with VA/FHA mortgages.

2) The “racial problem” Levitt means: racial integration of neighborhoods — Black Americans’ access to the same housing and neighborhoods as white buyers. In practice this referred to ending racially restrictive covenants and selling homes to Black families, and the social and political conflicts that would follow.

Short explanation: Levitt’s line expresses the view that you could either build large-scale suburban housing (to solve the housing shortage) or try to integrate those suburbs racially, but not both — i.e., he argued that mass suburban development had to remain racially exclusive to sell and preserve property values. That position was implemented in practice: Levitt’s developments enforced whites‑only policies, and attempts by Black families to move into Levittowns (notably the Myers family in Levittown, PA, 1957) provoked strong backlash.