Describe how and why the suburbs became popular places to live.
A: Suburbs became popular places to live as the GI Bill offered low-interest loans, making new housing more affortable during the postwar period than at any other time in American history. They were so popular, in fact, that they accounted for about 85 percent of new home construction. Reasons for the rapid growth of suburbia varied. Some people wanted to escape crime and congestion of city neighborhoods. Others viewed life in the suburbs as a move up to a better life for themselves and their children. In contrast to city life, suburbia offered a more picturesque environment. As developers in earlier periods had done, the developers of the 1950s attracted home buyers with promises of fresh air, green lawns, and trees.
4. How was the affluent society of the United States in the 1950s different from previous decades?
A: In the past, all societies had an "economy of scarcity," meaning that a lack of resources and overpopulation had limited economic productivity. The affulent society of the United States in the 1950s, however, had an "economy of abundance." An abundance of goods and services allowed many people to enjoy a standard of living they never before thought possible.
5. What caused the advertising industry boom in the 1950s?
A: An increase in the number of manufacturers caused the advertsing industry boom in the 1950s.
6. What impact did American rock n' roll artists have on the rest of the world?
A: American rock n' roll artists provided inspiration for musical artists in other countries. Little Richard and Chuck Berry, for example, provided inspiration for the Beatles, whose music swept Britain and the world in the 1960s. Elvis's music also transformed generations of rock n' roll bands that were to follow him and other pioneers of rock.
7. What roles did African Americans play in television and rock n' roll?
A: Few African Americans had opportunities in television, but many had a profound impact on early rock n' roll.
8. Which groups of people were left out of the country's economic boom of the 1950s?
A: The nation's minorities (African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans) and rural poor were left out of the country's economic boom of the 1950s.
9. Evaluate how the federal government's termination policy affected Native Americans.
A: The federal government's termination policy made Native Americans subject to the same laws as white citizens and deepened their poverty.
10. Why did urban renewal fail the poor of the inner cities?
A: The urban renewal failed the poor of the inner cities for several reasons. First, the high-rise buildings erected by urban renweal programs were too crowded. Secondly, the crowded, anonymous conditions of these high-rise projects created an atmospehere of violence. And lastly, urabn renewal programs actually destroyed more housing space than they created.
11. What were some possible reasons for a dramatic rise in juvenile delinquency in the 1950s?
A: Some possible reasons for a dramatic rise in juvenile delinquency were poverty, television, movies, comic books, racism, busy parents, a rising divorce rate, anxiety over the military draft, and lack of religion or of discipline.
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