What Was The American Dream In The 1950's

Improved Essays
The decade following ww2 is described as one of the most prosperous economic times In American history. With victory and money under their belts, Americans wanted to pursue the American dream. In the 1950s the American economy was on the upswing. Many people escaped the city to live in the suburbs. Housing were more affordable in the Suburbs.
The U.S soldiers coming back from Korea and World War II sparked the economy and helped make the American Dream a reality during the 1950s. They had tired of war and life in the military and were ready to settle down, start a family, and enjoy the rest of their lives. The GI Bill helped soldiers achieve their dream of going to college, buying a home, starting a business, and achieving their American Dream. That dream was to get home ownership, and an opportunity to start their own family.
…show more content…
soldiers came back from war they were expecting their jobs back and wanted women to go back their daily jobs at home. Most people during this era wanted to be lawyer, doctor, or work for the government. Women didn’t work if they couldn’t, they worked being housewives instead. The ideal house at this time was a decent sized house with a big front yard, and a fence. One important thing about the American dream was having a TV in the front room so the family could watch television together. Cars was also a big part of the American dream. Part of the lifestyle was having a nice car for your family. The big part of the American dream was to have a family; mom, dad, and two children (boy or girl). Women were expected to stay home cleaning, cooking, and caring for the children. Men worked hard outside of home, and the children went to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    One of them being the “role” of women and who they were supposed to be. After WWII the American women were nearly forced to quit their jobs and return them to the men. Women had to go back to taking care of the household and the kids. This made them very frustrated with all their new role as the “Happy Housewife”. They wanted to be out and have jobs, making money for their family and helping pay bills.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    1950 Dbq Analysis

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    World War II ended in 1945, sending veterans home to a postwar economy to have children and begin their new lives. Despite some social disagreements, everything was looking up for Americans. However by the time the baby boomers were becoming teenagers in the 60s, things were not looking so bright. While the 50s were full of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, there were still disagreements leading to the very different turbulence, protests, and disillusionment of the 60s.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the factors that contributed to America's prosperity was the GI Bill of Rights. This was because after WWII, many veterans were suffering from housing shortages(section 2). The GI Bill of RIghts, also known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, not only encouraged veterans to get an education but also gave them financial benefits. In the textbook, it states that many young families used this Bill of Rights to buy either homes, farms, or businesses(section 1). We also see, that not only did they get educational and financial benefits, but it also provided low-interest, federally guaranteed loans(Section 1).…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    During the 1950s and 60’s American was in the great society and in a thriving economic time. The Unites states economy was powerful and the tax revenue was so abundant and employment was very high because the federal government had money due to WWII and United States being the country that was not destroyed. Although in the 1950s and 60’s it was a great time for economy and a period of consense where most people agreedon on the American values like indivgualizm, repect of property and equal rights even thought it was not provided, America was faced with the Cold War against Russia and China and during the 1960s the main warfare was the Vitaniame war. And before that was WWII so, every ten years the United States had been faced with major…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1960s Dbq Analysis

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The 1950s have always been portrayed as a perfectly painted picture, an era of traditionalism, prosperity, and conformity, however, as the 1960s ushered in the United States proved to be the complete opposite with recklessness, disillusionment, and protest. Many historians identify these two decades this way and it is completely true considering both social and political aspects of the 1950s and the 1960s are incredibly different. Political aspects in the 1950s were outstanding, the economy was great and a great military leader was the president of the era, Eisenhower. After the war production of the 1930s and 1940s, factories across the nation began to switch over to consumer production and a combination of war inflation and new found consumerism…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    World War II gave Americans an unprecedented era of economic growth, prosperity, and happiness, so it seemed. Everyone desired the perfect life, with the perfect family, in the perfect home: the American Dream. The ultimate goal was to meet the love of your life, get married young, move to the suburbs (which you could surprisingly afford after the economic boom) and start popping out babies. The perfect home was a well kept one, always clean and containing the newest, shiniest appliances to a housewife’s delight. The perfect family was a married, heterosexual couple with two or three well-behaved children; the father’s duties were to go to work and be the breadwinner while the mother stayed home to make bread.…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1945-1970 Analysis

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages

    As Patterson stated many people remembered the years of 1945-1970 as a time that endured drastic economic growth. Particularly in the 1960s the GNP rose by 33% allowing people to make realistic wages and salaries. This significant increase in the economy gave them the ability to move up into the middle class, buy homes in the suburbs and even purchase cars. Countless individuals could not wait for what the future held for them. The generation of people from World War 2 were so surprised with the problems that occurred in the 1970s they believed everything after the war from 1945 up to the 1970s had been better.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1950s was a time where people wish they could go back to. In the 1920s the Great Depression happened, in the 1930s there was an increase in domestic violence, and in the 1940s World War II came about. In Stephanie Coontz’s article What We Really Miss About the 1950s, she goes into detail how the 1950s were in social values and in the economy. In Gary Soto’s story Looking for Work, as a Mexican-American child he would go out and find work and he wanted his family to be like those he saw in television. People were ecstatic for the 1950s from having the ideal family to having a great economy.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The GI Bill provided unemployment payments, loans for the purchase of homes, farms, as well as businesses, tuition and stipends for higher education (Reagan, “Roosevelt Signs”). After returning from the war, veterans desired an opportunity to achieve the American Dream, many components of which, such as a steady job and ownership of a house, were more attainable to veterans through the assistance of the GI…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Coming home to a big house with a great wife and great children, or coming home to mountains of money, or even coming home to an RV that’s going across the country. This, in its many forms is the American dream. The American dream is the ideal, that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, and determination. This said, The American dream is in the eye of the beholder. One man’s American dream, can be living life on the road, leaving no street untouched.…

    • 1912 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby Dbq

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages

    TITLE The American dream can best be defined as the ability to succeed through determination and sacrifice no matter what background an individual belongs to. During the 1920s, the economy began to prosper and the only essential part of a person’s life was money. Money became such a popular prized possession that Americans believed it would fulfill their definition of pursuit of happiness. People viewed money as a way to solve even the hardest problems in life.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This bill provided range of benefits for military veterans such as low cost mortgages, low interest loans and expenses for education. This resulted in huge numbers of military personal to buy homes, businesses and go to college. The large increase in well-educated people resulted in development of technology and society. They were being prepared for vocations on field and off such as aeromechanics, electrical wiring and construction. The increase in home and business buyers had a huge economic impact because of the increased circulation of money.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Communism In The 1950's

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The 1950s in the United States was a time of change, a time of fear, and a time of a “boom.” The 1950s was a time post World War II, where America’s wealth grew along with the economy. The “boom” was a boom in wealth and anxiety for Americans. The fifties were a time for growing technology including the use of television as a major news outlet, growing family sizes, growth in advancements such as highways, shopping malls, and corporations. The social norm was that the man belonged in the work force and women belonged at home with the family.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prosperity of the 1950 's The 1950 's was a very flourishing decade and the economy was prospering because Americans were spending more on items that were once scarce during the war. The growing rate of the nations supplies and services actually doubled and rose from approximately $300 billion in 1950 to $500 billion in 1960.The increase in spending, fueled by the cold war and military spending during the Korean conflict, was an very important boost to the economy. The fundamentals of the prosperous 1950 's were new cars, suburban lifestyle, advances in technology and medicine, and pop culture. Since Americans were receiving a larger income it lead to more spending on extra items. Americans were buying cars because they were converting to…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American dream states that anyone can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life.(wisegeek.org) This is true for African Americans today, however it has not always been this way. The concept of the American dream has changed throughout history. Blacks have been through a lot during history, from slavery to the civil rights act to having the first African American president.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays