Happy+Days?+5.19.10



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. R**ead "The Fifties" in __Creating America__ (28-3, pp. 800-803), read over the ABC-CLIO links posted below, and w****atch the videos below.** 
 * FOR HOMEWORK, CREATE A LIST (IN YOUR ONLINE NOTEBOOK) OF POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES CONCERNING LIFE IN THE FIFTIES FOR CLASS ON THURSDAY. WE WILL USE IT TO WRITE SOME DIALOGUE ...**

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

PROS
 * US economy was very good
 * New inventions like plastics were invented
 * More suburbs meaning more cars and batter highway systems
 * New Jobs and more people to fill them
 * Tons of shops opened and record retail buying began
 * Science was blooming
 * Medicine was improving
 * The space age was beginning
 * More Americans went to College and owned homes

CONS
 * Joseph Maccarthy caused a major scare
 * fingers were being pointed-very scary time
 * There was a major housing shortage
 * Not everyone was experiencing the great times - African Americans
 * Suburbs could only be used by those who could afford a car