Changing living standards Flashcards
The life expectancy of the average white American in 1915 and in 1980?
48 and 74.4
The life expectancy of the average non-white American in 1915 and 1980?
33 and 69.5
The average wage of a white American in 1939 and 1979?
$1,234 and $28,894
The average wage of a non-white American in 1939 and 1979?
$537 and $19,417
The number of people who owned their homes in 1920 and 1940?
6.7 million people and 15.2 million
The number of people who rented their homes in 1920 and 1940?
12.9 milllion and 19.6 million
What percentage of homes in 1940 had running water?
69.9%
What percentage of homes in 1940 had a bath or shower?
56.2%
What percentage of homes in 1940 had electric light?
78.7%
What percentage of homes in 1940 cooked on gas and what percentage cooked on electricity?
48.8% and 5.4%
What percentage of homes had central heating in 1940?
42% (11.3% had no heating)
What percentage of people had an electric fridge in 1940?
44.1%
In 1940, what percentage of homes had a radio?
82.8%
By 1929, what percentage of all goods in the USA were sold in retail chains?
21.9%
What percentage of people’s income was spent on food in 1930, 1933 and 1940?
1930= 23.9%, 1933= 25.9%, 1940= 21.1%
When was the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) setup?
1935
In 1939, how many miles of new power lines were put up by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA)?
100,000 miles
What percentage, approximately, of homes had electricity in 1940?
80%
How much did the government spend on healthcare in 1917, 1930 and 1940?
1917= $3.1 million, 1930= $11 million, 1940= $32.7 million
What percentage of people aged 14-17 were attending school in 1917, 1929 and 1940?
1917= 27.1%, 1929= 51.5%, 1940= 73%
What percentage of all children under the age 15 were working in 1920?
8.5%
When was it made illegal for children to work under the age 14?
1938
What was the average monthly earnings of a farmer in 1928 and 1941?
1928= $35.75 and 1941= $26.88 (1/4 of the average wage of a white American)
What percentage of homes had a TV in 1950, 1955 and 1960?
9%, 65% and 85%
How many broadcasting stations were there in 1948 and 1954?
1948=16 and 1954=354
How much did Coca Cola make before tax in 1950 and 1959?
$55.7 million and $79.1 million
How much were teenagers spending a year after a survey conducted in 1959?
$10 billion
What percentage of teenage spending was on transportation by 1959?
38%
In 1959, how many teenagers had cars?
1.5 million
What percentage of teenage spending was on clothing and sports by 1959?
24%
What percentage of teenage spending was on food and drink by 1959?
22% (teenagers ate 20% more than adults)
What percentage of teenage spending was on entertainment by 1959?
16%
How many transistor radios did the USA import in 1959 alone?
6 million
In 1949 and in 1956, what percentage of the USA’s wealth was owned by the top 1%?
1949= 20.8% and 1956=26%
In 1968 and in 1978, what did production workers earn per year?
1968= $6,370 and 1978= $12,962
In 1968 and in 1978, what did chief executives earn per year?
1968= $157,000 and 1978= $373,000
What was the average income of a white family and black family in 1960?
$5,835 and $3,230
In 1966 the US government declared that the poverty line was anyone below the equivalent of $3,000 a year for a family of 4. What percentage of those below the poverty line were white Americans and non-white Americans?
White Americans= 12% and non-white Americans=41%
Nixon setup the Earned Income Tax credit that gave how much to working poor with children per year?
$400
When was Nixon’s Family Assistance Plan?
1970
When was Carter’s National Consumer Cooperative Bank setup and how large was its budget in 1980?
Setup in 1978 and a budget of $180 million in 1980
When was Carter’s Rural Development Loan fund set up?
1981
When was Kennedy’s executive order that called for making food available in areas of chronic unemployment?
January 1961
When was the Housing Act that extended funding for urban renewal, low-income housing and low interest loans for housing?
June 1961
When was the Manpower Development and Training Act passed?
March 1962
As a result of the 1964 Economic Opportunity act, how much was given to fund projects in ‘pockets of poverty’ and how many Community Action Programmes were setup?
$947.7 million in funding and 1,000 projects
The Food Stamp Act was established in which year, and it reached 15 million by which year?
Established in 1964 and reached 15 million people by 1974
When was the Medicare Act passed that guaranteed those on Social Security medical care in old age, and free medical care for those on welfare?
July 1965
When was the Child Nutrition Act that gave packed lunches to schools who lacked the equipment to prepare food?
October 1966
