(Cultural changes) The origins of a teenage culture

Question 1

What happened in the 50s?

Answer 1

A real emergence of teenage culture

Question 2

How did the population of people aged under 24 change?

Answer 2

1950 - 41.6%

1960 = 44.4%

Question 3

How were teenagers seen?

Answer 3

A distinct social group with common interests.

Question 4

How did the economic boom impact teenagers?

Answer 4

Financial power for teenage consumerism and independence from parents

Question 5

What did teenage culture consist of as a result of the economic boom?

(4)

Answer 5

Availability of cars
Fast food diners
Hollywood
Rock n Roll

Question 6

What was the teenage market estimated to be?

Answer 6

$10 billion a year by 1955

Question 7

How were teenagers becoming more sexually active?

Answer 7

Indiana University Institute of Sexual Research claimed 95% of males had been sexually active by 15 with similar findings for girls.

Question 8

What did Frederic Wretham publish in 1954?

What did this claim?
What happened as a result?

Answer 8

Seduction of innocence

Comic books helped to corrupt young people
By 1955, 13 states passed laws regulating comic books to prevent overt references to sex & immoral behaviour.

Question 9

Who published ‘Seduction of Innocence’, claiming comic books helped to corrupt young people?
When?

Answer 9

Frederic Wretham

1954

Question 10

What was the belief surrounding teenager culture on behalf of adults?

Answer 10

It was confrontational and rebellious, unlike their own more sedate teenage years.

Question 11

Moral concern - how did TV and film contribute to a moral concern?

Answer 11

Contributed to teenage stereotypes of aggressive juvenile delinquents who were confrontational towards authority.

Question 12

Moral concern - what did the media claim?

Answer 12

Gangs of youths were roaming inner cities and engaging in random acts of violence, drunkenness and disrespectful behaviour.

Question 13

Moral concern - give evidence to suggest teenagers were becoming more violent.

Answer 13

1956, New York, teenage murders had risen by 26% on the previous year.

Question 14

Moral concern - how were parents blamed?

How was education blamed?

Answer 14

Leaving “latchkey kids” to fend for themselves.

Many teenagers found formal education to be irrelevant to the needs of modern teenagers.

Question 15

Moral concern - what evidence suggests that teenagers were not as violent as thought to be?

Answer 15

LA police showed less than 1 in 10 teenage gangs participated in violent behaviour and less than 1% of teenagers nationally were ever held on criminal charges in 1956.

Question 16

Moral concern - give evidence to suggest traditional values and concepts were still in place.

Answer 16

Early 50s = average age for marriage was 20.3 years

1940 = 21.5

Question 17

Moral concern - what does the decreasing average age for marriage suggest?

Answer 17

Traditional values & concepts were still in place.

Question 18

Rock n roll - what was rock n roll music closely associated with?

Answer 18

Teenage rebellion

Question 19

Rock n roll - who are examples of famous rock n roll artists?

Answer 19

Elvis Presley

Question 20

Rock n roll - what other music was rock n roll closely associated with?

What is significant about this?

Answer 20

African American music

It only took off in popular culture once it had started to be performed by white musicians.

Question 21

Rock n roll - what did many teenagers still prefer to listen to?
Give evidence.

Answer 21

The likes of Pat Boon and Perry Como

One of the biggest hits of 1953 was ‘How Much is That Doggie in the Window?’