urbanisation and affluence

Question 1

what is one of the reasons for growth in car ownership?

Answer 1

• originally cars weren’t cheap - however through out the post war period people had more disposable income due to the economic boom.
• as well as more job security

Question 2

how many cars had been manufactured by 1955?

Answer 2

7.9 million

Question 3

who were the big three car manufactures?

Answer 3

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

Question 4

what did Eisenhower initiate that allowed the extended the growth of car ownership?and when

Answer 4

1956 he initiated the great highway construction programme - through the federal highway construction act

Question 5

how did cars reflect social and ethnic status?

Answer 5

wealthy white males = favoured Lincolns and Cadillacs 
middle/working class = favoured Chevolts and Fords 
poor Hispanics = second hand Chevy's 
black middle class 60's = Cadillacs became an important symbol of status for blacks.

Question 6

what did a survey find about young people and cars?

Answer 6

1953 - kinsey sex survey found that young people had almost as much sex in their cars as they did at home - big part of dating and freedom.

Question 7

how did car’s shape “on the road” culture?

Answer 7

• drive in’s (service industry developed massively)

- roadside hotels and restaurants created thousands of jobs

Question 8

how did cars allow people to relocate and where to?

Answer 8

car ownership increased suburbinisation - as it meant people could live there and commute to work without living in the city.

Question 9

when did suburbinisation increase?

Answer 9

accelerated massively in mid-40’s

- although they were nothing new, 17% of people lived in suburbs in 1920.

Question 10

how many people lived in the suburbs by 1960? and who teneded to live there?

Answer 10

33% of Americans 
- middle class white American's in Ranch houses with double garages, two bathrooms and three bedrooms.

Question 11

what was the reason for the increase in suburban living?

Answer 11

• there was little house building during the war
• veteran administration allowed veterans to buy houses with little to 0 down payment
• part of the American dream to raise a family outside the city
• cars made it possible.

Question 12

what were Levitt towns?

Answer 12

1947 the Levitt brothers constructed homes outside of the city, mainly in mind for young veterans.

Question 13

were Levitt towns popular?

Answer 13

yes, there was ques of people waiting for them to come on sale and prices were only $8,000 which is relatively cheap.

Question 14

how did Levitt towns increase racial discrimination?

Answer 14

they were racially exclusive;

• trying to purchase a house as a black family was virtually impossible
• if you did get a house then rocks were throne at black homes.

Question 15

what contributed to major changes in the US cities?

Answer 15

• white flight ( to suburbs )

- the great migrations - from the south to the north

Question 16

how did whites contribute to the growth of black ghetto’s?

Answer 16

• use of restrictive convents: a legal document which banned “undesirables” from living in certain buildings or area’s.
• housing agencies made it really difficult for black to buy a house
• housing riots 1951 : in Chicago, working class whites used looting and burning to drive out one black family in a neighbourhood.

Question 17

how did the FHA and gov contribute to residential segregation?

Answer 17

in the late 1940’s the FHA distributed millions of dollars towards low costing mortgages, however this excluded any “unharminous racial or nationality groups” due to them causing a hostile reaction.

• constructions of highways allowing “white flight”
• they construction of public housing units was passed - this was meant to provide better housing - however the ghetto’s were destroyed and the new houses were too expensive leaving people homeless. 1949

Question 18

how much did purchasing power increase between 1950 - 1960 for the consumers?

Answer 18

peoples disposable income gave them 30% more purchasing power in 1960 in comparison to 1950.

Question 19

why were some people against the idea of consumerism?

Answer 19

intellectuals such as David Riesman feared that consumerism would undermine traditional american values - “ rugged individualism. “

Question 20

the Teenage consumer?`

Answer 20

1959 - life magazine recorded that teenagers had become a vital factor in contributing towards american society - for example owning 10 million record players.

Question 21

what were Eisenhower’s reasons for the great highway construction programme?

Answer 21

• after the second world war he described US road to be “in shocking condition” compared to Germany.
• car ownership rocketed from 39.3 million in 1950 to 73.8 million in 1960 (therefore an interstate system was necessary to handle increased traffic.)

Question 22

what did most American’s agree with Eisenhower about regarding cars?

Answer 22

more cars meant “greater convenience…greater happiness and greater standard of living.”

Question 23

how many miles of interstate highways did congress authorise? and what did this do?

Answer 23

• 41,000 miles

- opened up the continent to travel and changed American society and culture.

Question 24

what did cars allow kids to do?

Answer 24

• gain independence and escape from parental control
• crucial part of dating.
• expressed their individuality by customising their cars

Question 25

how did cars help both free women?

Answer 25

• they could visit shopping malls

Question 26

how did cars encourage sexist sterotypes?

Answer 26

• 1955 dodge Le Femme came with a matching lipstick and handbag

Question 27

how did cars in some cases become a cause for conflict and male dominance?

Answer 27

• family cars = men attempted to dominate by monopolising the front seat.

Question 28

when was the first holiday inn?

Answer 28

1952

Question 29

how many MacDonalds were there in 1960?

Answer 29

228`

Question 30

how many service workers were there in 1960?

Answer 30

7.6 million

Question 31

how had the number of white collar workers grown?

Answer 31

21.2 million in 1950 to 27.2 million by 60’s.

Question 32

how did the growth in the service industry help America’s economy?

Answer 32

• made them less dependent of heavy industry and manual labour