Happy+Days?



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]
 * < Positive ||< Negative ||
 * < * President Eisnower expanded New Deal programs and create the Department of Health, Education and Welfare
 * Americans began to feel more prosperous
 * House industry exploded
 * The baby boom create more suburbs, created more business
 * Economy was booming
 * TV became very popular
 * Rock n' roll became very popular ||< * 1 out of every 5 Americans lived in poverty.
 * Most poverty was in cities.
 * Often those who were most affected by urban decay were African Americans and Latinos
 * Many Mexicans crossed the border illegally.
 * Suburbs had mainly white residents, and cities were mostly characterized as poor.
 * McCarthy choice to blame the U.S.'s problems on communism and communist spies caused the Red Scare.
 * Fear of communism was at an all-time high. Innocent people were blamed and thousands of American people's lives and jobs were ruined. Many have compared it to the Salem witch hunt.