“The way we never were,” tells the story of the “decline of the traditional family” as it has evolved from the 1950’s. The story deals with the many political disbeliefs that happen in our generation such as traditional family values and gender relations; and tells how the 1950s was a time of US global political and economic dominance, independence in the commercialization and industrialization, and how it relates to how the US works today. Coontz shows that the ideals of the common family have been changing due to many factors like demographics, political changes, and the economy. Coontz analyzed that the 1950s as a time of social and economic upswing as "The apparently stable families of the 1950s were the result of an economic boom--the gross national product grew by nearly 250% and…
1. The 1950’s were different from the 1920’s in terms of women in society and in the workplace, also while race relations weren’t great in either decade there were significant steps of improvement in the 50’s. The 50’s and the 20’s were similar in terms consumerism. During World War 2 in the 1950’s there was a shortage of men in the workplace because most of them had left America to go fight the Germans. To make up for the work shortage many employers had to employ women. As a result women were working more and becoming more independent because they were making money and spending less time as homemakers. In contrast the women in the 1920’s were mostly all homemakers who looked after kids and obeyed their husbands, they were not independent and relied on their husbands for support. The race relations in both decades were not great but in the 1950’s there were significant steps made to improve these relations. Most famously Brown V. Board of Education that desegregated public schools and also overturned the infamous Plessy V. Ferguson. Also the refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger of Rosa Parks lead to the start of the equality movement spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. Relations also made a step when the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed, and even though it didn’t make any radical changes, it was a step in a positive direction. In terms of domestic consumerism the 1920’s were famous for the boom in spending, fueled mostly by the creation of credit buying. The American consumer in the 1950’s was very similar to the 1920’s consumer; there was an economic boom again and it seemed that everyone had to have the next big thing like cars and television sets.…
During the 1950’s women were very different from how they were in the 1920’s. Women were viewed as repressive and constrictive. Society placed a very high importance and many expectations on how women behaved at home as well as in public. The perfect mother was supposed to stay home and take care of her children so that society would accept them. Also the perfect women had dinner ready for her husband when he got home from work, and was at her husband’s every beck and call. She agreed with her husband on everything. Women were not allowed to voice any opinion or want schooling or anything like that.…
Stephanie Coontz is a professor of Family History at the Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. She is a nationally recognized expert on the family and an award winning writer. In her 1997 book “The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America’s Changing Families”, Stephanie Coontz wrote an essay entitled “What We Really Miss about the 1950s”. In Stephanie Coontz’s “What We Really Miss about the 1950s”, she argues that we as a country collectively remember the 1950s with a nostalgic tone, but we are not remembering this era in its entirety, nor are we completely accurate. She explains that the family and economic life that we remember and long for does not represent the whole truth of that era by any means.…
The 1950’s was a decade of progress. Cars were improving in efficiency. Everyone also had a pretty good idea of “the perfect all American family”. This family consists of a working dad who brings home the money; a stay at home mom who cooked, cleaned, took care of the children, and took care of the bills; and 2-3 children. This also created a stereotype for American families. The 1950’s was a pretty happy-go-lucky decade, and inventions such as the Mr. potato head, and the Hula-hoop showed it. 1950’s theater, film and television programs were greatly affected by the carefree activities that were happening during the 50’s.…
The 1950's are often compared to the roaring twenties. It was a time of revolution for America's society. It was not a misconception that could be seen as the highpoint in America's society and culture. It was not a misconception. During World War Two, many businesses produced weapons for the war.…
WW2 was finally over and the horrors of the Great Depression were gone. People started spending again and started to relax! Men were coming home to their wives and starting new families and it was finally a happy period in the United States. Consumer goods were being produced and we felt like that we finally had power again. However, not all of society was feeling happy as to what was shown on television. American society in the 50s was very gilded because of the consumer goods being produced, lot’s of dating and babies, but also the depression women had faced in this era.…
The 1950s was a return of a conservative government after it saw off Truman and FDR. Not only that, but the 1950s saw a change in other areas as well. Because of America’s new view, and the public’s new way of life, there came about an age of political, social, and cultural conformity.…
How well do you know the 1950s? The 1950s was the beginning of major things changing, from the way war is fought to the integration of sports and life itself. Even though war and segregation has been around for a huge part of history things were changing soon.…
The 1950’s was a time of change, wars were happening around the world. Not only were wars happening in the 1950’s vaccines were being made to help those who were sick or injured. The vaccine for Polio was invented in 1952 by Alexander Fleming then it was adjusted. Vaccines weren’t the only thing being invented in the 1950’s, a credit card was made on October 31, 1950 the credit card went worldwide trending. The 1950’s was a time were it was turning from having dull items to newer more advanced items.…
The 1960’s were a time of peace, love, music, freedom, oppression, challenges and major changes throughout our country and the world. It is amazing the things that we have learned and the places that are minds were able to go. I have learned that when great minds work together, amazing things can happen. The birth control pill led to freedom for women who wanted to live their lives; Woodstock taught me that people can come together peacefully and celebrate their love of music; the first walk on the Moon showed the world that amazing things can happen if there is a drive to make it happen; President Kennedy showed the world that great people who strive for great things can make a difference in a short period of time; and Martin Luther King Jr. taught the world that people can get their point across peacefully and can see great lasting…
Secondly, life has improved for women today because now women are taken more seriously in the business world. In the 1950's, the fact that a woman was even attending college was uncanny and paranormal, and the few brave women that chose to learn further were not taught mathematics and science (fields they were later going to succeed in) but home economics and cooking. Additionally, during the 1950’s, because housekeeping and raising a family were considered ideal female roles, only two out of five…
Technology was evolving in the 1950s and it was very exciting for the people who were there to enjoy it. People were closer to each other and crime was very uncommon. Religion was a big way of life. All in all, Wait Till Next Year holds a lot of information on life in the…
The 1950s are known for the baby boomers and a nationwide shift to the suburbs. Life was placid and relaxed for the majority of families. Most people knew their places and fit into them neatly. Men were often the sole earners for their families, while women stayed home and cared for the children (History.com Staff 2010).…
In this essay I will examine the reasons for the changes in the birth rate and family size since 1900.…