Daily Life in 1950s America

Placing the era firmly within the American experience, this reference illuminates what daily life was really like in the 1950s, including for people from the "Other America"-those outside the prosperous, white middle class. 'Daily Life in 1950s America shows that the era was anything but uneventful. Apart from revolutionary changes during the decade itself, it was in the 1950s that the seeds took root for the social turmoil of the 1960s and the technological world of today. The book's interdisciplinary format looks at the domestic, economic, intellectual, material, political, recreational, and religious life of average Americans. Readers can look at sections separately according to their interests or classroom assignment, or can read them as an ongoing narrative. By entering the homes of average Americans, far from the corridors of power, we can make sense of the 1950s and see how the headlines of the era translated into their daily lives. This readable and informative book is ideal for anyone interested in this formative decade in American life. Well-researched factual material is presented in an engaging way, along with lively sidebars to humanize each section. It is unique in blending the history, popular culture, and sociology of American daily life, including those of Americans who were not white, middle class, and prosperous.

Nancy Hendricks, PhD, is an award-winning author whose book Senator Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legacy takes a fresh look at the first woman elected and re-elected to the U.S. Senate.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Timeline of Events
Glossary
1. DOMESTIC LIFE
Children
Teenagers
Women
Men
Marriage
Family
Sexuality
Rites of Passage
Death
Document: Margaret Chase Smith, "Declaration of
Conscience" (1950)
2. ECONOMIC LIFE
Advertising
Consumerism
Crime
Immigration
Labor
Race
Rural Life
Social Class
Suburban Life
Urban Life
Document: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
3. INTELLECTUAL LIFE
Communication
Cultural Critics
Education
Health and Health Care
Literature
Medical Advances
News Media
Popular Culture
Science
Document: John F. Kennedy, Speech at the Rockefeller
Public Service Awards Luncheon (1958)
4. MATERIAL LIFE
Automobiles
Clothing
Food and Drink
Housing
Possessions
Toys
Document: National Interstate and Defense
Highways Act of 1956
5. POLITICAL LIFE
Government and Law
Legislation
Political Communications
Politics
Warfare and Weapons
Document: Richard Nixon, "Checkers" Speech (1952)
6. RECREATIONAL LIFE
Dance
Exercise
Leisure
Movies
Music
Sports
TV
Theater
Travel
Visual Arts
Document: Burstyn v. Wilson (1952)
7. RELIGIOUS LIFE
Ceremonies and Rituals
Denominations
Holy Days
Nontraditional Religious Groups
Religion and Secular Life
Document: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Address to the
World Council of Churches (1954)
Appendix A: Slang of the 1950s
Appendix B: Award Winners, Championships,
and Chart-Toppers of the 1950s
Appendix C: Best-Selling Books of the 1950s
Appendix D: Major Legislation by the
U.S. Congress in the 1950s
Appendix E: Major Decisions by the
U.S. Supreme Court in the 1950s
Bibliography
Index