The American Dream in the 1950s

For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.

1. Baby Boom

After the soldiers returned home from WWII, there was an incredibly large rise in the US birth rate. 40 million children were said to be born during this "baby boom" - the largest generation in American history.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk

Salk developed the vaccine to prevent Polio - a disease that had been wreaking havoc on the nation. Salk's vaccine was incredibly effective; polio is practically nonexistent today.

3. Interstate Highway System

The Interstate Highway System was developed in response to the increase in car production (referred to as Automania). The highways, which stretched all over the country, encouraged much more personal travel, as well as the building of suburbs; however, the popularity of railroads severely decreased as more and more people began to use the highway system.

4. Franchise

Franchises, a form of business expansion in which a business sets up several stores all selling the same product in multiple different locations, represented the growing opportunities for jobs that were arising in the 1950s. There was a great feeling of being able to do anything one wanted to at the time - never-before-heard-of franchises, like fast food restaurants, reflected this feeling.

5. In a paragraph, describe in detail how Americans spent their leisure time in the 1950s

During the 1950s, due to a more relaxed lifestyle view and many time-saving technological advances, leisure time for Americans increased greatly. Americans turned to activities such as fishing, bowling, hunting, or golf; attendance to sports events such as baseball or basketball games went through the roof; many Americans began avidly watching TV; reading saw a huge jump in popularity. Americans would read everything from comic books to self-help books; projects that one could complete on one's own became very popular as well.