History USA

Cars

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Government policies, white flight, black American migration northwards had big impact.
Detroit and Chicago, ghettos.
White people used restrictive covenant to exlude blacks, even though unforceable (1948).
Lending places, devlopers and citiy offcials made it difficult for blacks to by good homes, high rents for poor housing.
'Housing riots', 1951, staged by whites in Chicago, looting and burning.
North, Midwest, West, whites fled to suburbs, unwilling to pay increased taxes there.
Policies of federal government promoted residential segregation.

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Policies led to a change in racial composition of cities.
Risks- 'unharmonious racial or nationality groups'.
Constructed highways enable commuting.
Federal policies responsible for urban decline by allowing the affluent to move to suburbs.
'Urban renewal equals black removal'.
Government failed to alleviate black housing units, only 325,203 units built.

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Land of plenty in 1955-1963. Economic prosperity generatedsocial and cultural change through consumer society.
1960, average family 30% more purchasing power than 1950.
Suburbans bought cars, labour-saving devices, anything 'fashionable'.
Washing machines, freezers, dishwashers.
'American Dream'.
Mass media spred 'American Dream' message.
Some hated the impact of consumer culture.
David Riesman- feared consumerism and runaway materialism were becoming central to nations identity and undermining 'traditional American values' such as hard work and money management.

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1959, Life magazine recorded that teenage consumers has suddenly become 'a major factor in the nation's economy'.
10 mill record players, 1 mill tv sets, 13 mill cameras, $20mill lipsticks, $25mill dodrants, $9mill perms, $1.5mill entertainment in 1958.
Growing number of teenage marriages.

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Liberal view- Eisenhower's popularity and general lack of passion left population self-satisfied.
'Slurbs' and 'disturbia'.
Everyone is the same.
'The Organization Man', 1956.
1947-1957, salaried MC woorkers up 61%. Due to large corporations needing specialised personnel.
Employed 1000s of white collar workers.
Scientists, marketing analysis, management science.

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End of WW2 meant taxes could be lowered.
Americans spent heavily on homes, cars and appliances.
Munition factories were used as manufactories for domestic goods and household accessories.
Rural inhabitants, mainly black agricultural workers, moved into the cities for better paid work.
White MC moved to the suburbs.
Availability of cars allowed people in suburbs to commute.
Levittowns, white MC buyers.
Baby boom, people in suburbs had more room and money for kids.
Tech development sped up production and quality of cars. Mass produced at an affordable price.
Saw cars and driving as a pastime. Impacted on American culture. Drive-through's, drive-ins and motels.
Breadwinner had to own car to work. Governments made roads to link suburbs to jobs in city.
Decline in railway.
White collar held clerical jobs with businesses.
Blue collar were industrial labourers, labour-intensive, factories

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