The Republican president, Eisenhower, disliked excessive federal government intervention in the lives of Americans, yet he initiated a great highway construction programme, for the following reasons:
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'shocking condition'
Upon returning to the US after WW2, Eisenhower described American roads as in 'shocking condition' compared to German autobahns.
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unprecedented prosperity
Car ownership rocketed from 39.3 million in 1950 to 73.8 million in 1960. Eisenhower told Congress an interstate highway system was vital to handle increased traffic.
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'Greater convenience... greater happiness, and greater standards of living'
Most Americans agreed with Eisenhower when he said that America needed an interstate highway.
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interstate highway system
Persuaded by Eisenhower's arguments, Congress authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of highway that opened up the continent to travel and changed American society and culture.
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growing car ownership
Greatly changed the American lifestyle. Spacious new cars with automatic transmission, equipped with power steering, radios and heaters demonstrated ones status, and promised mobility and freedom.
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Social and Ethnic Status
Wealthy white men: Lincolns and Cadillacs. Middle and working class: Fords and Chevrolets. Poorer Hispanic: cheap, second hand Chevys Black Middle Class: Cadillacs were a desirable status symbol in the 1960s.
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Simoniz car wax
Cleaning and polishing the family car became and important ritual in the suburbs, reflecting the increasing levels of disposable income and leisure time that middle-class families enjoyed in the 1950s.
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Young People
Automobiles reflected and encouraged the desire of young people to gain independence and to escape from Parental control.
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Kinsey Sex Survey 1953
Cars became an important part of dating, young people had almost as much sex in their cars as they did in their homes.
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'Grease machines' 'hot rods'
Young men expressed their individuality by customizing their cars in order to emphasise speed and style. They turned respectable, safe family cars into chrome-covered, souped-up 'Grease machines'.
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Women
Cars helped to free women, such as when they used their cars to visit the mall. However, automobiles designed for women reflected traditional values. Women could buy clothes in the same fabric that upholstered the Ford Victoria.
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Source of conflict
The family car could sometimes become a source of conflict, as men attempted to assert dominance by monopolizing the driving seat.
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On-the-road culture
Americans became exceptionally mobile and the new culture required cheap accommodation and fast food. In 1952, the first Holiday Inn opened near Memphis. By 1960 there were 228 McDonalds. Such roadside services created tens of thousands of jobs and
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service industries
Industries such as restuarants, motels, petrol stations, hotels. By 1960, there were 7.6 million service workers.
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White-collar worker
Those who work in offices. By 1950, there were 27.2 million white-collar workers.
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Blue-collar workers
Persons employed in manual labour. New technology left the US economy lest dependent on heavy manual labour in mines and factories in the 1950s. By 1960, the size of the blue-collar workforce was 36%.
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old industrial heartlands
The service workers outnumbered the manual labourers, leading to economically depressed areas in the old industrial heartlands of the Midwest and the Northeast.
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Suburbanisation
Automobiles enabled people to move from the cities into spacious homes in the suburbs that were within an easy drive of work. Left with those who could not afford to move out, cities lost their tax base and deteriorated.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Upon returning to the US after WW2, Eisenhower described American roads as in 'shocking condition' compared to German autobahns.
Back
'shocking condition'
Card 3
Front
Car ownership rocketed from 39.3 million in 1950 to 73.8 million in 1960. Eisenhower told Congress an interstate highway system was vital to handle increased traffic.
Back
Card 4
Front
Most Americans agreed with Eisenhower when he said that America needed an interstate highway.
Back
Card 5
Front
Persuaded by Eisenhower's arguments, Congress authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of highway that opened up the continent to travel and changed American society and culture.
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