1950s: The Way We Lived

The 1950s are sometimes thought of as America's bland decade, a decade when family life was stable and America's cities were safe. The economy was booming and most Americans enjoyed increased prosperity. Americans celebrated this prosperity by having babies in record numbers, continuing a surge in the population known as the "baby boom" that started when veterans returned home after World War II (1939–45). Growing numbers of Americans moved their families to new homes in developments, called suburbs, outside of cities. Sales of cars increased dramatically. Travel was made easier by the development of a national highway system that connected all of America's largest cities.

America celebrated its prosperity in a variety of ways. The energy of youth expanded American culture, as shown by the rise of a variety of toys and amusements for young people, including the Slinky, Silly Putty, the Frisbee, and the hula hoop. Attendance at amusements parks soared. A new form of music called rock and roll emerged as an important expression of youth culture.

This serene picture of progress and prosperity was darkened, however, by storm clouds of suspicion and emerging social trauma. The suspicion was largely the result of the ongoing Cold War (1945–91) with the Soviet Union. Americans built bomb shelters behind their suburban homes. Many worried about the influence of communists in their midst. U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy (1909–1957) of Wisconsin chaired the Army-McCarthy hearings to investigate communism in the armed forces. His anticommunism crusade touched all areas of American culture. Even Hollywood was tainted by its experience with a "blacklist" that ruined the careers of many liberal writers and filmmakers.

Many of the social disruptions that changed America in the 1960s began in the 1950s. Women became increasingly unhappy with their status as homemakers. Many sought jobs outside the home. African Americans began to protest the systematic discrimination that they faced. People also began to rebel against the conservative sexual ideas of the time. Playboy magazine and the invention of the birth control pill were symbols of the coming sexual revolution. The 1950s were a time of change.