The Sociological Impact of the Baby Boom

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The Sociological Impact of the Baby Boom
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Suburbia
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This is a picture of the potato fields in Long
Island, NY that would become the prototypical
American subdivision called Levittown. This was
one of the first examples of suburban housing
built as a result of the Baby Boom in post-war
America.
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This is the after view of Levittown after the
subdivision was completed.
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In addition to houses, Levittown's master plan
called for swimming pools, baseball fields,
churches, schools, and shopping centers. Levitt
believed new homeowners preferred a full-service
community with "built-in" featuresjust like its
houses.                                          
                    Elementary schools
were to be nestled inside each master block so
that, in Levitt's words, "no child will have to
walk more than one half mile to school or cross
any major road."
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The subdivision contained five separate public
swimming pools and a number of little league
baseball diamonds. Perhaps most influential to
the social fabric of post-war America though was
Levitts idea for a centralized shopping centre
inside the suburban boundary of the community.
This idea created the first model for what is now
known as the shopping mall. Ease of access to
these shopping centres fuelled American
consumerism. But at the same time, the shopping
mall led to the extinction of downtown.
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An aerial view of Levitts shopping centre-the
largest single shopping centre East of the
Mississippi in its time.
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Some examples of the homes that were mass
produced in Levittown
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Interior view of the new suburban household.
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The typical kitchen in a suburban home. Notice
the electric appliances and who is featured in
the picture. Exploring a typical Levittown
kitchen. The backyard view emphasized outdoor
living as well. Notice the covered porch and
patio furniture.
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"We are not builders. We are manufacturers."
Bill Levitt On the assembly line made famous
by Henry Ford, products moved down a conveyor
belt to stationary workers. Levitt inverted
Ford's system by having the workers move "down
the line" to a stationary productthe individual
house site. Work crews performed the same
specialized task at each house site. Some laid
slabs, some framed. One man's job consisted of
bolting washing machines into the floor.
Whatever its drawbacks, Levitt's system was
enormously productive. His Levittowns were the
fastest built developments in the history of
American residential construction. Levittown
Timeline July 1951 -- Land purchase completed
December 1951 -- Sample houses open for
inspection March 1952 -- Construction begins
June 1952 -- First residents take possession
December 1952 -- First section completed
December 1957 -- Slab laid for last Levittown
house--17,311
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During the 1950s, Levittown embodied the suburban
lifestyle, with its emphasis on youth, leisure,
consumer goods, and "easy living."
"We busted at the seams with kids." Levittown
school official "Levittown will have more
recreation areas per square inch than any other
community." William J. Levitt
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Backyard Life With dozens of children on every
block, friendships formed quickly. These photos
were taken in the Indian Creek and Crabtree
Hollow sections in 1956 and 1957.
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Early TV documentary on Levittown, NY
Leave it to Beaver Video Clip
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The 1950s Sock Hop. Students would gather to
dance to Rock n Roll music usually in the school
cafeteria. Jerry Lee Lewis performs on American
Bandstand, 1957
Typical fashion in the 1950s
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1960s Countercultural Development
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This movement was a reaction against the
conservative social mores of the 1950s, the
political conservativism (and perceived social
repression) of the Cold War period, and the US
government's extensive military intervention in
Vietnam. Opposition to the war was exacerbated in
the US by the compulsory military draft. The
1960s youth rebellion largely originated on
college campuses, emerging directly out of the
American Civil Rights Movement. As the sixties
progressed, the Vietnam war became an
increasingly high-profile object of criticism,
and the sense of the younger generation as a
class who wished to create a different society
gained momentum. As criticism of the
established social order became more widespread
among the newly emergent youth class, new
theories about culture and personal identity
began to spread, and old, non-western
ideas--particularly with regard to religion,
social organization and spirtual
enlightenment--were also embraced. New cultural
forms that were perceived as opposed to the old
emerged, including the pop music of the Beatles,
which rapidly evolved to shape and reflect the
youth culture's emphasis on change and
experimentation. Underground newspapers sprang up
in most cities and college towns, serving to
define and communicate the range of phenomena
that defined the counterculture radical
political opposition to "the establishment,"
colorful experimental (and often explicity
drug-influenced) approaches to art, music and
cinema, and uninhibited indulgence in sex and
drugs as a symbol of freedom. The most visible
radical element of this counterculture were the
hippies, some of whom formed communes to live as
far outside of the established system as
possible. This aspect of the movement rejected
active political engagement with the mainstream
and, following the dictate of Timothy Leary to
"tune in, turn on and drop out", attempted to
change society by dropping out of it.
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Hippies
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The Civil Rights Movement
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The Vietnam War
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Kent State Massacre
Neil Young Ohio
Kent State Shooting
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Womens Rights Movement
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JFKs Assassination
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Woodstock, 1969
Country Joe Vietnam Song