The American Dream in the 1950s

Read Chapter 27, section 2. (pages 847-855)
For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.

1. Baby Boom: The largest generation in the nation's history. In 1957, an American baby was born every seven seconds. Contributing to the size of the baby-boom generation were many factors, including: reunion of husbands and wives after the war, decreasing marriage age, desirability of large families, confidence in continued economic prosperity, and advances in medicine.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk: Developed a vaccine for the crippling disease poliomyelitis-polio.

3. Interstate Highway System: The Interstate Highway Act authorized the building of a nationwide highway network-41,000 miles of expressways. Encouraged the development of new suburbs farther from the cities and also made high-speed, long-haul trucking possible, which contributed to a decline in the use of railroads.

4. Franchise: A strategy for business expansion where a company offers similar products or services in many locations.

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

In the 1950s, Americans started doing more activities and spending more money on things. People would go out more and participate in or attend sports. For example, they would participate in activities such as, fishing, bowling, hunting, and more and they would attend some games of basketball, baseball, and football. Americans in the 1950s would spend their money on labor-saving devices, like, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and power lawn mowers.