Lindquist 1 Abigail Lindquist Dr.

Cretella APUSH 20 April 2013 Compare and contrast US society in the 1920s and 1950s with respect to two of the following: race relations, the role of women and consumerism. The 1920s and 1950s were two radically different periods in American history. Though they both were post war and occurred due a period of economic boom, the societal differences were immense. Though they shared many similarities in the consumerism of each respective time, the role of woman in each era was drastically different. During both periods, the nation was coming out of a World War, in the case of the Twenties it was the Great War, in that of the 1950s, World War II. War had provided an unmatched economic boom in both cases, largely aided by the fact that the continental US had remained almost, if not, entirely unscathed by the bloody European affair. Consumerism in America exponentially expanded during these periods. In the 1920s, the new found use of psychologically backed advertisement helped to create the society of consumerism, focusing on the needs, desires and fears of the consumers instead of the quality of the product. Celebrities used their pull to help sponsors, and many became the faces of them, using a strong connection with the famed person in order to sell more products. Products wouls produce entire radio shows in order to promote their products in this way. This changed, however, in the fifties, when the predominance of television grew. By 1960, nearly 87% of American households owned a television set. Now longer were companies able to bankroll an entire production, instead creating thirty second theatrical commercials which would collectively pay for the show. This advertising

Lindquist 2 had a great impact on the people of the 1950s. for example, the 1955 Walt Disney series Davy Crocket helped to sell huge amounts of Crocket merchandise, including the famous coonskin hat. Women had radically different roles in the 1920s and 1950s. During the 1920s, women had just received the right to vote through the approval of the Nineteenth Amendment, which was ratified in August of 1920. They expressed their individuality as well as new found equal status through the use of alcohol, smoking and heavy makeup. Some cut their hair short, defying social standards of the time. Many of these flappers wore short dresses and garter belts. Not only did they reject the previous ideal of feminine repression through their appearance and behavior, they pushed for equal protection through the Equal Rights Amendment, which stated that men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. In 1928, 39% of the college degrees earned in the US were by women. But, at least the feminists, were also split on whether they should pus for more protective legislature, or strive for absolute equality. However, womens role in the 1950s was one of repression and constriction. The ideal woman was seen as a wife, mother and homemaker, kind and obedient, who were forced to stay hope in order to gain societies approval. In the 1950's, the fact that a woman was even attending a college was abnormal. Most women married right after high school and stepped into their traditional roles right away. The women that chose to attend college were not taught mathematics and science, but home economics and cooking. The 1950s and 1920s were two drastically different periods in the history if the United States. They both portray the growth of consumerism, especially through the ever changing field of advertising. But at the same token, they also show the radical setbacks to feminism gained in the 1920s and through World War II.