The Suburban Boom and Materialism

A car, a dog, 2 kids, a house, and long-lasting peace were all things that anyone would dream of in the 1950s. But doesn't this sound all too familiar? The truth is, even in 2016, people are still pursuing the same things. Instead of a Cadillac, people now save up for a Tesla, and, well, the kids and dogs factor remains pretty much the same.

Returning home

After the Korean War and World War II, veterans were ready to return to peace. The GI Bill was passed to help veterans integrate themselves back into society. Not only did this apply to veterans, people at home who had suffered through the depression and war were ready to settle down. For many, settling down meant creating a family or reuniting with family. With these desires to settle down and create a family came the Baby Boom. The boom began in 1946, when 3.4 million babies were born and 4 million babies every year that followed in the 1950s. In total, there were about 77 million "baby boomers" by the end of the boom in 1964. 

Automobiles

Automobiles symbolized a new freedom, people not only could travel far from their home, they ventured out of the city and began planting their suburban life. For example, in 1948, Park Forest of Illinois was one of the largest suburbs, located 30 miles from downtown Chicago where jobs were abundant. For fathers, they were able to drive to work in the city and return home to a peaceful and quiet community. For women, the automobile gave them freedom to travel rather than stay at home during the day. 

Keeping Up With the Joneses

This idea of keeping up with the newest and finest products largely stemmed from the demand for suburban conformity. William Levitt built suburbs that were totally identical, from the number of bathrooms to 27 steps to building a house, everything was the same. Within a year, Levitt built 36 houses per day, all of which were completely identical, and therefore affordable. However, this conformity was also reflected on material goods such as televisions, cars, and furniture. For many families, seeing their neighbors hoard in new products meant having to upgrade themselves as well. This competitive nature can even be seen today where people become constantly obsessed with having to buy the newest model of the iPhone the second it comes out. 

Almost 70 years later, people are still pursuing the same things: a house, a family, some peace, a decent car, and the newest technology. To an extent, the pursuit of materialistic goods can be depressing and make people question the future of humanity. But is materialism all bad if what people are truly searching for is the idea behind it? The idea behind the automobile being freedom, the idea behind a house being peace, and perhaps the idea behind a dog...friendship? 

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/1950s

http://ushistory1950.weebly.com/the-growth-of-suburbs.html

http://www.ushistory.org/us/53b.asp

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Environment/E_Casestudy/E_casestudy12.htm

http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/exhibition_15_2.html