Something I'd call the The Monsters are on Maple Street dynamic. War veterans had built family lives in the new tree-lined and seemingly safe, conformist, voluntaristic suburbs. But they were threatened, at least psychologically, by Communism and the Threat of Nuclear War and the Space Race. read more
Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower's campaign slogan "I Like Ike" epitomized the swell spirit that defined American culture in the 1950s. A booming economy helped shape the blissful retrospective view of the 1950s. read more
American Bandstand was a popular TV show with teens as it focused on hit music and starred teenaged dancers. It was hosted by "America's Eternal Teenager" Dick Clark. As rock n' roll performers were featured on TV, the new genre became more acceptable to a national audience and less scandalous. read more