Details

Historical Background:

DuBois and Dumenil, Through Women’s Eyes, Chapter 10 Beyond the Feminine Mystique: Women’s Lives, 1945-1965, pages 594-634 (69 pages).

If you know nothing about the Cold War, I recommend reading these introductory overviews, which total 3 pages:

• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3401
• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3403
• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3413

Essay Instructions:

As the text reports, American society was transformed in the period from 1945 through the 1960s. During these years Americans experienced the benefits and costs of suburbanization, the creation of a national highway system, accelerated consumerism, a Cold War and Red Scare, and the resurgence of traditional gender norms. According to the authors of our text, these developments were interconnected – one or more fueling the others.

In this essay you will focus on suburbanization, which was the material expression of post-war Americans’ desires for the resumption of social order and family life. Your task is to draw on the assigned reading to write a two-to-four-paged essay – typed and double-spaced – that answers the following questions:

1. What fueled the growth of suburbs after World War II? Previously, most Americans had lived in cities.

2. What was daily life like in 1950s and 1960s suburbs? Feel free to focus on any aspect of suburbanization, including the physical landscape, social life, gender roles in suburbia, etc.

3. How (if at all) were suburbs a supportive or positive environment for men and women?

4. In what ways (if at all) were the suburbs comfortable traps for men and women?