Lesson 3: Golden Age of the American Economy
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
SWBAT identify the causes and effects of the post WW2 economic boom, analyze the impact of economic prosperity of American culture, and evaluate the overall impact of the 1950s and early 1960s.
How did the post war economic boom of the 1950s impact society, culture, and politics?
Golden Age
Capitalism
Communism
Red Scare
Baby Boom
Anti-Communism
Car Culture
Rock n Roll
Age of Conformity
Suburban America
Space Race
HIST 9–12.7, HIST 9–12.9, HIST 9–12.11, HIST 9–12.12, ECO 9–12.1, ECO 9–12.3, ECO 9–12.5
This lesson helps to provide context that will be necessary for the next lesson and is therefore lower on the DOK. It requires the identification and analysis of economic factors that were displayed in this era.
Students with the most need of support should understand the basic impact of manufacturing and rising standard of living on American culture. More complex understandings would include the ability to recognize those groups excluded from prosperity and reference back to earlier units about how they fought to gain access to that prosperity. Advanced students could see the impact that cultural developments made in prosperity continue to impact American culture (i.e. consumption and luxury as basic components of the American standard of living).