During the 1950’s, Americans altered their societal views and ways of living in order to achieve the “American Dream”. After World War II, U.S. citizens had an abundance of savings due to four years of rationing, so they were eager to spend their money on luxurious items such as new houses and television. Families migrated from the city to suburban neighborhoods to buy newly built houses. Once the war ended, soldiers were able to return home, so they needed new jobs; therefore, women resumed to their traditional roles as housewives to accommodate the lack of jobs and influx of men. In addition, men regained their dominant roles as providers within their families. With these new adjustments, America’s economy improved, the population increased, and infrastructure was expanded.
During the war, American men …show more content…
It was expected of men to be the dominant force within their families as the sole providers; moreover, men had to be masculine and strong in order to be accepted by others. The following quote alludes that homosexual men were not accepted during the 1950’s because they were unmasculine: “national strength depended upon the ability of a strong, manly man to stand up against communists threats.” Therefore, masculinity did not only promote economic prosperity, but it also created fear of practices that threatened masculinity because it was thought to be the key factor in American productivity. The next quote suggests that mothers were encouraged to raise their sons as manly as possible: “Don’t rear him in an exclusively female atmosphere..” Thus, it was imperative that young boys were raised to be manly so that they could follow the precedent set by older men because masculinity was ideal. Unmasculine men were thought to be the cause for communist infiltrations because they were likely to be “soft” and fall for the enemy’s tactics. Overall, hypermasculinity was a common trend during the
During the war, American men …show more content…
It was expected of men to be the dominant force within their families as the sole providers; moreover, men had to be masculine and strong in order to be accepted by others. The following quote alludes that homosexual men were not accepted during the 1950’s because they were unmasculine: “national strength depended upon the ability of a strong, manly man to stand up against communists threats.” Therefore, masculinity did not only promote economic prosperity, but it also created fear of practices that threatened masculinity because it was thought to be the key factor in American productivity. The next quote suggests that mothers were encouraged to raise their sons as manly as possible: “Don’t rear him in an exclusively female atmosphere..” Thus, it was imperative that young boys were raised to be manly so that they could follow the precedent set by older men because masculinity was ideal. Unmasculine men were thought to be the cause for communist infiltrations because they were likely to be “soft” and fall for the enemy’s tactics. Overall, hypermasculinity was a common trend during the