The Good Life In The 1960's

The time between 1929 and the 1960’s were a time Americans took control of what the “good life” would include for them. The variety of people like Mexican Americans and feminists took action in getting equal rights for themselves. This was also a time when economy in America was at its weakest point during the Great Depression. The “good life” idea goes all the way back to the famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence, “The right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This right follows Americans to the modern day along with the American history that helped shape what we know as the good life. The way of life in the 1960’s was dependent on more than just being an American. There was extreme racism and classism in the 1960’s …show more content…
The stock market crash of October 1929 brought the economic success of the 1920s to a significant end. Ironically the early 1920’s were known for economic prosperity that lead to the worst economic downfall America has ever faced. Once again, the prosperity of the time depended on race, gender, and social class. The “good life” seemed to be a fantasy that was finally met until 1928 when it was reported just how impoverished those who were bypassed by the prosperity were. The Digital History Textbook explains “Native Americans in 1928 found that half owned less than $500 and that 71 percent lived on less than $200 a year; Mexican Americans, too, had failed to share in the prosperity. During the 1920s, each year 25,000 Mexicans migrated to the United States. Most lived in poverty.” Race was a major factor in the likelihood of a positive perception of what the “good life” was. Mexican Americans suffered without meat and vegetables in their diets along with not being able to afford milk for their children. Times like this changes the meaning of the “good life” to a great amount of …show more content…
The Civil Rights Movement paved the way for the Women’s Liberation Movement. During the 1950s women were expected to get married, have children and live happily in the suburbs . The ideal that women belong happy in the house stemmed from media promotion through advertisement and television. The fight for equal women rights is a major factor in the good life image. Women were not allowed to get a credit card if they were unmarried, go on birth control, have equal pay, get an Ivy League education, or talk openly about sex. This was a time where women’s rights were brought to the forefront by women like Alice Paul leader of the National Woman’s Party. In America today women’s rights have come so far that there is now a women Hilary Clinton running for President. So looking back in an American women’s perspective the “good life” has elevated as the decades have