History- The American dream

• The American dream


  The ideal that Americans could enjoy a comfortable standard of living and be successful if they worked
• America enjoyed an economic boom

  After World War Two
• The American dream gave Americans hope that they could enjoy a comfortable standard of living and be successful if they worked
• In the post-war period, Americans enjoyed peace, prosperity and new forms of popular culture
• G.I. Bill of Rights


  Helped America to avoid a post-war recession by spending around $13 billion on education, training, housing and business loans for Americans who had served in the military during the war
• Record number of births in the USA, creating the baby boomer generation


  1946
• Suburban homes


  • Included a white picket fence, green lawns and modern household appliances
  • Millions of Americans were able to afford these homes
  • Suburban home ownership became a key feature of the American dream
• The growth of suburbs created a new lifestyle and fuelled consumerism
• The Federal Aid Highway Act in 1956 led to the construction of a national system of highways, which improved the road network and connected the country
• Fair Deal


  Truman's social reform plan that had mixed results
• Truman was able to

  1. Desegregate the military through Executive Order 9981 in 1948

  2. Almost double the minimum wage, from 40 cents to 75 cents per hour

  3. Improve the coverage of social security

  4. Provide funds for slum clearance and the development of low-cost housing

  5. Create a commission to investigate the problems of racial injustice in America
• Truman was unable to introduce a national health insurance scheme as it was rejected by Republicans in Congress and condemned by the American Medical Association as "socialised medicine"
• Truman was unable to get any civil rights laws passed in Congress because the southern Democrats, who held power in the southern states, opposed them