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Bulletin on Suburban Development
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Educational Resources for Post World War II Suburban History and Historic Preservation American History Online: Post War Social Change Suburbia: Levittown Questions to Consider: 1. How uniform were the suburbs? What did the built environment look like? 2. Has the built environment become more varied, in what ways? What do those changes suggest about changes in American culture? 3. Part of the appeal of the suburbs in the 1950's was still the country or arcardian feel. Why did people feel that way? What about the design sought to achieve that feel? Is that factor still important today? If so, how do developers seek to convey it? The History Channel The Fifties: The Fear and the Dream, Part I Discussion Questions The suburb as we know it today was born in the 1950s, with the creation of William Levitt's Levittown. How did demographics and the baby boom contribute to the creation of the modern suburb? William Levitt did for housing what Henry Ford did for automobile manufacturing. What did Levitt do? How did Levitt revolutionize the building industry as Ford had done four decades earlier for the automobile industry? Levittown was for white families only. African Americans were not permitted to buy these houses and live in these new suburbs. How was this possible? Why did a new neighborhood refuse African Americans? What does this say about attitudes in the 1950s? How would instances such as this lead to the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s? Extended Activities Design an advertisement for William Levitt's Levittown. What would you emphasize about these new homes to make them attractive to young families? Site Map Contact the webmaster at histpreservation@yahoo.com Website founded March 2001. Last updated April 26, 2004 |