History 261 Section 11B: Documents on Middle-Class Society

 

The assignment for Section 11B included Chapter 11 in The Story of American Freedom and the primary documents linked below. Think about the relationship between the Cold War culture described in the Whitfield book and the idea of consumer "freedom of choice" explored by Eric Foner in his section on the "selling of free enterprise." Think about the redefinition of the "American Dream" during the postwar economic boom, especially in light of the analysis of individual vs. collective values in the McElvaine book on the Great Depression. And as always, be ready to discuss the categories of race, gender, and class in the celebrations and critiques of middle-class suburban values in postwar America.

 

**Building the Suburban Dream: Levittown (Pa.) Exhibit [Click through this online exhibit and analyze the images of advertisements and photographs for this planned suburban community. There are five pages in the "Planning, Building, and Selling Levittown" section, and six pages in the "Suburban Way" section, and one page in the "Levittown Kitchen" section.]

 

**William Whyte, "The Organization Man" (1956)

 

**Vance Packard, "A Classless Society?" (1959) [Chapter 1 of The Status Seekers]

 

**Betty Friedan, "The Problem that Has No Name" (1963) [Chapter 1 of The Feminine Mystique]