1950s+Teenagers+VAAY

=How the 1950's Youth Emerged During the 1950's:=

1. During the 1950's, a new style of music was created; this was rock and roll. Rock and roll was introduced by a Cleveland disc jockey named Alan Freed, but was made famous by Elvis Presley. Rock and roll was a blend of rhythm and blues with the "electric beats of urban street corners." Teenagers started to fall in love with this new genre of music because teenagers could relate to the lyrics of these songs. This is because they were typically about high school sweethearts, parties, and fast cars. They were also sung by other teens. Unfortunately, parents despised this "Devil's music." They believed it was distasteful and socially destructive. However, teenagers would still listen to rock and roll behind their parents' backs. This showed that teenagers became more rebellious during this time period.

2. Male and female teenagers would not follow their parents' and school's expections for dressing. This was so severe that schools began issuing a dress code for all students; therefore, fashion was very limited at the time. The dress code included wearing formal clothing such as dress shirts for boys and blouses for girls. To prevent rebellious acts, schools even became more strict with their rules. For example, if you were a boy and your hair touched your ears, you would be punished by expulsion from school.

3. Many teenagers were very rebellious during this decade. The older generations were the most worried about this. Using slang, chewing gum in class, and talking back to parents were considered to be acts of "juvenile delinquency."

4. Teenagers did not have it easy when they were growing up; parents expected a lot from them. Boys were expected to enlist in the army or get a job to support their family. Girls were taught how to maintain the house and take care of children. They also had very little economic freedom and independence. Fortunately, families gained more money, independence, and freedom during the 1950's. Teenagers had more money to spend and more freedom, so they were able to hang out with their friends, buy expensive clothing, and buy whatever else they wanted.

5. This decade introduced the revolutionized way of dating. In the past, it would be very straightforward: the man would show their card to a woman, and the woman had a choice to either accept or refuse their card. Then, they would think that they would be together forever. During the 1950's, both the boys and the girls had a better way of deciding. Also, all relationships were not long-term; they decided it was a better idea "going steady". This meant that they could have a short-time commitment, and work from there. Some teenagers also had sex before they got married. This was looked down upon by parents and communities. Many females also started interacially dating.

=Primary Sources:= During the 1950's, girls would wear dog collars around their ankles. This was a popular fashion trend during this decade. Wearing dog collars on ankles would be the equivalent of girls wearing rings on their fingers today. If the collar was worn around the left ankle, that meant that the wearer had a boyfriend. If a girl wore the collar on the right ankle, that meant she was single.

[] If the link does not work, go to Facts on File American History Online in the school library catalog. Then, type in the search bar "teenagers" and click on Images and Videos. The primary source is the third video in the first row titled "Teenagers Share a Milkshake."

Even though heavy punishment was a possibility if parents found out their teenagers were dating, teeangers did it anyway. In this video, there is a boyfriend and girlfriend sitting together, sharing a milkshake. Teenagers were not expected to be dating anyone. They would usually stick with one girl, marry her, and be with her the rest of their lives. However, during this time period, teenagers were able to experiment with different girls and had a choice of which girl they want to be with. This shows that teenagers had more freedom during this time period.

===The decade of the 1950's marked the beginning of the "teenager age." Many teenagers experienced the loss of innocence and emergence of identity in the 1950's. Teenagers would often ignore their parent's rules and talk back to them. They would listen to rock and roll music behind their parent's backs. They would even go dating at the movies and malt shops. Before this era, they were well-behaved and did not have their own identity. That all changed once the decade of the 1950's started. If it weren't for the teenagers of the 1950's, we today would not have things such as rock and roll and dating. Parents at the time believed that these activites were bad. However, it revolutionized many important things we know and love today.===

=Works Cited:= Bailey, Beth. "America in the 1950s."//Teenage dating in the 1950s//. HONR 269J, 2000. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <[]>.

Board of Education, Buffalo, New York. "Dress Code for High School Students in New York." //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. 14 Nov. 2011. <[ItemID=WE52&iPin=E14091&SingleRecord=True]>.

Cox, Erika. "Teenage Life in the 1950's." //Rewind the Fifties//. Rewind the Fifties, 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <[]>.

"Fashion Trend for Teenage Girls in the 1950s." Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. 13 Nov. 2011. .

Goldberg, David E. "teenagers, post–World War II." In Winkler, Allan M., Charlene Mires, and Gary B. Nash, eds. //Encyclopedia of American History: Postwar United States, 1946 to 1968//, Revised Edition (Volume IX). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. 9 Nov. 2011. .

"Teenagers Share a Milkshake." The WPA Film Library. WMV video file. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. 15 Nov. 2011. .