The 1950's Teenager: Delinquent or Misunderstood?

The 1950's Teenager: Delinquent or Misunderstood?

Dick Clark Rock & Roll Icon

The 1950s was a time of cultural upheaval in the United States. Adults and children alike suffered from the thoughts of mass extinction and or some apocalyptic event that would finally annihilate life as it was known. The Cold War and its effects are seen on all levels of society. Of course wars such as the Korean War conflict and rumors of wars would not help the psyche of most Americans of the 1950s. 

The Cold War and the Leaders that shaped the world

In the 1950s  discipline and order was synonymous with productivity; and of course productivity would render the reward of prosperity. The "American Dream," well ingrained into the culture of a post World War II America began to take root in the shifting of most American cities demographics. The prosperity from the war effort gave rise to the growing suburbia in America. Although suburbs had been around for sometime in the 1950s we see a growing trend of development in planned county living. The cities once a "mecca-of-sorts" for business and entertainment was gradually being seen as havens for delinquents. 

Rock & Roll in the streets

One growing concern in cities was the rise in delinquency among teen-agers of the 1950s. The teen age demographic, although not a new phenomenon to American culture, was re-inventing itself, as the 1950s saw rise to a growing  teen-aged population. According to Griffith and Baker, an article in Life Magazine shows this new demographic had huge purchasing power and contributed to  about "$20 million on lip stick, $25 million on deodorants, $ 9 million on home permanents and male teenagers owned more than 2 million electric razors" (Griffith and Baker, pg 88). Additionally, teen-agers shelled out more than $1.5 billion a year for entertainment related expenses (Griffith and Baker, pg 88). With the growing rise of purchasing power it would become very difficult silencing the voices of America's future. 

 1958 Poster of Juvenile Jungle Movie

Teen-agers of the 1950s suffered disenfranchisement in the adult world due in large parts to the culture that implied "children are to be seen, not heard." No television shows and no radio broadcasts to appeal to their life experiences; this new generation of Americans would desire more out of the American experience than just rules and governance, especially if they were footing the bill (Powers).  Many teen-agers simply desired to have a voice in their world, thus, creating divide in the family structure of the 1950s.. It is important to note that there has always been teen related delinquency, however, it was seen as a "family issue" versus a product of "culture" issue. This time in American history birthed one of the greatest challenges in America; no longer would citizens sit idle and not question the government they elected to represent their voice. This fostering of critical Americans would have a cultural imprint over the next several generations. 

Citations:

Griffith, Robert, and Paula Baker. "Life Magazine Identifies the New Teen-age Market." Major 

       Problems in American History since 1945: Documents and Essays. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton

      Mifflin, 2001. 88-90. Print.

Powers, Richard. "1950s Teenagers." 1950s Teenagers. Stanford University, 1 Dec. 2012. Web. 02 

        Feb. 2013.