Leave it to Beaver

             For my topic I chose the history of the American Family as it is portrayed in T.V. shows from the 1950’s until today. Many things have changed about families in T.V. shows. The question that still remains is did the T.V. shows influence America or did America influence the T.V. shows?

Scandal

           The first show that came to mind when I thought of the 1950’s was “Leave it to Beaver”. This was a very popular show and explains perfectly what the American Family was supposed to look like. The average family consisted of a father with a job, a mother that stayed at home, and their kids. This image of a family made up, according to Steven Mintz who wrote “The Modern Family”, 70 percent of American households. American families in the 1950’s never got divorced and never had a single mom running the house. Lately that has changed dramatically. According to Steven Mintz, there is a growing amount of divorces because it had been accepted today where back in the 1950’s it was not accepted. There has also been a major increase in household that are run by a single mother. Steven Mintz said that the numbers of single-mom households tripled since the 1960’s, which doesn’t even include the 1950’s. In the 1950’s a single mom running a household would have never been seen, but a lot has changed since then.

               

Bates Motel

Today, a very popular T.V. show would be Scandal. Scandal is a perfect example of how American families have changed in shows. In Scandal there is an interracial couple and a gay couple. Both of the scenarios would have been a disgrace to T.V. during the 1950’s. Many of the things that you would see in T.V. today would have never been accepted back then because in the 1950’s people were all about their image and what other people thought of them. Today, people do not care about what people think. People today are all about doing what they want to do. Another show that shows this is Modern Family. In the show Modern Family, there is a gay couple with a child. Another show that has a single mom running he house is Bates Motel.  People who watch this show do not even think of this as something that is out of the norm.

                On top of everything changing, I think, along with Ella Taylor, the author of a article from the University of Washington, that T.V. was in charge of changing the worlds view. The producers of the shows were taking a leap by putting all of the gay marriages, interracial couples and single mom’s running the

Modern Family

household into their shows. I think that once they put these things into the shows, people became very amused. Once people got used to it in the shows, they began to except it in reality too. I think that T.V. was the influence for the world, not the other way around. I think that people would have never started doing it first because they didn’t know how everyone else would react. In the T.V. shows it gave them a perfect picture of how they would start doing this and everyone was going to be completely fine with it and a problem would never come up. Even after the T.V. shows influence the people, people in the real world still judged the people who were doing it even though the show’s said they wouldn’t.

                I think that people let T.V. change them in a major way. At the same time we wouldn’t live in the world that we do today if it wasn’t for T.V. There is defiantly some good and bad in the way our world has changed but it also doesn’t force everyone to be the “cookie cutter” family or for them to be people that everyone wants them to be. 

Family watching T.V.

Sources:

Digital History

This website helped me get the ideas about how television was and the views on television in the 1950's. 

Television during the 1950's 

This also helped me with television in the 1950's. 

Netflix

I was able to watch old and new shows on this website and compare them. 

Genre and Family Imagery in American Network Television

This gave me the opinion of a scholar to help make my paper stronger. This scholar had the same point of view as me so her article was backing up what is had said. 

The Great Depression

In the movie, Cinderella Man, certain things were added to the film, and things were kept the same, in order to dramatize the life of someone living in the 1930’s. Even things were changed about James Braddock’s, also known as Cinderella Man, life that would make the viewers feel sorrier for him and to portray the life during those times as terrible.

The first thing that the film makers changed was the age of his children. They did this mainly so when James was going through such a hard time, the viewer would not only feel bad for him, but they would also feel bad for the three young, innocent children. When they oldest son stole in the movie, it was used as a way to depict how hard times were. Families were going through so much poverty and were not being able to feed their families during this time. In the movie, at the time that the boy stole, the family was not in their worst shape, but the boy stole because he thought he could do something to help his family.

Some things that were in the movie that were not changed about James’ life help to depict how life was during the 1930’s. When James went to go get work in the movie he would have to stand at a gate and get chosen for the job. This was actually the case during the 1930’s. Many men that went to find work did not get the job and for men that got the job one day were not guaranteed the job the next day. It was very hard to find work during these times because so many people needed work to support their family but the businesses did not have a place for all of them so sometimes people would go long times without it. When James went to get money during one part of the movie, he was very embarrassed. People did not want other people to know that they needed help because they were not able to produce the money. James was looking around the whole time he was in there getting money and continued to look around even after he had gotten the money and was leaving. The woman behind the counter said that she never thought she would see him in there. She said this because she was obviously friends of the family. This is a way of showing the viewers that it was embarrassing and people thought of themselves as failures if they had to go borrow money. Another part of the movie that depicted how much people need the money was when he took the fight. When James first got the offer he knew he had to because he had to get the money so he would not think of himself as a failure. He took the fight even though he was known as a joke in the boxing ring. In the movie that was not the outspoken reason for why he took the fight but it was an underlying reason and as the viewer I could tell on his face how embarrassed he was when he had to go borrow the money. He was also very embarrassed when he had to go into the room with the people that had turned him away from boxing and ask them for money. This was seen as a brave thing to do because back them it would have been basically saying that he knew he was a failure and could not get the money for his family himself so he had to go and ask other people to give him donations so he could support his family. During the movie, at one point James was not able to care for his kids because he was not getting enough work so his wife decided to send them to her dad’s house until they got their feet under them. This was the reason that James went to borrow the money because to him, once his kids left, he felt as though he had reached rock bottom and he was going to do anything in his power to get them back. It was just another example that showed how much the people were struggling and how willing they were to do anything they could to get out of that situation.

There were many other examples that showed the viewer what life was like in the 1930’s. Life was rough and it was very hard on many of the people that lived through it. The poverty hurt a lot of people and even caused some families to be torn apart, like James Braddock’s. In the end he was lucky and got out of the poverty but like I learned, not everyone was as lucky as him. 

Influenza outbreak of 1918

World War I began on July 28, 1914 and it broke out because Austria's Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. When World War I started it was between the allied forces, France, the United Kingdom and Russia, and the Central powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The US got into the war for two reasons. The first was that Germany sank a British ship which the US considered neutral and which help 159 american passengers. The second reason was the Zimmerman telegram which was from Germany to Mexico that promised parts of the US territory to return to Mexico once Germany started the war with the US. On April 6,1917 the US declared war on Germany.

World War I ended on June 28, 1919 in Belgium after Germany invaded it. 

Postcards

Port of Spain 1907

Dear Family,

Today we stopped at our first port. It is December 23, 1907 and we are at the Port of Spain in Trinidad, which is off of the coast of Venezuela. The reason why this Great White Fleet is taking place is because President Roosevelt wants to make sure that Japan knows he can move his fleets from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He also wants to know how we, the troops, handle a situation like this. I know ya'll didn't understand why I joined the fleet, but all my buddies were doing it and I thought it would help my country I already miss home so much but I know this is what I'm suppose to be doing. I cannot wait to see everyone. Trinidad really makes me miss home. There is nothing to do here. We are all so bored and are just ready to move on with the fleet. Hopefully we will move from this place soon.

Love, Rick

Rio de Janeiro 1908

Dear Family,

The fleet is now in Rio de Janeiro and it is January 13,1908. We had an inncodent happen today though. A group of us were at a bar in Rio and out of no where a bottle came and hit my friend, a sailor from Louisiana, and a fight broke out. After the police broke up the fight we were sent back to our ships and that was it. Everyone got over it by the next day and we continued to have fun in Rio. While we were here we joined in with some of the political parades that were going on and had a fun time marching with them throughout the city. Even though this stop was more fun than the last, I still miss home and can not wait to see all of you. I hope all of ya'll are doing well. I love ya'll.

Love,Rick

Straits of Magellan

Dear Family,

On January 21, 1908 and we left Rio and headed for the Straits of Magellan. There were rumors that there are winds called wiliwaws that have the ability to toss your ship around and rip it to pieces and the people would end up on the shores of Desolation Bay and others like it that are inhabited by cannibals. This is very frightening for all of us to think about especially as we enter the region where this is very possible. Lucky for us, a Chilean cruiser met our ships and led us through the Straits. We did not encounter any of the problems that we were scared of thankfully. I am just happy to be in and out and headed for Peru. I wish to see the family soon.

Love, Rick

Callao,Peru 

Dear Family,

Today it is February 20, 1908 and we just docked in Callao, Peru which is just north of Lima. Today is the end of the nine-day celebration for George Washington's Birthday. Since this celebration was a big deal to all of us Americans, the people of Peru thought it would be a good idea to join in. The Peruvian composer, Ce'sar Penizo, composed a dance piece for us called the "The White Squadron". The Peruvians were trying really hard to make all of us feel at home and it was really appreciated. I hope that all of ya'll are doing well back at home. I hope to be home soon. I love and miss ya'll.

Love, Rick

Magdelena Bay, Baja, California 

Dear Family,

Today we anchored in Magdalena Bay and it is March 12, 1908. We are here to practice our gunnery exercises. We are also here until the California coastal cities can get us into their ports. All we know is that they are trying their hardest to get us into their ports but its going to take time. Ulysses S. Grant Jr. is trying to make it so that we can port directly into the San Diego Harbor. Bad news is that word came back from the president and it said that if the ships tried to stop there they would be permanently stuck in the mud. So we had to port in Coronado instead. I miss all of you so very much.

Love, Rick

Sydney, Australia

Dear Family,

We docked in Sydney, Australia in August 20, 1908. We were greeted by numerous amounts of people that had been waiting there all night so they made sure they wouldn't miss any of our ships come in. After they greeted us we celebrated together for the next eight days in honor of us. We saw some very strange animals while we were there including the kangaroo mascot they presented to Lt. John E. Lewis of the USS Connecticut. In all it was a very good visit but very we are growing very tired also. Can't wait to be home I think I might sleep for a month. Love ya'll and miss ya'll.

Love, Rick

Tokyo, Japan

Dear Family,

We docked in Japan on October 10, 1908. We had to dock here because while we were on our way to the South China Sea we ran into the worst typhoon that has happened in 40 years. The typhoon took place right off of Formosa. You could hardly see anything looking out over the sea. It was terrifying. One of the sailors on another boat was picked up by a huge wave and miraculously thrown onto the dock of our boat before anything major could happen to him. Somehow we got through the storm without anything being damaged. We then approached the Tokyo Bay where they would only let first-class men with no alcohol in their past come ashore. I just stayed on the boat with all of my buddies which was fine with me. I really do miss home and every day I just get more and more tired. I can't wait to be home and see ya'll.

Love, Rick

Amoy, China

Dear Family,

On November 1, 1908 we docked on the Chinese island of Amoy. The Peking government was a little embarrassed and disappointed because we only showed up with eight battleships and they were suspecting sixteen. Apparently it influenced the "losing face" that the Chinese were so caught up with so to make them feel better we told them that the other ships were in the middle of a typhoon, which that did help them get over it.  We had to try this shark fin soup while we were there. I didn't really know how I felt about it but we all sucked it up so we wouldn't embarrass them anymore. I miss home so much and will be there soon. I hope all of ya'll and still doing well. Love ya'll.

Love, Rick



Source:

Great White Fleet – History and Memorabilia

Naval History – Great White Fleet

Great White Fleet Information – Library of Congress
The Cruise of the Great White Fleet

Spanish-American War Cartoons

Take Your Choice 

In this cartoon you can clearly see that McKinley is raising the flag of imperialism while William Jennings Bryan is trying to chop it down. That is the main focus of the cartoon but then you can also see in the background two American flags places on Cuba and Uncle Sam and a British man standing happily on the US. Obviously the islands are a lot closer together than they really would be on a map. This cartoon was probably made around the time that William was trying to push out imperialism so that her could win the election and that is why McKinley is trying  to build it up while Bryan is trying to bring it down. I think this cartoon was mainly aimed at the United States and at the Philippines because those are the two countries that are really shown in this cartoon. I also think that it is important that they put Uncle Sam and the British man in the background watching because it shows that they were basically in the clear and were just observing. I wonder why they are putting the imperialist flag up in the Philippines because the election was going on in the US?

At the turn of the nineteenth century, holidays were not a huge part in the American culture. They were celebrated but they were not seen as major component throughout the year. Christmas was probably effected the most at the turn of the century because with all of the technological advances taking place, new things were available to buy as Christmas presents.  People would buy the new things for Christmas just to have them, and everyone wanted them because they were the new and in things.

                The big changes to Christmas occurred when people started to buy Christmas presents out of the Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. It was almost like people were continuing to do this because it was really the first time a catalog came into play and people took advantage of it. People were buying all types of things from teddy bears to a sheet music cabinet. The teddy bear became a really popular gift after a cartoon displayed Theodore Roosevelt save the life of a bear. Before everyone really got into the idea of buy from catalogs and buying gifts for people in general, they thought it wasn't celebrating Christmas in the right way. Personally I think that after people started buying presents for each other, people started to become closer. Buying a gift for someone really shows them that you cared enough to spend your money on them, which is something that people started to accept. People would buy all sorts of things as Christmas presents. The popular gifts included toy cars with rubber tires, woman’s corset, and boy’s worsted sweaters. Dodge and Chevrolet used this to their advantage and introduced themselves to the world. Popular kid’s toys included things like Lincoln logs and tinker toys. Along with the new idea of gifts came a new idea of Christmas.

                The whole idea of Christmas changed as well. Washington Irring wrote a book, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, which played a major role in introducing these ideas to the world.  The book itself had a sketch of a squire who had invited peasants into his house for the holidays, mainly referring to Christmas. Washington himself thought that Christmas should be a time where the lines between status, and ranking, should disappear. The book itself was not based off of any events or times in Washington’s life so they do not know where he got the idea from, but because he put it in the book and many people saw it, it began to be an image of Christmas in the heads of people during this time. Historians actually say that Washington was responsible for “inventing” this tradition by implying that the story was suppose to be the true customs of the season.

                After this happened people really began to fully accept Christmas and it was turned into a family centered holiday of peace. Peace would be considered an understatement in some cases. Before Washington really got to put his idea out into the world, Christmas was not celebrated like most people wanted it to be. Riots would usually take place during this season. Christmas riots were the reason that New York had to have its first police force in the city. Members of the upper class wanted to change the idea of Christmas, so they took it into their own hands. Later is when Washington stepped in and made the idea of a peaceful and heart-warming time come true, even without having a riot.

                Christmas was not the only holiday that changed at the turn of the century. Arbor Day was officially launched by J. Sterling Morton. The point of the day was to encourage people to plant trees on bare and possible torn-up land. Within twelve years, forty-four states had named Arbor Day as an official holiday, and 600 million trees had been planted on the land. New Year’s also became recognized as a major holiday during this time. People celebrated it during the day on January 1^st instead of the night before. As everyone knows, today, the night of is the time to celebrate and watch the ball drop but that was not a concept known to them yet. Lastly, Easter was being viewed as a major holiday at the turn of the century. During the civil war it was used as a day to mourn the ones that had dies in the war. After the civil war, it became a favorite holiday in the United States. In 1878, President Hayes had the first Easter egg hunt on the front lawn of the White House. People also used this day to dress up in bright, spring colors. Many of the holidays became more important at the turn of the century and they were used to bring people together and create peace between everyone.

                Yes, Christmas was the holiday that changed the most and became one of the most favorite holidays to everyone, but other holidays changed too. I think that every holiday did have one thing in common and that was that they brought everyone closer and made everyone forget about their social status or how much money they had for a day and celebrate a holiday that was loved by everyone as one. So I think Washington had it right when he said that the lines should disappear and every should celebrate together.

Boy's Worsted Sweater

Easter in the City 

Christmas Tree in a House

People planting trees on Arbor Day

Women's Corset 

Family Christmas in the 1900's 

This website gave me the background of Christmas and then also listed some things that people would buy for Christmas which was helpful.

Christmas History in America

This website was really helpful because it told me how Christmas was viewed before and after the Civil War and then it also talked a lot about Washington so that was really helpful. 

American History: A Survey by Alan Brinkley

The book was helpful because again it gave me the basic information that i needed to start my research.

The Fabulous Century, 1870-1900

This book was really helpful because it actually gave me more holidays than just Christmas and talked about how they changed at the turn of the century. 

American Culture History

This website talked about what clothes were popular at that time which was helpful because I could use that to see what people would be interested in at that time.