Examples Of Homogeneity In The 1950s

Following the conclusion of World War II in 1945 and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947, both American consumerist and anti-communist sentiments disseminated throughout the entire country. During the 1950s, these facets of American society created a sense of homogeneity amongst Americans by promoting a conservative mindset. While conservative “Americanism” existed in many towns and cities, its presence in the suburbs was particularly striking because it was able to unify an entire population of individuals. Although the suburbs’ collective unity brought entire communities together, it was often used to combat the communists and minorities of the 1950s. Nativism legally manifested in the form of “restrictive covenants” that ostracized African-Americans

As suburban Americans began to own the same consumer goods and believe in the same values, the prospect of inclusive thought began to disappear. The aesthetic homogeneity with men’s clothing, for example, left very little room for men to dress up in anything other than the bland suits characteristic of the 1950s. Among the varying forms of homogeneity present in the suburbs, none had the effect on conservatism that racial homogeneity did. From the 1950s until “the 1990s, nearly 90 percent of suburban whites lived in communities with minority populations of less than 1 percent,” showing how the suburbs created conservative thought that would last nearly half a century in the suburbs. In order to achieve this racial ubiquity, “the suburban builders…openly advertised the fact that their communities excluded minorities,” revealing their conservative and racist beliefs William Levitt, the father of the suburbs, argued that “if we sell one house to a Negro family, then 90 or 95 percent of our white customers will not buy into the community,” further showing how minorities were feared to be a threat in a white society These racialized advertisements and thoughts encapsulated the attention of their audiences by reinforcing the idea of minorities (primarily African-Americans) being a threat to security, which dates back to the 17th Century with the institution of slavery. In addition to their racialized advertisements, suburban builders like Levitt imposed “restrictive covenants” that prevented minorities from living in their suburbs. In the lease agreement for Levittown, William Levitt includes the fact that “the tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be sued or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race” in order to ensure white ubiquity. This racial exclusion was