THE EFFECT OF ROCK AND ROLL ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMY essays

THE EFFECT OF ROCK AND ROLL ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMY essays How has Rock and Roll Effected the American Economy? Consider, if you will, the life of a teenager living in the 1940's. The Great Depression was finally coming to an end, but the memories of the rough times would scar its sufferers for a lifetime. Caused by a number of serious weaknesses in the economy, the depression saw a rapid decline in the production and sale of goods, as well as a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Businesses and banks closed their doors, people lost their jobs, homes, and savings; many people depended on charity to survive (**encarta**). Teenagers were given a tremendous amount of responsibility. While their fathers were out doing what little work there was, it wasn't unlikely for teens to be at home with their mothers doing housework or caring for younger siblings. Life was less than easy, and the emerging world war didn't make it any easier. As the U.S. became the last great nation to join the second global conflict of the century, young men (many of them in their late teens) at their physical pea k were sent out to the battlefield where about 274,000 of them would die for their country (editors of Time-Life books 29). The 50's brought about a tremendous change for the U.S. It's no wonder that when rock and roll came to be in the mid 1950's (encyclopedia Americana need page #) teenagers wrapped their arms around it. The parents of these rock-loving teens were already fulfilling the American dream. The average worker was earning and estimated $6,500 by 1954. With paychecks fatter than ever, more and more Americans began moving to the suburbs, owning their own homes and vehicles, as well as throwing and attending cocktail parties (a popular pastime of young suburbanite couples). The young middle class family happily kicked the frugal habits of the depression and war years and went on a buying spree. Americans began filling their nests with a dazzling array of goods from power lawn mo...