Leaving the Yellow House | Historical Context

A Prosperous Nation?
For many Americans, the 1950s was a decade of economic prosperity. Unemployment and inflation remained low, usually below five percent. By the middle of the decade, more than sixty percent of Americans earned a middle-class income, which at that time was a salary between $3,000 and $10,000 a year. The number of homeowners increased by more than twenty-one million during this decade, and people enjoyed material comforts and the bene- fits of household inventions and improvements. Government programs benefited many Americans. Social security...

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