The Automobile Culture
During World War II, the U.S. government had rationed
gasoline to curb inflation and conserve supplies. After the
war, however, an abundance of both imported and domesti-
cally produced petroleum—the raw material from which
gasoline is made—led to inexpensive, plentiful fuel for con-
sumers. Easy credit terms and extensive advertising persuad-
ed Americans to buy cars in record numbers. In response,
new car sales rose from 6.7 million in 1950 to 7.9 million in
1955. The total number of private cars on the road jumped
from 40 million in 1950 to over 60 million in 1960.
AUTOMANIA
Suburban living made owning a car a neces-
sity. Most of the new suburbs, built in formerly rural areas,
did not offer public transportation, and people had to
drive to their jobs in the cities. In addition, many of the
schools, stores, synagogues, churches, and doctors’ and
dentists’ offices were not within walking distance of subur-
ban homes.
THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
The more cars there
were, the more roads were needed. “Automania” spurred
local and state governments to construct roads linking the
major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers, and
workplaces to residential suburbs. The Interstate Highway
Act, which President Eisenhower signed in 1956, authorized
the building of a nationwide highway network—41,000
miles of expressways. The new roads, in turn, encouraged
the development of new suburbs farther from the cities.
Interstate highways also made high-speed, long-haul
trucking possible, which contributed to a decline in the
commercial use of railroads. Towns along the new highways
prospered, while towns along the older, smaller roads expe-
rienced hard times. The system of highways also helped
unify and homogenize the nation. As John Keats observed
in his 1958 book, The Insolent Chariots, “Our new roads, with their ancillaries, the
motels, filling stations, and restaurants advertising Eats, have made it possible for
you to drive from Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a change of diet, scenery, or
culture.” With access to cars, affordable gas, and new highways, more and more
Americans hit the road. They flocked to mountains, lakes, national parks, historic
sites, and amusement parks for family vacations. Disneyland, which opened in
California in July 1955, attracted 3 million visitors the next year.
MOBILITY TAKES ITS TOLL
As the automobile industry boomed, it stimulated
production and provided jobs in other areas, such as drive-in movies, restaurants,
and shopping malls. Yet cars also created new problems for both society and the
environment. Noise and exhaust polluted the air. Automobile accidents claimed
more lives every year. Traffic jams raised people’s stress levels, and heavy use dam-
aged the roads. Because cars made it possible for Americans to live in suburbs,
many upper-class and middle-class whites left the crowded cities. Jobs and busi-
nesses eventually followed them to the suburbs. Public transportation declined,
and poor people in the inner cities were often left without jobs and vital services.
As a result, the economic gulf between suburban and urban dwellers and between
the middle class and the poor widened.
852 C
HAPTER 27
E
Vocabulary
homogenize: to
make the same or
similar
F
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AND THE AUTOMOBILE
No state has exemplified auto-
mania in the U.S. more than
California. By the late 1990s,
Californians owned more cars,
held more driver’s licenses, and
traveled more miles on their
roads than the people of any
other state. The center of this
automobile culture is the metro-
politan area of Los Angeles.
Contributing to the importance
of the automobile is Southern
California’s suburban lifestyle.
This dependence on cars has
contributed to problems of air
pollution and traffic jams. But,
California is addressing these
problems by reviving public trans-
portation systems and promoting
the use of electric cars that pro-
duce no pollution.