21H.102: The Emergence of Modern America
Study Questions for Week of Nov. 7

Readings:
Elvis Presley biography in Nash and Graves, From These Beginnings; Chapter 26 in American People

Questions:
1. Who was Elvis Presley?

2. What role did his background play in leading to his stardom?

3. What was new about his music?

4. What did Elvis come to symbolize after his death?

5. Was rock and roll mainstream or subversive?

6. In what ways were the 1950s a conservative era?

7. In what ways did the 1950s mark a departure from previous eras?

8. How did women's roles change during and after World War II?

9. How did the depictions of women in advertising change from the 1920s to the 1950s?

10. How did advertising change in general from the 1920s to the 1950s?

11. In what ways did World War II shape American culture?