The 1950s: Eisenhower, highways, suburbs and the postwar economy

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to D. Card A, a summary in our words: the Census Bureau calls people born in the United States between mid-1946 and mid-1964 baby boomers. To federalize a state's National Guard is to place it under federal control, so that it takes orders from the president. The Highway Trust Fund, set up in 1956, is a fund in the Treasury filled by taxes on fuel and other highway-user products and spent on federal-aid highways. Card B, a summary in our words: President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on June 29, 1956. It planned an Interstate System of 41,000 miles and set aside $25 billion for building it in the years 1957 through 1969. The federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost and the states the rest. The act renamed the network the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Card C, a table from the US Census Bureau, Historical Census of Housing Tables: Homeownership. Percent of households that own their home. United States: 43.6 in 1940, 55.0 in 1950, 61.9 in 1960. Arizona: 47.9 in 1940, 56.4 in 1950, 63.9 in 1960. West Virginia: 43.7 in 1940, 55.0 in 1950, 64.3 in 1960. Rates are from each census. Card D, a timeline in our words: the G.I. Bill becomes law, 1944; Eisenhower takes office, 1953; Brown v. Board of Education is decided, 1954; the Federal-Aid Highway Act is signed, 1956; federal troops are sent to Little Rock, 1957; Eisenhower leaves office, 1961.

2. 1.

   Card C shows the US rate rising from 43.6 to 61.9. Ari asks which statement about the rise is accurate.

   • It rose 18.3 percentage points, about 42 percent of the 1940 rate
   • It rose 18.3 percent, since the change in a rate is itself a percent change
   • It rose 42 percentage points, since the relative rise is the number of points gained
   • It rose 61.9 percent, since the 1960 rate shows the size of the rise over 1940
3. 2.

   West Virginia was behind Arizona in 1940 and 1950 on card C but ahead in 1960. Which reading is fair, Jun asks?

   • West Virginia gained faster over the two decades, but the table gives no reason
   • West Virginia's economy grew faster than Arizona's, since ownership follows income
   • Arizona's rate fell in the 1950s, since West Virginia passed it
   • The table is unreliable, since the ranking changed between censuses
4. 3.

   A governor calls out the Guard. The President federalizes it. Kira asks, using card A, what changed.

   • Who pays the members, since a federalized Guard is paid from the Treasury
   • Who the members are, since a federalized Guard is made up of Army troops
   • Nothing, since the Guard stays a state force until the governor stands it down
   • Who gives the orders: the President, instead of the governor
5. 4.

   Card B has the federal government pay 90 percent. Luz asks why a state might favor Interstate roads over a state-only road.

   • The state pays nothing for an Interstate, so it costs less than a state road
   • The Interstate costs less in total because it has 41,000 miles of road in it
   • The federal share is 10 percent, so the state pays the larger part and gains control
   • A state dollar is matched by nine federal dollars, so each mile costs the state less
6. 5.

   Card A says the Highway Trust Fund is filled by taxes on fuel and spent on highways. How does Milo explain the idea behind it?

   • Highway builders pay the taxes, which they then spend on their own projects
   • Drivers who pay the fuel taxes pay for the roads, a user-pays design
   • Income taxes on each household pay for the roads, whether or not it owns a car
   • The fund can be spent on any need of the federal government, once taxes are in
7. 6.

   A note says the 1956 Highway Act was passed in response to Little Rock. What does Noah point out from card D?

   • Not supported: the act was signed in 1953, when Eisenhower took office
   • Supported: Little Rock came first, and the act was a response to it
   • Supported: both came in the 1950s, and Eisenhower was President for both
   • Not supported: the act (1956) came before Little Rock (1957)
8. 7.

   The US rate gained 11.4 points in the 1940s and 6.9 in the 1950s on card C. Which reading is fair, Pia asks?

   • Gains were smaller in the 1950s, but the table gives no reason
   • The G.I. Bill ended in the 1940s, which explains the smaller gain
   • Families bought fewer homes in the 1950s, since the rate rose by less
   • Fewer families wanted homes in the 1950s, since the gain was smaller
9. 8.

   Card B says the network was renamed "Interstate and Defense Highways." What does Ren infer about how the act was presented?

   • The act was passed to replace the Army with a highway system of roads
   • The name shows the act was passed after a war in 1957
   • Defense was given as a reason for the roads, as well as travel
   • The roads were to be used by the military alone in the years after 1956
10. 9.

    Which would a historian cite to quote the 90 percent rule exactly, Tala asks?

    • A newspaper article of 1956 on the act, since it was written at the time
    • The text of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 itself
    • Card D, a timeline made for readers of this sheet to place events
    • Card B, a summary in our words written today for readers of this sheet
11. 10.

    Card C shows rates rising in both decades, and card D dates the G.I. Bill to 1944. What do the two cards support, Zee asks?

    • The bill did not matter, since West Virginia gained most and the bill applied to the whole nation
    • The rise began with the bill, since 1940 rates were already high
    • Rates rose across the period when the bill was law, but the cards do not show it caused the rise
    • The G.I. Bill caused the rise, since rates rose after it became law