This is Who We Were, provides the reader with a deeper understanding of day to day life in America in 1950. This new series is sure to be of value as both a serious research tool for students of American history as well as an intriguing climb up America's family tree. The richly-illustrated text provides an interesting way to study a truly unique time in American history.

Table of Contents

• Essay on the 1950
• Introduction
• Section One: Profiles
• This section contains 34 profiles of individuals and families living and working in the 1950s. It examines their lives at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods. Based upon historic materials, personal interviews, and diaries, the profiles give a sense of what it was like to live in the years 1950 to 1959.
• Phone Company Veteran, St. Louis, Missouri
• Former Slave & Proud Matriarch, South Carolina
• GI-Bill Navy Enlistee, California to Korea
• Italian Immigrant & Business Executive, Livingston, New Jersey
• Olympic Hurdler, Cleveland, Ohio
• Korean War Hero, South Carolina
• Family Life in the Military, Wichita, Kansas
• Jewish Immigrants, Poland to Bangor, Maine
• Mothers Against Comic Books, Bronx, New York
• Father of FM Radio, New York City
• Yale Scholar from Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Family Doctor, Charleston, South Carolina
• Benefactor for College Bound Girls, Trenton, New Jersey
• French Fry Entrepreneur, Idaho
• Casino Operator, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Hotel Worker, Puerto Rico to New York City
• Environmental Advocate, Utah and Colorado
• Race Car Driver, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Single Mother & Teacher, Queens New York to Florida
• Typical American Teenager, Poland to Benton Harbor, Michigan
• Television Fanatics, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Young Carpenter, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Actress in West Side Story, Chicago to New York City
• Cotton Broker, Gulf Port, Mississippi
• Mother & Phonics Advocate, Homestead, Florida
• Student Refugee, Hungary to Cleveland, Ohio
• Grape Juice Company Sales Manager, Westfield, New York
• Jazz Musician, New York City
• Competitive Bowler, Homestead, Florida
• Single Young Hairdresser, Seattle, Washington
• Science Teacher in the Age of Sputnik, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Musician, Tennessee State Prison
• Inventor of the Microchip, Dallas, Texas
• Hospital Worker & Union Organizer, New York City
• Section Two: Historical Snapshots
• This section includes lists of important “firsts” for America, from technical advances and political events to new products and top selling books. Combining serious American history with fun facts, these snapshots present, in chronological categories, an easy-to-read overview of what happened in the 1950s.
• Early 1950s
• Mid 1950s
• Late 1950s
• Section Three: Economy of the Times
• This section looks at a wide range of economic data, including food, clothing transportation, housing and other selected prices, with reprints of actual advertisements for products and services of the time. It includes figures for the following categories, plus a valuable year-by-year listing of the value of a dollar.
• Consumer Expeditures
• Annual Income
• Selected Prices
• Value of a Dollar Index 1860-2010
• Section Four: All Around Us—What We Saw, Wrote, Read & Listened To
• This section includes reprints of newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, and others items designed to help readers focus on what was on the minds of Americans in the 1950s. These printed pieces show how popular opinion was formed, and how American life was affected.
• The Nature of the Enemy Editorial, Life, February 27, 1950
• U.S. Will Base Road Building on War Needs New York Herald Tribune, November 11, 1950.
• Marriage Is a Way of Life, by Amy A. McGregor, Nautilus Magazine, March 1951
• The Grass Roots of Opera in America, Colleges and Universities Set the Pace in Creating Opera Centers Throughout the U.S. by H. W. Hinesheimer, The Etude, December 1951
• Teenomania by Marion Walker, Alcaro, September 1952
• Radio Aids Enforcement Troy Tribune, February 14, 1952
• America's Speed Classic by Wieand Bowman, Auto Sport Review, April, 1952
• Don't Push Children Toward Success, by Amy Selwyn, Coronet, April 1952
• World's Future Lies in Hands of GOP Newsweek, January 26, 1953
• Cover Photo, Frankie Albertson Coach and Athlete, April 1953
• The Week's Mail, Think Machines Letter to the Editor, Collier's, May 16, 1953
• 48 States of Mind by Walter Davenport, Collier's, May 16, 1953.
• Desegregation's Hot Spots Time, October 25, 1954
• Now the Dark Streets Shineth by Marilyn Parks Davis, American Home, December 1954
• Youth Forum: Youth Is Not Silent by Irene Dunne, Life Today, April-May 1954
• The School Bus: What Happens in That Period between Home and School? This Week, September 17, 1955
• Teen-agers’ Biggest Problems in 1956 Woman's Home Companion, January 1956
• Desegregation Will Fail by Rev. Leon C. Burns of Columbia, Tennessee, February 19, 1956
• Forecasting of Weather—Tough Task Denton Record-Chronicle (Texas), July 26, 1957
• Lyndon Pledges Satellite Probe The Paris News (Texas), October 18, 1957.
• Message to the Wives of McDonald's Employees by Ray Kroc, McDonald's President, 1957.
• Washington Outlook Business Week, August 23, 1958
• Marketing: Big Appetite for Gourmet Foods Business Week, August 23, 1958
• Eight Mistakes Parents Make and How to Avoid Them Excerpt, Parents Association, 1958
• Questionnaire Writer Stirs Up Trouble by George E. Sokolski, The Appleton Post-Crescent, March 16, 1959
• Section Five: Census Data
• This section includes state-by-state comparative tables and a U.S. Census study that summarizes demographic trends 1990-2000.
• Preface
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Total Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: White Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Black Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: American Indian/Alaska Native Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Asian Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Foreign-Born Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Urban Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Rural Population
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Males per 100 Females
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: High School Graduates
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: College Graduates
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: One-Person Households
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Homeownership Rate
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Median Home Value
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Median Gross Rent
• State-by-State Comparative Tables: Households Lacking Complete Plumbing
• Demographic Trends in the 20th Century
• POPULATION SIZE AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION Highlights
• POPULATION SIZE AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
• AGE AND SEX COMPOSITION Highlights
• AGE AND SEX COMPOSITION
• RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN Highlights
• RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN
• HOUSING Highlights
• HOUSING
• HOUSEHOLDS Highlights
• HOUSEHOLDS
• Bibliography