The US economy thrived in the postwar years, especially in manufacturing and the defense industries. The hardships of the Great Depression were in the "rear view mirror." And the white middle class was growing and expanding. How did the automobile, in particular, change American life in the 1950s? How did the auto reflect a new sense of American freedom? What was the relationship of the automobile to individuality, consumerism, and the growth of the suburbs?

The US economy thrived in the postwar years, especially in manufacturing and the defense industries. The hardships of the Great Depression were in the "rear view mirror." And the white middle class was growing and expanding. How did the automobile, in particular, change American life in the 1950s? How did the auto reflect a new sense of American freedom? What was the relationship of the automobile to individuality, consumerism, and the growth of the suburbs?