THE EFFECT OF ROCK AND ROLL ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMY

Consider, if you will, the life of a teenager living in the 1940's. The Great Depression was finally coming to an end, but the memories of the rough times would scar its sufferers for a lifetime. Caused by a number of serious weaknesses in the economy, the depression saw a rapid decline in the production and sale of goods, as well as a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Businesses and banks closed their doors, people lost their jobs, homes, and savings; many people depended on charity to survive (**encarta**). Teenagers were given a tremendous amount of responsibility. While their fathers were out doing what little work there was, it wasn't unlikely for teens to be at home with their mothers doing housework or caring for younger siblings. Life was less than easy, and the emerging world war didn't make it any easier. As the U.S. became the last great nation to join the second global conflict of the century, young men (many of them in their late teens) at their physical peak were sent out to the battlefield where about 274,000 of them would die for their country (editors of Time-Life books 29).

The 50's brought about a tremendous change for the U.S. It

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Approximate Word count = 1541
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)