The 1950s in America was a period that brought simplicity and perfection to American society. The "all-American dream" with a perfect family, accentuated by the constraints and expectations demanded by Eisenhower's American Republican era, would pave the way for the manifest changes of the 1960s. Thanks to the emphasis placed by media expectations and societal upheavals and political and wartime upheavals, Americans adapted to the cookie-cutter mold that would breed the fighters and lovers of the 1960s. The era of I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best , gave birth to a time when family values ​​were necessary, family life was wonderful, and no one cared about politics and the Cold War. These families had models of women forced into the home, men bringing home the bacon, and all in the homes of middle-class white families. In the 1950s, women were often portrayed as dependent on men and encouraged to marry young. (Bloom and Breines, 6) It took extensive media input from movie stars like Marilyn Monroe to inspire many women to join the workforce and reject “traditional female roles.” (Bloom and Breines 6) This mold would be challenged by the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1954 and the growing discontent of women who would seek to break down the walls that confined their mothers. (Bloom and Breines, 5) More women would venture out of the home and into the workplace between the two decades, "from 25 percent in 1950 to 32 percent in 1960." (Bloom and Breines, 5) The introduction of the contraceptive pill allowed women to avoid unwanted pregnancies, even marriages, and promoted the sexual liberation that would manifest itself in the 1960s. of paper......experimenting with drugs and sex, which became a substantial and visceral release. Works Cited Bloom, Alexander and Wini Breines. "Take It to the Streets": A 60s Reader. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print. Bradley, Becky. “1950-1959.” American cultural history. Lone Star College - Kingwood Library, 1998. Web. February 7, 2011. The Century, America's Time Unpinned 1965-1970s. Perf. Peter Jennings, Roger Goodman. ABC Video, Buena Vista, 1999. DVD. Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley. “1960-1969.” American cultural history. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library, 1999. Web. February 7, 2011 “Jazz In America: The National Jazz Curriculum.” Jazz in America. Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute. Internet. February 26, 2012. .Spivey, Donald. "1950s". History of the sixties. University of Miami, Coral Gables. January 24, 2012. Conference.