Title: A Better Life | American RadioWorks
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Content: An historian first coined the phrase "American dream" in 1931. He said it meant more than having "motor cars and high wages." But for many Americans, that's exactly what it was. The seeds for America's consumer expectations were planted during a time of widespread scarcity: the Great Depression. Imagine being told you could buy a house with no money down or attend college for free. That's what the G.I. Bill offered World War II veterans. The U.S. government unlocked the American dream for millions of veterans in the 1950s – but not for all. Black veterans often got shut out. The postwar era seemed to promise each new generation more prosperity than the last.