1. American influence (political, economic, cultural, technological, and military), and exerting power globally, has been defined as modern-day imperialism, informal empire, neocolonialism, fake empire, etc. (Bouvier;Adams;former Secretary of State Rumsfeld believes the U.S. is not imperialistic and it never has been. Whether the U.S. is considered to be an empire, denies its British ancestry, or runs away from label,1994
2. Even though both Great Wars (WWI and WWII) were fought outside of the United States, not on 48 contiguous states, the wars meant tremendous sacrifice as nearly all resources including over half of the workforce (i.e. all able men were inducted into the military) were devoted to war production; therefore, severe rationing was apparent in every facet of life. In the post-war era, the "baby boom" 51 gave hopes (optimism) about the future prospects, the upshot was an increase of demand for single-family homes in the suburbs. The move away from inner city apartments to suburban life generated economic activity;Hurst,1946