AMERICA AMERICA in the in the ’50s’50s

The late 1940s and early 1950s The late 1940s and early 1950s were a period of astonishing were a period of astonishing economic growth in the U.S.economic growth in the U.S.

Postwar ProsperityPostwar Prosperity

Its considered “the greatest Its considered “the greatest prosperity the world has ever prosperity the world has ever

known.” A combination of known.” A combination of political, economic and social political, economic and social

factors contributed to this factors contributed to this postwar prosperity.postwar prosperity.

THE G.I. BILL of THE G.I. BILL of Rights Rights G.I. stood for G.I. stood for

“government issue” “government issue” the term applied to the term applied to military equipment: military equipment:

helmets and uniform helmets and uniform

President Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill in 1944President Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill in 1944

Provided special benefits to Provided special benefits to returning veterans (commonly returning veterans (commonly referred to as GIs)referred to as GIs)

THE G.I. BILLTHE G.I. BILL

Millions of GIs bought homes, Millions of GIs bought homes, attended college, started attended college, started

business venture, or found jobsbusiness venture, or found jobs

Provided unemployment Provided unemployment compensation, mortgages at compensation, mortgages at low rates, low interest loans low rates, low interest loans and money to pursue further and money to pursue further education.education.

Interstate Highways Interstate Highways BuiltBuiltThe Federal Highway The Federal Highway

Act was passed in 1956Act was passed in 1956

This was the largest This was the largest public works program in public works program in American history. American history.

Law called for the building Law called for the building of 40,000 miles of of 40,000 miles of interstate. The network of interstate. The network of highways that still unites highways that still unites our country today our country today

I-95 Destroys I-95 Destroys OvertownOvertown

Miami’s Overtown neighborhood was once known as “the Harlem of the South.”

 The construction of I-95 “shattered the world” of Overtown residents.

A thriving black community, was cleared and replaced with a massive highway interchange

Overtown never recoveredOvertown never recovered

TheThe BabyBaby BoomBoom

From 1945 -61 more than From 1945 -61 more than 65 million children were 65 million children were bornborn

Contributing factors:Contributing factors:The end of wars led to more The end of wars led to more

young couples getting married young couples getting married

G.I. Bill encouraged growth of G.I. Bill encouraged growth of families by offering generous families by offering generous benefits for home purchasesbenefits for home purchases

This period became known This period became known as the Baby Boomas the Baby Boom

The American birthrate The American birthrate (the number of babies born (the number of babies born

per 1000 pp) exploded per 1000 pp) exploded after World War II. after World War II.

Pop culture glorified pregnancy, Pop culture glorified pregnancy, parenthood and large familiesparenthood and large families

Suburbia in Suburbia in AmericaAmericaDuring the ’50s, many During the ’50s, many

people began to move people began to move into the suburbs. into the suburbs.

Suburbs are Suburbs are places outside places outside the city where the city where many white-many white-

collar workers collar workers livelive

The New York The New York suburb of suburb of

Levittown was the Levittown was the first modern first modern

suburbsuburb

Suburbs = The American Suburbs = The American DreamDream Affordable Affordable

single-family single-family housinghousing

Good schoolsGood schools

Friendly Friendly neighbors like neighbors like themselvesthemselves

13 13 million million homes homes built in built in

the the 1950s – 1950s –

85% 85% were were

suburbansuburban

New highways, affordable automobiles, low gasoline prices

A safe, healthy A safe, healthy environment environment for childrenfor children

Americans had the highest standard of living in the world.

Standard of living measures people’s quality of life. Things that had once been luxuries items became

commonplace. Washers & dryers Dishwashers Freezers Electric stoves Gasoline powered lawn mowers

The new rage: Televisions

Birth of televisionBirth of television

Shows like I Shows like I Love Lucy Love Lucy and The and The

HoneymooneHoneymooners were the rs were the

most most popular TV popular TV

shows of the shows of the ’50s’50s

By 1957, there were about By 1957, there were about 40 million television sets in 40 million television sets in

use and TV became an use and TV became an important source of important source of

informationinformation

Television became the most important form of mass media.

TV helped to spread rock’n’roll and the youth culture.

TV’s had small screens & broadcast only in black & white

Color TV was not broadcast until 1963 Many of the shows were family situation comedies.

Pop Culture of the Pop Culture of the 50s50s

The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger

TopTopTVTV

ShowsShows

The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners Father Knows BestFather Knows Best

Pop Culture of the Pop Culture of the 1950s1950sFather Father Knows BestKnows Best1954-19581954-1958

The Ozzie The Ozzie and Harriet and Harriet

ShowShow1952-19661952-1966

Leave it to Leave it to BeaverBeaver

1957-19631957-1963

Technological BreakthroughsTechnological Breakthroughs

Jonas Salk and polio vaccineJonas Salk and polio vaccineMedical advances of the 1950s: Medical advances of the 1950s: •antibiotics to fight antibiotics to fight infectionsinfections•new drugs to fight new drugs to fight cancer, diabetes and cancer, diabetes and heart diseaseheart disease• polio vaccine polio vaccine developeddevelopedJonas Salk Jonas Salk

developed the developed the vaccine that vaccine that

prevented polio. prevented polio. Not long after, the Not long after, the

threat of polio threat of polio would almost would almost

completely completely disappeardisappear

Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things.center of things. -- -- TimeTime magazine, 1954 magazine, 1954

Church membershipChurch membership: : 1940 1940 64,000,000 64,000,000 1960 1960 114,000,000 114,000,000

Television PreachersTelevision Preachers: :

1. Catholic 1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. SheenBishop Fulton J. Sheen “Life is “Life is Worth Living” Worth Living”

2. Methodist Minister 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent PealeNorman Vincent Peale The Power of Positive ThinkingThe Power of Positive Thinking

3. 3. Reverend Billy GrahamReverend Billy Graham ecumenical message; ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism. warned against the evils of Communism.

HollywoodHollywood: apex of the biblical : apex of the biblical epics.epics.

It’s un-American to be un-religiousIt’s un-American to be un-religious!! -- -- The Christian CenturyThe Christian Century, 1954, 1954

The Robe The Ten CommandmentsThe Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur Ben Hur

1953 1956 1953 1956 1959 1959

Pop Culture of the Pop Culture of the 1950s1950s

First First McDonald’s McDonald’s

(1955)(1955)

America became a more America became a more homogeneous nation homogeneous nation

because of the because of the automobileautomobile..

Drive-In MoviesDrive-In Movies

Holiday InnHoliday Inn

The Automobile The Automobile CultureCulture

The The ideal modern womanideal modern woman married, cooked married, cooked and and cared for her familycared for her family, and kept herself , and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure.trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. -- -- LifeLife magazine, 1956 magazine, 1956

MarilynMarilynMonroeMonroe

The The ideal 1950s manideal 1950s man was the provider, protector was the provider, protector, ,

and the boss of the houseand the boss of the house. -. -- - LifeLife magazine, magazine, 19551955 1956 1956 William H. Whyte, Jr. William H. Whyte, Jr. The The

Organization Man Organization Man

A a middle-class, white a middle-class, white suburban suburban male is the ideal.male is the ideal.

Birth of Rock ’n RollIn the 1950s, many teenagers In the 1950s, many teenagers

rebelled against the middle-rebelled against the middle-class suburban values, class suburban values,

particularly conformity and particularly conformity and wanted to be unique. wanted to be unique.

It was during this period that many It was during this period that many youths turned to new and youths turned to new and unconventional styles of musicunconventional styles of music

Soon white artists began making Soon white artists began making music that was based on African music that was based on African American rhythm and bluesAmerican rhythm and blues

This form of music became known This form of music became known as rock ‘n’ roll and it became wildly as rock ‘n’ roll and it became wildly popular with the nation’s teenagerspopular with the nation’s teenagers

Elvis Elvis PresleyPresley

The King of Rock ’n The King of Rock ’n RollRoll

Presley’s extraordinary Presley’s extraordinary popularity established popularity established

rock ’n’ roll as an rock ’n’ roll as an unprecedented mass-unprecedented mass-market phenomenonmarket phenomenonHis reputation as a His reputation as a

performer endured up to performer endured up to his death in 1977 at the his death in 1977 at the

age of 42.age of 42.https://www.youtube.com/watch?https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=iWj7bLxM0zg v=iWj7bLxM0zg Graceland, his Graceland, his home in home in Memphis, is now Memphis, is now a public museum a public museum visited by visited by upwards of upwards of 600,000 people 600,000 people annually. annually.

The Generation GapThe Generation GapMany parents viewed rock ’n’ roll as Many parents viewed rock ’n’ roll as

loud and dangerous.loud and dangerous.

The music was banned in some The music was banned in some communities.communities.

The music united teens in their own The music united teens in their own world and helped to create what world and helped to create what

became known as the generation gap.became known as the generation gap.

The generation gap was the cultural The generation gap was the cultural separation between children and their separation between children and their

parents.parents.

Juvenile DelinquencyJuvenile DelinquencyAnother problem facing the Another problem facing the

nation was juvenile delinquency, nation was juvenile delinquency, which was antisocial or criminal which was antisocial or criminal

behavior by teenagersbehavior by teenagers

Juvenile crime rose 45% between 1948 Juvenile crime rose 45% between 1948 and 1953. Car thefts by juveniles and 1953. Car thefts by juveniles

increased and more teenagers joined increased and more teenagers joined street gangsstreet gangsMany attributed this rise in teenage Many attributed this rise in teenage

rebellion to movies such as “Rebel rebellion to movies such as “Rebel Without a Cause” and books like J.D. Without a Cause” and books like J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”

The postwar era witnessed The postwar era witnessed tremendous economic growth and tremendous economic growth and rising social contentment and rising social contentment and conformity. Life was good for many conformity. Life was good for many Americans. More families owned homes Americans. More families owned homes than ever before. For many Americans; than ever before. For many Americans; the 1950s were a quiet; prosperous the 1950s were a quiet; prosperous time. This would change as the time. This would change as the 1960s1960s arrived.arrived.

Good-bye 1950sGood-bye 1950sGood-bye 1950sGood-bye 1950s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3-OaNevkfg&list=PLuK6flVU_Aj45QZ_A5ld0-pP3CIkoNQDk&index=19