Chapter 37

Economic Boom Huge surge in home-building

80% were in the suburbs. Revolution in electronics. Made

businesses more efficient and fueled business expansions.

Aerospace industry also took off. Revolution in the work force—

white-collar workers exceeds blue-collar for the first time.

Union membership as percentage of employees peaks in 1954 and then steadily declines for the rest of the century.

The Duel Role of Women 1950s cult of domesticity. Most women retreated to being

mothers and home-makers. Quiet revolution of women entering

the work force. Of 40 Million jobs created between

1950-80, 30 Million were in the clerical and service sector. Women filled the vast majority of these jobs.

Leads to the women’s movement.Complaints of women in the work force.

Feminine Mystique Betty Friedan publishes the Feminine

Mystique in 1963; opening bell of the Feminist Movement.

Attacked the boredom of housewifery and a system that told women they shouldn’t want more.

Validated women who wanted more than being a wife and mother.

Rosie the Riveter's Daughters

Consumer Culture In The Fifties First credit card emerged in 1950 and quickly caught on. First McDonalds opened in 1950 1955 Disneyland opens New consumerism based on easy credit, quick and easy

food and other services and new entertainment. TV exploded. Sports Franchises like the Dodgers and Giants moved to

California and sports were increasingly seen on TV. Birth of Rock and Roll.

Elvis fuses Blues and Country. Kids love it. Parents hate it.

Democrats in 1952 Prospects for the

Democrats in 1952 were relatively bleak. Why?Truman clash with

MacArthurmilitary deadlock in KoreaWar-bred inflationAlso, 20 years of

Democratic presidents Democrats nominate Adlai

Stevenson

Ike Republicans run Eisenhower

who is immensely popular. Richard Nixon selected as VP.

Nixon had established a reputation as an anti-communist

Ike leaves the heavy-hitting to Nixon.

Nixon and the Checkers Speech Spoke directly to voters with an

emotional appeal Showed the power of television in

politics

Ike Wins Easily

Ending Korea Ike goes to Korea before the

inauguration to jump-start the peace talks to no effect.

He gets things going when he threatens to use nuclear weapons.

Armistice (not a peace treaty) end fighting and returns the border to the 38th parallel.

The border continues to be very tense and the two Koreas technically remain at war.

US leaves troops permanently stationed on the border as a trip wire.

54,000 American dead in the war. 1 Mill. dead Chinese and Koreans from both sides.

Ike Takes Command Ike was the right man for the

times. People yearned for Harding’s Normalcy.

Ike was both a soothing figure who would not challenge the people and would support business

As a former General was a comforting man to have at the helm in the Cold War.

Ike strove to stay above the partisan fray.

But, failed to use his popularity as a tool for moving and shaping the country. He is a care-taker president.

Fall of Joe McCarthy McCarthy most ruthless anti-

communist fear-monger, McCarthy’s tactics were aimed at

the Democratic Party Accusations against George

Marshall Did damage to American

traditions of free speech and fair play

Ike and the party were afraid to get in his way

Army McCarthy Hearings are his undoing.

Desegregating The South In 1950 2/3 of Americas 15

million blacks still lived in the South.

Jim Crow laws Only 20% of eligible blacks

were registered to vote. Treatment of black war vets. Emmett Till 1944—An American Dilemma

exposed the two societies that existed in America; white and black

Jackie Robinson

Blacks Push Back NAACP use courts to attempt

to dismantle segregation. 1944—Supreme Court

invalidates the All-White primary

1950 Supreme court overturned “separate but equal” in professional schools

1955—Rosa Parks and Birmingham Bus Boycott

Martin Luther King.

Seeds Of Civil Rights Revolution 1948-Truman integrates the

military Congress stubbornly resists

passing Civil Rights legislation. Earl Warren and Supreme

Court used the courts to be active in social issues

The Supreme Court began to address issues the President and Congress would not.

Brown v. Board of Education—1954

Little Rock School Integration Orval Faubus and National Guard

Civil Right Progresses 1957 Congress passes the first

Civil Rights Bill since Reconstruction. Relatively Mild Sets up Civil Rights Commission to

investigate violations of civil rights and allows the government to protect voting rights

1957 King formed the Southern Christian Leadership conference (SCLC) Used black churches to mobilize

efforts to gain Civil Rights Why? Black churches had been the best

organized institutions in a segregated society

Sit-In Movement 1960 Sit-in movement

begins in Greensboro North Car. Becomes an effective mass movement.

April 1960 Southern Black students formed the Student Non-Violent coordinating Committee (SNCC). Often at odds with SCLC and

NAACP because they wanted more immediate change

Eisenhower Republicanism At Home “Dynamic conservatism” Eisenhower tried to balance the federal budget, but was

only successful 3 out of 8 years. Eisenhower wanted to shrink the federal government and

he cut defense spending Government also deported as many as 1 million Mexicans Canceled many of the gains made by Native Americans Eisenhower and the New Deal

He expanded social security and unemployment insurance Interstate Highway Act of 1956 Massive government spending program

$27 billion to build 42,000 miles of roads Robbed the railroads of business and created a disaster for inner

cities and downtowns by taking away their businesses

A New Look In Foreign Policy

Ike pledged to roll back communism and liberate captive peoples

Rejected idea of containment Sec. of State, John Foster Dulles.

Also pledged to reduce military spending.

How to do both? Massive air power Strategic long-range bombers.

Strategic Air Command (SAC) Ike also sought, with only limited

success, to thaw the Cold War. New Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev

rejected open skies, and mutual inspection of both countries militaries

Hungary 1956 Soviets crush a democratic

uprising in Hungary. One of the most western-leaning of

the Eastern-European countries. Reaffirms fears that Soviets are out

to create a communist empire. America refused to provide aid to

pro-western Hungarians Reveals the problem with security

based on massive retaliation. Problem in Hungary was too minor

to use nuclear weapons Atomic bombs and massive

retaliation was an expensive foreign policy

VietnamFrench Indochina Nationalist movement wanted to

get rid of colonial rulers 1954 French in Viet Nam facing a

very determined guerrilla movement.

US was financing about 80% of the French costs.

March 1954 French garrison at Dienbienphu defeated.

International conference divides Viet Nam.

US backs the south with economic and military aid

Menaces In The Middle East Fear of Soviet influence in oil rich middle

east 1953- Pro-U.S. ruler put into place in Iran

backed by CIA sponsored coup Egypt and the Suez Crisis

US. and British supported Arab nationalist president Nasser

Nasser also seeks Soviet support Nasser takes control of Suez Canal and

threatens to cut off flow of oil from the Middle East

United Nations troops used for the first time to maintain order

Suez crisis last time U.S. could use “oil weapon”

1948 U.S. was no longer an exporter of oil

Eisenhower Doctrine Eisenhower Doctrine in 1957. Middle East remains a key American

strategic area for the rest of the century. Goals:

Keep Soviets out so that they cannot control the oil.

Protect Israel.Keep the Arab nations friendly to US so that

continue to supply oil.Give them lots of economic and military aid

The Voters Still Like “Ike” In 1956

Hungary and the Suez made voters concerned about foreign affairs

Gave Ike a huge advantage in 1956 election. Democrats re-nominate Stevenson. Ike trounces Stevenson even worse than the last

time, 457-73. Ike has no coat-tails and Congress remains in the

hands of the Democrats.

Round Two For “Ike” Ike in poor health in his second term and

turned a lot of the work over to his underlings.

Goes after labor unions; had increasingly been found to be corrupt and infiltrated by the mob.

Worst example was the Teamsters Union. Landrum-Griffin Act

Designed to keep corruption out of labor union leadership

The Race Into Space 1957- Sputnik was launched by

the Soviets Huge PR win for USSR. Impact on US psyche Concern about “Missile Gap” Led to space race and

development of NASA Led to renewed emphasis on

science and math training in schools.

The Continuing Cold War Khrushchev wanted to

meet with Eisenhower 1959 Khrushchev tours

U.S. and has a successful visit

Summit at Camp David is a success

U-2 spy plane incident sours relations again. Gary Powers is paraded

around Moscow and put on trial by Soviet government

Castro in Cuba Many in Latin America resented

U.S. actions toward them Support for anti-communist

dictators and not giving the region financial aid like Western Europe

Cuban rebels under Castro throw out the repressive Cuban dictator, Batista

New leader Fidel Castro seizes U.S. property

USSR backs Castro. Cuba seen as Soviet proxy. Khrushchev threatens U.S. if

they attack Cuba

Kennedy v. Nixon In 1960, Nixon is the front-runner.

Very visible VP; famous debate with Khrushchev in Moscow.

Reputation as a unprincipled and nasty politician

Democratic race is close in the primaries, but John F. Kennedy wins out over Lyndon Johnson, Senator from Texas. LBJ is nominated for VP.

The Presidential Issues Of 1960 Kennedy’s Catholicism.

Kennedy neutralized the issue Kennedy charges that Republicans have

caused a missile gap. Television played an important role.

Nixon-Kennedy Debate. Kennedy won relatively easily in the electoral

college, but by only 100,000 votes in the popular vote.