The Fabulous

FiftiesUnit 5 HUSH

The Mood of the The Mood of the 1950s1950s

•After WWII, many Americans were blessed with wealth, success, and leisure. •Conformity seemed the order of the day.

–Even the suits were the same!

The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit

The American DreamThe American Dream• The ‘American Dream’

came true for many people in the postwar years

• For millions of Americans the 1950’s meant peace and prosperity– American life was

characterized by a home in the suburbs and a car in the garage

• However, this high standard put pressure on many Americans to live up to the ‘Joneses’

Father Knows Best

Technology Transforms LifeTechnology Transforms Life

• Television

• Computers-transistors

• Nuclear Power

• Advances in Medicine

GI Bill

• Formally known as the “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944”

• Offered low interest loans for new homes– WWII veterans benefited from the legislation

• Created a new phenomena– Suburbia

Changes in the WorkforceChanges in the Workforce

• By 1956 a majority of American workers held white-collar jobs

• Growth of the service industry• Blue-collar workers saw improved

working conditions• American Federation of Labor and

Congress of industrial Organizations merged into the AFL-CIO

Consumer Credit GrowsConsumer Credit Grows

• Credit cards, used to charge goods and services

• Diner’s Club, 1950• American express• BankAmericard

(VISA)

Challenges to ConformityChallenges to Conformity

• Music: Rock and Roll – Elvis Presley

• Films: Rebel Without a Cause

• Books: The Catcher in the Rye

• The “Beat Generation”

James Dean“Rebel without

a Cause”

The Beat Generation• The Beat movement began in the

early 1950's with a small and tightly connected group of young writers who demonstrated a care-free, often reckless and unquestionably fresh approach to literature as well as a demonstrative social stance toward what was sometimes referred to as "The Establishment

• The term "beat" bears connotations of down-beat, worn out, down-and-out, drop-out and beatitude.

Who were the “Beats”?•The term “Beat” was reportedly coined by Jack Kerouac in the late 1940's, but became more common at about the time that writers like himself, Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti were beginning to get noticed.

•The term ‘beat’ soon gave this generation with a definitive label for their personal and social positions and perspectives.

•The most famous book by a Beat poet was On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

Beat Poetry•The Beat Generation's poems had 5 major themes, or big ideas the poets thought were important.

·Rebellion/revolution·Not fitting in/being on the fringe of society·Exploration of self·Exploration of words & ideas·Search for enlightenment

““Domestic Politics and Policy”Domestic Politics and Policy”Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower used two

different styles of leadership.

Election of 1948Election of 1948

• Election of 1948 – Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey

• Had to deal with a Republican Congress

• The nation moved to a peacetime economy

The Fair Deal• The Fair Deal was the policy of social

improvement of President Truman he outlined in his 1949 State of the Union Address

• It was an ambitious social and economic program concerning:– economic security– Conservation– housing – Civil rights– Health insurance– Education– And agriculture subsides

The Taft-Hartley Act -1947

• The Taft-Hartley Act amended the Wagner Act which Congress had passed in during the New Deal in 1935.

• It severely restricted the activities and power of labor unions in the US – still largely in effect today

Dwight EisenhowerDwight Eisenhower• WWII hero and talented

diplomat • Modern Republicanism

– “conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings.”

• Chose Richard Nixon’s as his VP– Checkers Speech

• Wins election in 1952 and 1956

Technology ChallengeTechnology Challenge

• Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957

• Americans afraid of nuclear attack

• National Defense Education Act of 1958– Funded math and

science classes for American students

– Title II funds• Still available today

H-Bomb Test

Fallout Shelters

““Demands for Civil Rights”Demands for Civil Rights”

Following WWII, African Americans began to push harder in

the civil rights movement and brought about significant results.

The Struggle for EqualityThe Struggle for Equality• Truman supported civil

rights

• Congress refused to act

• Truman ended discrimination in hiring federal employees

• Truman ordered an end to segregation in the armed forces

The Struggle for Equality The Struggle for Equality

• Jackie Robinson – first African American in pro baseball

• Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers

• 1947, league’s most valuable player

• Opened the way for other African American athletes

Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education

• May 1954 Supreme Court declared that “separate but equal” was no longer permissible in public education

• “separate facilities are inherently unequal”

• Struck down Plessy v. Ferguson , 1896

Little RockLittle Rock

• 1957 Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

• The Governor posted National Guard to keep African American students out

• Eisenhower sent soldiers to protect the nine students

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott

• In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man

• Boycott – African Americans did not ride the bus system until segregation on buses changed

• Martin Luther King, Jr. became spokesperson

• Supreme Court ruled bus segregation illegal

Rosa Parks

General Douglas Macarthur

Althea Gibson

Mickey Mouse Club

The New York Yankees

Dick Clark and the American Bandstand

Allen Freed

Businesses ReorganizeBusinesses Reorganize

• Per capita income, the average income per person, increased from $1,526 to $2,788

• Conglomerates, a large corporation that owns many smaller companies that produce entirely different goods and services

• Franchises, the right to open a restaurant using a parent company’s brand name and system

Billy Graham

Bill Haley and the Comets

“Rock around the Clock”

Betty Friedan

U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over the USSR

Brown v Board

Polio Vaccine

Charles Van Doren“21”Game Show Scandal

Read and study your notes!