the postwar boom what is the american dream of the 1950?
TRANSCRIPT
The Postwar Boom
What is the American Dream of the 1950?
Examine the Issues
How does pressure to conform affect the American dream?
Who might be excluded from the new prosperity?
How does advertising promote certain lifestyles and ideals?
Postwar AmericaMain Idea
The Truman and Eisenhower administrations led the nation to make
social, economic, and political adjustments following World War II.
Why it Matter Today
In the years after WW II, the U.S. became the economic and military power that it
still is today
Readjustment and Recovery By the summer of 1946, about 10 million men and women had been
released from the armed forces. Impact of the GI Bill
Encouraged veterans to get an education Loans for housing
Housing Crisis 1945-1946- housing shortage William Levitt & Henry Kaiser Suburbs- small communities surrounding cities.
Leviitown Redefining the Family
Women were reluctant to give up their jobs Economic Readjustment
Unemployment on the rise June 30, 1946- prices skyrocketed Congress reestablished controls similar to the wartime controls on prices,
wages, and rents. Remarkable Recovery
The demand for goods and services outstripped the supply and increased production, which created new jobs.
Meeting Economic Challenges
Despite and impressive recovery, Americans faced a number of economic problems.
“Had Enough”Truman
Faces Strikes
Truman’sInheritance
EconomicChallenges
Social Unrest Persists
Problems arose not only in the economy but in the very fabric of society
After WW II, a wave of racial violence erupted in the South.
Social Unrest
Truman Civil Rights
1948 Election The Fair Deal
July 1948Integration of Armed Forces
DixiecratsGov. Strom Thurmond
Thomas Dewey
Ext. of Roosevelt’s New DealMin. wage raisedSocial Security
Republicans Take the Middle Road
Despite these social and economic victories, Truman’s approval rating sank to an all-time low of 23 % in 1951.
Dem. Adlai Stevenson Rep. General Dwight D. Eisenhower I Like Ike!
Running mate- Richard Nixon “Checkers Speech”
1st speech delivered on television Walking the Middle of the Road
“Dynamic Conservatism”- conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings.
1954 Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka Public schools to be integrated
Rosa Parks Refused to give up her seat to a white man (Montgomery, AL)
Postwar AmericaReview
How did the GI Bill of Rights help World War II veterans? Tuition reimbursements provided an incentive for
education; a year’s unemployment benefits gave financial support for job searches; loans helped them buy homes or farms or establish businesses.
What domestic and foreign issues concerned voters during the 1952 presidential election? The Korean War stalemate, the rise of McCarthyism,
the threat of communism, the expanding power of the federal government, alleged corruption among Truman’s political allies, inflation, and labor unrest.
The American Dream in the Fifties
Main Idea
During the 1950’s, the economy boomed, and many Americans enjoyed material
comfort.
Why it Matters Today
The “American dream” a notion that was largely shaped by the fifties, is still
pursued today.
The Organization and the Organization Man
During the 1950’s, businesses expanded rapidly.
More people began to work in higher-paid, white-collar positions-clerical, managerial, or professional occupations.
Conglomerates
Franchises
SocialConformity
The Suburban Lifestyle
Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there.
New highways, affordable cars, and gasoline made it easy to commute to the city.
13 millions homes built in the 1950’s, 85% were built in the suburbs.
Suburban Lifestyles The Baby Boom
1957- 1 infant born every 7 seconds
1957- 4,308,000 Advances in Medicine & Childcare
Dr. Jonas Salk Cure for Polio
Dr. Benjamin Spock Common Sense Book of Baby &
Child Care Women’s Roles
Betty Frieden- The Feminine Mystique
Leisure in the 50’s Fishing, Hunting, Bowling,
attended baseball, football games. Magazines- Sport Illustrated,
Reader’s Digest
The Automobile Culture
Problemsw/Pollution
& Traffic
Increased Mobility
InterstateHighwaySystem
RecreationalUses
Automania
Consumerism Unbound
By the mid-1950’s, nearly 60% of Americans were members of the middle class.
More money to buy and more products on the market. Consumerism- buying material goods.
New Products Appliances- washing machines, dishwashers, blenders, etc. Recreational items- televisions, tape recorders, hi-fi’s
Planned Obsolescence Manufacturers purposely designed products to become obsolete-that is,
to wear out or become outdated. Buy now, Pay later The Advertising Age
Newspapers, magazines, billboards, radio, and television 1941- $9 for a 30 second spot 2001 Superbowl- $2.2 million
The American Dream in the FiftiesReview
What shift in employment trends had occurred by the mid-1950’s? By 1956, the majority of Americans held white-collar
jobs. How did life in the suburbs provide the model for
the American dream? Suburbia offered affordable single-family houses,
good schools, a safe environment for children, and neighbors like themselves.
Popular Culture
Main Idea
Mainstream Americans, as well as the nation’s subcultures, embraced new forms of
entertainment during the 1950’s
Why it Matters Today
Television and rock ‘n’ roll, integral parts of the nation’s culture today, emerged during the postwar
era.
New Era of the Mass Media
Compared with other mass media-means of communication that reach large audiences-television developed with lightning speed.
1948- 9% had television 1950- 55% had television 1960- 90% had television
Mass Media
Rise of T.V. Sterotypes Radio & Movies
1949- 1st broadcastFCC
Father Knows BestMainly White Actors
Westerns
Radio Advertising1954- Color
1953- CinemaScope
A Subculture Emerges
Although the mass media found a wide audience for their portrayals of mostly white popular culture.
The Beat Movement Expressed the social and literary nonconformity of
artists, poets, and writers. “Beatniks”
African Americans and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Musicians in the 1950’s added electronic instruments to traditional blues music, creating rhythm and blues.
The audience was mostly white was usually produced by African-American musicians.
Alan Freed- combination of rhythm and blues and country and pop, called Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Chuck Berry, Bill Haley & the
Comets, Elvis Presley The Racial Gap
Nat “King” Cole, Lena Horne Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy
Popular CultureReview
What strategies did radio stations use to counteract the mass popularity of television? Local programming of news, weather, music, ad
conformity issues; targeting specific audiences, such as African Americans.
How did African-Americans performers influence American popular culture in the 1950’s? African-American music and performers greatly
influenced rock ‘n’ roll.
The Other America
Main Idea
Amidst the prosperity of the 1950’s, millions of Americans lived in poverty.
Why it Matters Today
America today continues to experience a marked income gap between affluent and nonaffluent
people.
The Urban Poor
Despite the portrait painted by popular culture, life in postwar America did not live up to the “American dream.”
1962- 1 out of 4 Americans was living below the poverty line.
Urban Poor
White Flight Inner Cities Urban Renewal
SuburbsRural poor-Inner Cities
African Ams- Urban Areas
1959- $2,9732000- $17,601
Michael Harrington
Nat’l Housing ActHousing & Urban Devel.
(HUD)
Poverty Leads to Activism
Despite ongoing poverty, during the 1950’s, African Americans began to make significant strides toward the reduction of racial discrimination and segregation.
Mexicans Seek Employment Braceros- hired hands 1942 allowed to enter the U.S. on a short term basis
The Longoria Incident Felix Longoria- WW II Hero killed in the Philippines Refused burial services GI Forum & Unity League of California
Native Americans Continue Their Struggle 1944- National Congress of American Indians Congress’ Two Main Goals:
Ensure for Native Americans equal rights Enable Native Americans on reservations to retain their own customs
Poverty Leads to Activism
The Termination Policy 1953- Government will give up responsibility for
Native American tribes. Termination Policy- eliminated federal economic
support, discontinued the reservation system, and distributed tribal land among individual Native Americans.
Failure 1963- Termination Policy was abandoned.
The Other AmericaReview
How did many major cities change in the 1950’s? Many white families moved to the suburbs and the
rural poor moved into the cities, which contributed to the economic decline of many large cities.
What obstacles to improving their lives did Native Americans face in the 1950’s? Racial prejudice, inadequate education, lack of
jobs, and poor access to medical care.