1950s and 1960s

What did the GI Bill enable soldiers to do after World War II?

The Gl Bill enabled soldiers to get an education by having Congress pay part of their tuition. Also, it guaranteed them a year’s worth of unemployment benefits while they were job hunting and it offered low-interest federally guaranteed loans. Many young families used these benefits to establish businesses or buy homes.

What problems did soldiers face after returning from World War II?

The problems that soldiers faced returning from World War II was a housing crisis. This was because many families moved in with relatives or lived in cramped apartments. 

1. How was the housing crisis solved?  What phrase is associated with this solution?

The housing crisis was solved when developers such as Henry Kaiser and William Levitt used assembly line methods to mass-produce houses. Levitt offered homes in small residential communities which surrounded cities which were called suburbs, and they were sold for less than $7,000. 

1. What impact did postwar society have on family?

Postwar society led to changes in the roles of men and women which led to an increasing divorce rate. Originally, men were the heads of the household and breadwinner while women stayed at home and cared for the family. During the war, women entered the paid work force and many were reluctant to give up this newfound independence when their husbands returned from the war. 

1. How did the government transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy?

The government transitioned from a wartime to a peacetime economy by canceling war contracts which totaled $35 billion. Also, over a million defense workers were laid off and this increased unemployment. 

1. What other challenges were faced in the economic readjustment?

Challenges faced in the economic readjustment included the rising unemployment rate and and the prices of consumer products skyrocketing. Not only were prices very high, but American workers were earning less than they earned during the war. 

1. What were the positive impacts on postwar society?

The positive impact on postwar society was that Americans had money to spend and they began to buy many things ranging from cars to houses. The American economy began to boom and new jobs were created because of the demand for goods and services outstripping the supply which led to increased production.

Consumerism Abound(1950s)

Buying of material goods = status symbol

The Automobile

• Car sales increase to 7.9 million(1955)

• “Keeping up with the Joneses”

Suburbia

• Interstate Highway Act(1956) leads to suburbs(Levittown)

• Drive-thrus, drive-ins, traffic, and pollution became more common

New Products Influence Society

• Household appliances

• advertising

• buying on credit

• planned obsolescence - building things to break down

TV and Advertising

• Connect with the public, celebrities/athletes, convenience

• 1.5 billion in advertising(1955)

• FCC created

• TV guide

• Adds to stereotypes

• American family stereotypes such as females in the kitchen and white families being true Americans and not blacks.

Rock n Roll

• It was so popular in the 1950s because it fell in line with the rebellion of young people.

• It was so controversial because Elvis made provocative movements on stage.

The Beat Movement

Beatniks

• Criticized conformity

• Cared little for material culture

• Made up of rebellious writers and intellectuals

• Significant influence on 1960s rebellion

Dwight D. Eisenhower(1953-1961)

• Former General who commanded the Allied forces in WWII

• Trusted and admired

• Personified the 1950s

• Eisenhower was cautious about being outspoken about McCarthyism

Modern Republicanism

• Fiscally conservative

• very hands off

• delegated authority

• shied from legislative work

• supported big business

1952 Election

• Landslide victory for Eisenhower(442 electoral votes(34 million popular) for Eisenhower and 89 electoral votes(27 million popular) for Adlai Stevenson)

• Republicans controlled both he House and the Senate

Eisenhower Impact

• Space Race

  • 1957 - Sputnik

  • Money to schools for science and foreign languages

  • 1958 - NASA

• Interstate Highway System

  • Highway Act(1956)

  • 42,000 miles of interstate highways linking major cities

  • Created jobs

  • Improved national defense

Civil Rights

• 1954 - Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka

  • Segregation = unconstitutional

• 1955 - Montgomery Bus Boycott

  • Rosa Parks

• 1956 - Supreme Court rules segregation laws unconstitutional

Culture of the 1950s

• “Consensus Mood”

  • Conform to norms

  • Consensus on political issues

  • Conform to social behavior

  • Waiting for the bomb to drop

  • Patriotism

• Consumer Culture

  • TV, advertising, shopping centers

  • Money to spend

Counterculture

• Counterculture was a social movement that rejected traditional authorities and advocated for peace, love, social justice, and revolution. The social movement was in the U.S., Canada, and western Europe.

• The values supported by members of the 1960s counterculture were peace, love, social justice, and revolution.

• The activities that represented 1960s counterculture were recreational drug use, communal living, political parties, casual sex, and folk and rock music.

• Specific social movements supported by 1960s counterculture included

  • Vietnam War protests

  • Racial Equality

  • Women’s Rights

  • Gay Rights

  • Sexual Freedom

Hippies

• The hippies were mainly white, middle-class, young Americans.

• Hippies let their hair grow long and many men has facial hair. They wore colorful clothes and had sandals. Many were vegetarians and they often travelled across the country.

Musicians with impact on counterculture

1. The Grateful Dead

2. The Beatles

3. Joan Baez

4. Jefferson Airplane

5. Velvet Underground

How did the counterculture movement have an impact on Civil Rights?

It led to the creation of the Black Panther Party, which protected black communities from police brutality and advocated for black people to get guns to protect themselves.

Feminism

The belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men.

National Organization for Women(NOW)

It was created by 28 women, including Betty Friedan, to pursue women’s goals.

Gloria Steinem

She was a journalist, political activist, and supporter of the women’s liberation movement.

Equal Rights Amendment(ERA)

It guaranteed that both men and women would have the same rights and protections under the law.

Phyllis Schlafly

He was against the Equal Rights Amendment because he believed it would lead to a “parade of horribles.”

The Feminine Mystique

It was a bestseller that galvanized women across the country.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

It created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) however some women believed it did not adequatly address women’s grievances.

Title IX(Higher Education Act)

Congress passed a ban on gender discrimination as part of Title IX(Higher Education Act).

Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court rules that women can have an abortion within the first three months of pregnancy.

McCarthyism

• McCarthyism is the unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without providing evidence. The impact is that millions of Americans were forced to take loyalty oaths and many people were afraid to speak out on public issues. Also, anti-communism began to drive U.S. foreign policy.

• The Army-McCarthy hearings were when McCarthy made accusations against the U.S. army which led to a nationally televised Senate investigation. The impact was that McCarthy lost public support due to him bullying witnesses and he was condemned by the Senate for improper conduct.

Fair Deal

• It was an extension of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Fair Deal raised the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents, increased Social Security coverage to 10 million more people, and initiated flood control and irrigation projects. 

Post WWII Adjustments - Soldiers

• There was a housing crisis and many people were living in cramped apartments or moved in with relatives. 

G.I. Bill of Rights

• It allowed returning veterans to get an education by having Congress pay part of their tuition. Also, it guaranteed them a year's worth of unemployment benefits while job hunting and it offered low-interest federally guaranteed loans. Many young families used these benefits to establish businesses or buy homes. 

22nd Amendment

The President is limited to 2 terms.

1950’s - Role of Women

• Women appeared in stereotypical roles on television and male characters outnumbered women characters three to one. During WW2, women entered the paid work force and many were reluctant to give up this independence when their husbands returned from war.

Consumerism

• Consumerism is the buying of material goods. 

Advertising(impacts)

• Ads were everywhere and people were being prompted to buy goods ranging from cars to cereals to cigarettes. 

Planned obsolescence

• Manufacturers purposefully designed products to wear down and break in a short period of time. This was to encourage consumers to purchase more goods. 

“Keeping up with the Joneses”

•  Keeping up with the average American family. 

Conformity

• Following social norms and expectations to fit in. 

Impact of TV

• The TV led to the rise of advertisement. It also led to stereotypes as people became obsessed with TV. 

Rock n Roll

• Elvis Presley. He was considered negatively by the older generation due to his provocative body movements on stage. 

Interstate Highway System(Act)

• It authorized the building of a national highway network of 41,000 miles. The new roads encouraged the developments of new suburbs that were farther away from cities. 

Brown v. Board of Education

• The Supreme Court rules that public schools must be racially integrated. 

Little Rock Crisis

• 9 African Americans students attempted to integrate into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were prevented from entering by white mobs and police ordered by the Arkansas governor. Initially, President Eisenhower did not want to get involved but he eventually sent in the troops to escort the students to school. 

McCarthyism/Red Scare

• ​​McCarthyism is the unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without providing evidence. The impact is that millions of Americans were forced to take loyalty oaths and many people were afraid to speak out on public issues. Also, anti-communism began to drive U.S. foreign policy. 

• The red scare was the fear of the spread of communism into the U.S.

1960 Presidential Election

• It was the first televised presidential election and there were about 70 million viewers. Kennedy was the democrat and Nixon was the Republican. John F. Kennedy won a very close election. 

New Frontier

• The goals were to end racial discrimination(civil rights), federal aid to education, medical care for the elderly, halt the recession, and have urban renewal projects. Most of this was stopped by Congress, however it was later passed by Lyndon Johnson. 

JFK Assassination

• He was assassinated on November 22, 1963 while in Dallas, Texas. The third bullet was the fatal bullet and Lyndon Johnson was in a limousine 60 feet behind Kennedy when this happened. 

Civil Rights Act of 1964

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC). It prohibited discrimination in job hiring practices and the goal was to create equal employment opportunities.

Environmental Legislation(Rachel Carson)

• Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring which exposed the hidden danger which was the effect of pesticides on the environment. This led to a public outcry.

Healthcare

• Medicare was created to provide hospital insurance and low-cost medical insurance for almost every American who is age 65 or older.

• Medicaid was created and it extended health insurance to welfare recipients.

1950’s - Beatniks

• The beatniks criticized conformity and cared little for material culture. They were made up of rebellious writers and intellectuals and they had a significant influence on the 1960s rebellion.

1960’s - Hippies

• The Hippies were mainly white, middle-class, young Americans. The hippies let their hair grow long and many men had facial hair. They wore colorful clothes and had sandals. Many were vegetarians and they often travelled across the country. 

National Organization for Women(NOW)

It was created by 28 women, including Betty Friedan, to pursue women’s goals. They pushed for the creation of child-care facilities that would enable mothers to pursue jobs and education.

Equal Rights Amendment(ERA)

• It guaranteed that both men and women would have the same rights and protections under the law. 

Vietnam War Domestic Impacts

• Vietnam War protests and people began to wonder why the U.S. is involved in this conflict. People began pressuring the government to leave the war.