Post-WWII America

Define reconversion and explain the concern with this.

Changing from wartime to peacetime, How do we avoid depression?

Define demobilization and explain why it was delayed after WWII.

Reduce military, delayed b/c of Cold War

Explain the purpose of the GI Bill and what it offers to GIs.

gave money to vets for education, job training, starting a business. Created to help stop flood into jobs (do it slowly).

Explain the Employment Act of 1946.

Created Council of Economic Advisors for president.

Explain the reasons why people had money to spend during the postwar years.

People saved money during war due to rationing, now they are spending it.

Explain what the government did with their money during the postwar years.

We help foreign countries rebuild.

Identify the 22nd Amendment.

Limits presidents to 2 terms, created b/c FDR elected more than twice.

Explain the Taft-Hartley Act. (how was it passed, who did it hurt, and how)

Truman vetoes bill, Congress overrides veto.

Hurts unions: Created a 80 day cool off period (no strike), secondary boycotts illegal, union leaders had to sign oath saying they aren't Communist.

Identify the foreign issues during Truman's presidency.

Cold War, Truman Doctorine.

Explain Truman's Fair Deal.

domestic policy, named after New Deal policies, suggests laws to help minorities, outlaw poll tax, make lynching a fed. crime, raise min. wage, and more low income housing.

Explain why the Fair Deal failed.

Congress used a term called fillibuster (long speech in congress to stop vote), sneaky tactic.

Identify Eisenhower's background.

mil. gen.

Explain the Eisenhower's election of 1952. (party, campaign, and platform)

Republican

Identify what position Richard

Nixon had at this time.

Vice president

Explain the purpose of Nixon's

"Checkers Speech"

Nixon accused of taking bribes, goes on TV + gives the "checkers speech", people loved him.

Explain how Eisenhower worked

with his cabinet.

Worked well w/ cabinet/advisors, "Hidden Hand" pres., when sick things still go well

Explain Eisenhower's Modern Republicanism. (why is it called this, what did he do)

Don't link him to old Republicans+Hoover w/Great Dep., he's modern. Conservative w/ gov. spending + liberal or social issues, doesn't really work.

Identify the domestic issues during

Eisenhower's presidency.

Highway Act: we built a lot of highways, 1950's, connected major cities, makes jobs, helps mil. movement. Military build up: against military build up, weird b/c he's a mil. gen.

Explain why a consumer culture occurred during the postwar years.

Spend more bc we saved during war, wages up, and credit card (Diners Club) - 1st credit card

Explain how U.S. is ranked in the world when it comes to consumerism.

US makes up 6% of world pop., take in 1/3 of worlds goods, own 40% of worlds wealth

Explain the changes in products. (what made people buy)

Production goes up, targeted ads become big, planned obsolescence: Make poor quality, change styles, updates.

Explain the changes in work. (what industries grew, what happened with union, define automation)

AFL-CIO merge together, travel industry grew, white-collar became majority of jobs in Am., automation becomes normal- machines are doing the work. good-faster, cheaper bad- takes jobs. agriculture- better machines for farming.

Explain the reasons behind the baby boom.

More money, higher marriage rate, better medical advances.

Explain the positive aspects of the baby boom.

Buy things - good for the economy

Explain the negative aspects of the baby boom.

Strain on institution (doctors, schools)

Explain where mothers got parenthood advice from and what happened to mothers.

Dr. Spock - "Baby + Child care" - Child-centered homes, affected mothers - Moms can't live up to expectations, alcohol/drug use,Empty Nest Syndrome

Describe the 3 migration patterns in the U.S. during the 1950s.

Rural to cities, cities to suburbs, North to Sunbelt.

Explain why car sells boomed during the fifties.

Need car to move to suburbs, car industry took off, Car became symbol of status, drive-ins/throughs became popular.

Explain the term "Keeping Up with the Joneses"

Means competing with your neighbors, 1950s all about conforming.

Identity the term Levittown.

Mass-produced neighborhoods (all look the same)

Explain life in suburbia during the 1950s.

Cooperation- neighbors helped eachother, Cities-poor, crime.

Explain why religion popularity increased during the postwar years.

Went up, why: threats of Cold war (nukes), opposite of Communism, its stable (life is changing fast), gov response: put God on our $$, add under God to the pledge.

Explain how minorities were discriminated against in the suburbs.

Home, jobs, schools discrim. continued

Explain the sex discrimination women faced during the postwar years.

sexual harassment was normal at work, can't do anything about it. Women are nurses, teachers, secretaries.

Identify some of the television shows of the 1950s.

leave it to Beaver, I love Lucy, Howdy Doody.

TV portrayed the perfect family, 1950s-most families have TV, becomes the norm.

Explain the businesses television helped.

Sports(football), advertisement.

Explain what happened to the movie industry during the 1950s.

attendance down bc of TV

Explain how the movie industry tried to draw in audiences.

3D movies became popular

the rebel - James Dean, sex symbol - Marilyn Monroe

Explain how music changed during the 1950s and what helped to make music more popular.

R&B became new rock and roll, Am. Band Stand - TV show

Explain how sports changed during the 1950s.

TV made sports bigger, Jacky Robinson - 1st African American in major league baseball

Identify the author and explain what The Lonely Crowd is about.

Conformity

Identify the author and explain what The Affluent Society is about.

Criticizes the wealthy class.

Identity the author and explain what Catch-22 is about.

Anti-war

Identify the author and explain what Catcher In the Rye is about.

Conformity

Identify the author and explain what Invisible Man is about.

Racism

Identify the author and explain what On the Road is about.

Anti-materialism

Identify the term Beat Generation or Beatnik.

nickname for writers who are anti-conformity

Explain how art changed during the 1950s.

Abstract expression

-Conveys feelings w/no forms/objects

-Jackson Pollack

Identify some fads and introductions from the 1950s.

Fads: raccoon-skin hats, side burns (elvis), seattle shoes, poodle skirts, cramming, and hoola hooping. Introductions: Mr. potato head, barbie's, whiffle ball, and ant farms.

Explain JFK background. (family, career, author etc)

WWII hero, father him raised to be president, Congressman, writes "Profiles in Courage" (Am.-Leadership)

Explain the religious factor that played a role in JFK's election.

Catholic, fear that he will listen to the Pope. What he does: He separates his religion from his policy, reassured the public.

Explain the significance of Kennedy and Nixon debates.

1st TV debate, does it prove looks matter?

Identify the year Kennedy was elected and explain the closeness of the race.

1961, JFK (D) wins, CLOSE election

Explain the key points of JFK's inaugural address.

New generation- The young are now in power, solved Cold War.

Identify JFK's vice president, attorney general. And describe his cabinet.

Lyndon Johnson- VP, Attorney Gen.- Robert Kennedy.

Cabinet- Young,intelligent, decisive.

Identify the foreign issues Kennedy

faced during his presidency.

Cuban Missile Crisis, Cold War, Vietnam

Identify and explain Kennedy's

domestic policy.

New Frontier- Civil Rights, medical insurance for elderly, help inner cities (bad cities, they receive more $$ b/c of issues), most will happen under LBJ (b/c he was assassinated)

Where and when was JFK assassinated.

Dallas, Tx. 1963

Identify Lee Harvey Oswald and explain what happened to him.

accused assassin, killed.

Identify the Warren Commission and explain their findings.

Gov. group that investigated the crime, determined that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, + so did his killer Jack Ruby.

Identify some of the other theories surrounding JFK's death.

Castro/Cuba, Mafia, US military

Explain LBJ's War on Poverty.

Head Start - (Preschool for disadvantaged kids), literacy programs, legal services (lawyers, appointed for free for many things for poor people)

Explain LBJ's Great Society.

Domestic plan - Civil Rights, healthcare, low-income housing, non-biased immigration laws.