Post-war America

22.1: Truman and Eisenhower

Key Terms:

• GI Bill – Gave loans to veterans to start businesses, buy homes, or go to college.

• Closed shop – A rule where businesses could only hire union members.

• Right-to-work law – Made it illegal to force workers to join a union.

• Union shop – A workplace where new employees must join the union.

• Featherbedding – Creating unnecessary jobs by limiting how much work gets done.

• “Do-Nothing Congress” – Truman’s nickname for the Republican-led Congress that blocked many of his ideas.

• Fair Deal – Truman’s plan to improve the economy and help people.

• Dynamic conservatism – Eisenhower’s idea to be conservative with money but still help people when needed.

• Federal Highway Act – Funded the building of interstate highways.

Q&A:

• Why did Truman veto the Taft-Hartley Act?
  He thought it hurt free speech and was anti-worker.

• What was the impact of the 1948 election?
  Truman won even though most people didn’t expect it, and he didn’t get a majority of the popular vote.

• What actions did Eisenhower take?
  He cut spending, ended rent and price controls, vetoed a school construction plan, and reduced housing aid.

22.2: The Affluent Society

Key Terms:

• John Kenneth Galbraith – Economist who wrote about wealth and inequality.

• White-collar jobs – Office work (desk jobs).

• Blue-collar jobs – Physical labor or skilled trade jobs (like factory or construction work).

• Multinational corporation – Companies that do business in several countries.

• Franchise – A right to use a company’s name and products to open a business.

• David Riesman – Sociologist who studied how people were influenced by society.

• Levittown – Mass-produced suburban housing developments after WWII.

• Baby boom – A huge rise in births after WWII.

• Jonas Salk – Created the first safe polio vaccine.

Q&A:

• What caused the 1950s economic boom?
  People were spending more after the war, and the baby boom created demand for goods and services.

• What caused the baby boom?
  Soldiers came home and wanted to start families, the economy was strong, and there were lots of job opportunities.

• What medical/tech advances happened?
  Penicillin and the polio vaccine helped fight diseases.

22.3: Popular Culture of the 1950s

Key Terms:

• Ed Sullivan – TV host who introduced many famous acts.

• Alan Freed – Radio DJ who promoted rock and roll music.

• Elvis Presley – The “King of Rock and Roll.”

• Generation gap – The difference in values between teens and their parents.

• Jack Kerouac – Writer who was part of the Beat Generation (a group that rejected mainstream culture).

• Little Richard – One of the first big rock and roll stars.

Q&A:

• How did TV affect the economy?
  It created millions of jobs and helped many businesses grow.

• How did rock’n’roll create a generation gap?
  Teens loved it, but their parents didn’t understand or like it. It highlighted cultural differences.

• What global impact did American rock’n’roll have?
  It influenced music, fashion, and even encouraged social change worldwide.

22.4: The Other Side of American Life

Key Terms:

• Poverty line – Income level below which someone is considered poor.

• Michael Harrington – Wrote about poverty in America.

• Urban renewal – Tearing down old neighborhoods to build new things, often pushing out poor people.

• Bracero program – Allowed Mexican workers to come to the U.S. for farm work.

• Termination policy – Tried to end special treatment for Native Americans and take away tribal lands.

• Juvenile delinquency – Crimes committed by teenagers.

Q&A:

• Who didn’t benefit from the 1950s boom?
  Racial minorities, women, and non-white veterans.

• How did people feel about schools in the 1950s?
  Many thought public schools were not doing a good job of educating children.