Postwar Prosperity and Civil Rights Movement Study Guide

Sources of Postwar Prosperity (1945-1960)

Review Questions

  • Economic Growth and Prosperity:

    • What factors contributed to the strength of the American economy after World War II?

      • Union membership growth: By 1945, about 35% of the workforce was unionized (1 in 3 workers).

      • Federal government programs: These programs made opportunities available to more Americans.

    • What was different about American postwar economic prosperity from earlier periods of prosperity? What factors contributed to this difference?

Statistics

  • GDP Increase: From 1945 to 1960, GDP increased by 250%.

  • US Population vs. Resource Usage (1960): The US had 6% of the world population but used 50% of the world’s resources.

Reasons for US Dominance

  • Strength of US Industry: Post-World War II, US industry was robust.

  • US Foreign Policy: It opened markets.

Widely Shared Prosperity

  • Average Workers' Income: Increased by 35%.

  • Increases Across Income Levels: Prosperity was distributed across various income levels.

  • Critical Roles: Unions and the Federal Government played critical roles in this prosperity.

Union Gains in the Postwar Era

  • COLAs: Cost of Living Adjustments.

  • Annual Wage Increases.

  • Benefits: Health insurance, pensions, and paid vacations.

  • Trade-off: Unions cooperated with increased productivity.

Political Behavior of Unions and Members

  • Liberal Agenda: Unions supported a liberal agenda.

  • Mobilization: They mobilized members to vote, and union members generally voted at a higher rate than non-union members.

New Deal Consolidation Under Truman

  • The Fair Deal: Truman extended social security in 1949.

  • Minimum Wage Increase (1949): Increased from 40 cents per hour to 75 cents per hour.

  • National Health Insurance Proposal: Truman proposed national health insurance, but it failed to pass.

Eisenhower's Stance

  • Eisenhower, a Republican, did not challenge the consolidation of the New Deal.

Federal Government's Role in Home Ownership and College Attendance

  • Home Ownership:

    • Federal programs guaranteed home loans via FHA and VA.

    • By 1955, 40% of home loans were guaranteed.

  • Higher Education:

    • Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill) of 1944: From 1945 to 1950, 2.3 million students received 10billion10 billion in aid.

    • National Defense Education Act of 1958:

      • Aimed to improve math and science education.

      • Provided money for state universities.

      • Offered low-interest loans for students.

      • Provided fellowships for graduate students.

    • Higher Education Act of 1965:

      • Provided help to students regardless of their field of study.

      • Offered grants (no repayment) and federal loans.

      • Led to booms in student numbers.

        • 1950: 2.6 million students

        • 1960: 3.2 million students

        • 1970: 7.5 million students

      • Federal income tax rates were higher and more progressive in the postwar era.

Changing Consumption Patterns

  • Home Ownership: Increased from 40% to 60% (1945-1960).

  • Auto Industry Growth: Increased from 45% to 75% (1945-1960).

  • Television Ownership: Increased from 6,000 to 52 million (1945-1960).

  • Suburban Growth: Increased from 19% to 33% (1940-1960).

Women's Limited Share in Prosperity

  • Post-WWII Purge: In 1945-1946, women were purged from factory jobs, and their wages dropped by 26%.

  • Limited Access to Benefits: Women did not get to use benefits from the VA, FHA, and Government Assistance on their own and were often barred.

African Americans' Limited Share in Prosperity

  • Lower Wages: They had lower wages, and Black women had even lower wages.

  • Job Retention: Black men retained industry and unionized jobs over women.

  • Factory Relocation: In the mid-1950s, factories relocated outside the city, cutting off jobs for city dwellers.

  • Transportation Barriers: Only 75% of Americans had cars and the city was filled with the poor 25% who could not afford a car.

  • Housing Discrimination:

    • Restrictive Covenants: Contractual agreements prevented selling homes to Black families.

    • Shelly vs. Kramer Case: Ruled that restrictive covenants based on race were not court enforceable.

    • Lending Discrimination: Banks engaged in lending discrimination.

    • Real Estate Industry Practices: Realtors were told to keep neighborhoods single-race.

    • Neighborhood Associations and Violence: White homeowners used neighborhood associations, violence, threats, and property destruction to force colored people out of white neighborhoods.

    • Redlining: The HOLC assessed risk with black neighborhoods in red.

Key Terms

  • COLAs

  • Federal Housing Administration

  • Veterans Administration

  • GI Bill

  • National Defense Education Act

  • Higher Education Act of 1965

  • Levittown

  • Restrictive covenants

  • Redlining

Civil Rights Movement

Review Questions

  1. Problems Faced by African Americans in Postwar America:

    • Poverty Rate: Still over 50% for Black people.

    • Income Disparity in the South: Black families earned 1/3 of white family income.

    • Segregation and Disenfranchisement: Poll taxes, literacy tests, and other disenfranchisement laws.

    • Lynching: Rampant; 4,400 Black people lynched from 1865-1950, mostly in the South.

  2. Segregated Public Schools and Places After 1896:

    • Allowed due to Plessy v. Ferguson: Separation was allowed if facilities were equal.

  3. Significance of Brown v. Board of Education:

    • NAACP's Work: Challenged Plessy v. Ferguson.

    • Court Ruling: Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

    • Eisenhower's Stance: Not a supporter of integration.

    • Little Rock, AR Incident: Eisenhower had to call the national guard to protect students of color.

  4. Desegregation of Buses in Montgomery, Alabama:

    • Montgomery Bus Boycotts (1955-56):

      • Rosa Parks' Arrest: Refused to give up her seat on segregated buses.

      • 381-Day Boycott: Of buses.

      • Browder vs. Gayle: Court case declared segregated buses unconstitutional.

      • MLK Jr.: Emerged as leader and created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

  5. Desegregation of Lunch Counters:

    • Greensboro, NC Sit-In (1960): Black students denied service at Woolworth.

    • Summer of 1960 Sit-Ins: 70,000 citizens participated; over 100 cities experienced sit-ins.

    • Desegregation Agreements: 126 cities agreed to desegregate five-and-dimes and restaurants by year-end.

    • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Formed by students after the success.

  6. Desegregation of Interstate Buses:

    • Boynton v. Virginia (1960): Segregated buses deemed unconstitutional.

    • Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE): Challenged segregation on interstate buses and terminals.

    • Freedom Rides: Volunteers participated in non-violent protests but were attacked by white mobs.

    • Federal Intervention: Attorney General Robert Kennedy ordered U.S. Marshals to protect Freedom Riders.

    • Southern Cities Acceptance: Most accepted desegregation of buses and terminals.

  7. Events in Birmingham, Alabama (April 1963):

    • Protests: Led by MLK Jr. and SCLC.

    • Issues: Protesting against employment discrimination and store segregation.

    • Police Response: Police dogs and fire hoses used against protesters.

  8. Civil Rights Act of 1964:

    • Birmingham's Impact: Sparked national outrage.

    • March on Washington (August 1963):

      • Called for the passage of the Civil Rights Act.