the postwar boom: chapter nineteen somewhere over the rainbow
Post on 15-Dec-2015
228 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
The Postwar Boom: Chapter Nineteen
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
READJUSTMENT AND RECOVERY Ten million men and women in 46 try to
rebuild their lives GI Bill of Rights Purposes* Many go to live in suburbs* William Levitt built standardized homes in
treeless lots Divorce rates begin to rise due to women
working
Postwar America: Section One
Had to convert from a wartime to a peacetime economy
A million defense workers, along with veterans, were looking for work and unemployment rises
Prices on goods had risen by 25 percent—took two years for demand to catch up
Economists predicted a postwar depression—did not happen because of savings accounts*
Postwar America
MEETING ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Harry S. Truman* Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice Had to deal with the threat of communism and
restoring the American economy after the war Steelworkers, coal miners, and railroad workers
go on strike—hurts the economy* Takes over the mines; might do this with
railroads; threatens to draft workers into the army
Postwar America
Postwar America
SOCIAL UNREST PERSISTS After WWII, violence occurs
in South and veterans demand their rights
Truman willing to sacrifice not getting reelected due to his support
Commission on Civil Rights*
Congress refused to pass
Truman fights on creates executive order to ban separation of races in military and discrimination when hiring federal employees
Lower courts no longer allowed to prevent African Americans from moving into certain neighborhoods
Truman does become reelected despite opposition and creates the Fair Deal*
Postwar America
Postwar America
REPUBLICANS TAKE THE MIDDLE ROAD Truman’s approval rating sinks
due to Korean War and McCarthyism
Next election: Adlai Stevenson vs. Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower*
Republicans blame democrats for losses against communism overseas; claim federal govt. is growing too powerful; Truman admin is corrupt
Postwar America
Newspapers accuse Ike’s running mate, Nixon, of accepting private funds from wealthy supporters
The “Checkers” speech*
Speech saves his place; Eisenhower becomes pres.
The American Dream in the Fifties: Section Two
This slide is brought to you by Coca-ColaTHE ORGANIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATION MAN White collar jobs increase,
while blue collar jobs decrease*
Many work for large corporations and govt. agencies
Conglomerates* Franchises*
This slide brought to you by Betty Crocker Businesses did not want individuals, rebels, or
creative thinkers working for them Companies give personality tests to see if
people “fit in”THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE*Living in the suburbs provided good schools and a safe and healthy environment to raise kids*Returning soldiers contributed to the baby boom*
The American Dream in the Fifties
This slide is brought to you by Kool-Aid Vaccines developed to cure typhoid and polio Dr. Benjamin Spock writes a popular baby
book with the following advice* TV shows such as Father Knows Best and
Ozzie and Harriet—glorify the female* Some women work outside the home—usually
as nurses, teachers, and office workers
The American Dream in the Fifties
This slide is brought to you by Kodak Americans have more free time—standard 40 hour
work week is developed Participate in fishing, bowling, hunting, boating, and
golf Watched or attended baseball, basketball, and
football games Avid readers—read books on cooking, religion,
homemaking, romances, mysteries, and fiction Read comic books, The Reader’s Digest, Sports Illus.
The American Dream in the Fifties
This slide is brought to you by CheeriosTHE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE After WWII, there is an abundance of fuel, which
made it inexpensive Advertising and easy credit available made people
want to buy cars Living in the suburbs made having a car a necessity
for travel—much different than the city* “Automania” spurred the govt. to create highways to
link cities (41,000 miles of it created)
The American Dream in the Fifties
This slide is brought to you by 7-Up With highways and cars, new jobs are created for
vacations spots, restaurants, the movies, malls, gas stations, repair shops, and road crews
Problems with cars* “White flight” occurred with cars* Negative results with taking away jobs and
resourcesCONSUMERISM UNBOUND Consumerism*
The American Dream in the Fifties
This slide is brought to you by Ford New products began to appear such as washing
machines, blenders, freezers, microwaves, televisions, tape recorders, record players, lawn mowers, grills, lawn decorations, and swimming pools
Planned obsolescence* America becomes a “throwaway society” Americans pay for these items with credit cards and
installment buying Advertising found in newspapers, magazines, billboards,
radio, and, of course, tv
The American Dream in the Fifties
I Love LucyNEW ERA OF THE MASS MEDIA Mass media* Television: 19509 percent of homes; 195455
percent of homes; 196090 percent of homes Description of early television sets Federal Communications Commission* I Love Lucy, Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver,
Mickey Mouse Club
Popular Culture: Section Three
Popular Culture
TV launches advertising, TV Guide, and tv dinners
Programs are criticized because they weren’t accurate with women, minorities, and real problems*
Radio, now, only covers news, weather, music, advertising, and community issues
Movie industry was hurting at first; movies rely on these factors*
A SUBCULTURE EMERGES Critics against the suburban lifestyle and tv images
emerge Beat Movement* Beatniks lived a life without work—sought a higher
conciousness through Buddhism, music, and drugs Poets and writers believed in having an open
structure Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and Jack Kerouac’s On the
Road
Popular Culture
Popular Culture
AFRICAN AMERICANS AND ROCK N ROLL Electronic music was being added
to blues music Alan Freed is the first disc jockey
to play it and names the music rock ‘n’ roll*
Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley and His Comets, and Elvis Presley make the music popular amongst teenagers
Elvis picked up his style from singing in church and listening to gospel, country, and blues music
Signed to RCA and songs sold millions of copies
Rebellious style captivates audiences; screaming girls and boys tried to imitate him
Presley and the Ed Sullivan Show Many adults believed the following about
this music* Some cities ban the music Television and radio exposure would help
erase these beliefs
Popular Culture
URBAN POOR One in every four Americans lived below the
poverty level: elderly, single mothers, and minorities
Presence of white flight as African Americans moved from South to the North
Loss of taxes leaves city govts. unable to improve schools, transportation, and police and fire depts.
The Other America: Section Four
Urban renewal*POVERTY LEADS TO ACTIVISM During WWII, there was a shortage of
agricultural laborers, so the govt. hired braceros*
When employment ended, there was an expectation to return to Mexico
Many remained illegally and more entered the country to escape the poor conditions of Mexico
The Other America
1944 National Congress of Indian Affairs* WWII, Native Americans became aware of
discrimination when they came home and lost their wages and outsiders had take control of tribal lands
1953 federal govt. announces that it would give up responsibility for tribes
Termination policy* Problems of termination policy*
The Other America
top related