HOT ROC: What were 3 conditions set up by the Taft-Hartley Act?

Copy down Homework in your agenda:•Part 1: STAR Notes- pgs 557-561, due Tuesday.

Peace, Prosperity, and Progress

Peace, Prosperity, and Progress

THE 1950s:

THE 1950s:

Postwar Politics: Readjustments and Challenges

• A Rocky Transition to Peace– Truman’s “Fair Deal”

• Tried to help society by increasing minimum wage, aid to farmers and education

• Dixiecrats of the South are Democrats who favor segregation

– Inflation• War contracts are over, unemployment

rises• Price controls are over, prices rise

Postwar Politics: Readjustments and Challenges

• Truman battles the Republican Congress– 22nd Amendment: presidential term

limits

– Taft-Hartley Act: reduced the power of labor unions

– Congress resists civil rights changes• Truman fights back by desegregating the

military

• Election of 1948– Truman narrowly wins (huge surprise)

Economic Growth Creates an Age of Affluence

• Americans saved a lot of money during WWII, leads to:– Consumer demand ↑– Production ↑– Advertising ↑– Buying on Credit ↑– “Planned Obsolescence” is when the producer

creates products that are intended to be thrown out so more can be bought.

• The Economy Begins to Shift from Goods to Services– Service instead of manufacturing– Example: Howard Johnson Motels and

McDonald’s franchises

ConsumerismConsumerism1950 1950 Introduction of the Diner’s Introduction of the Diner’s

CardCard

Credit cards come into households Credit cards come into households which fuels a consumer culture in the which fuels a consumer culture in the 1950s.1950s.

Popular Consumer Items of the 1950s

Popular Consumer Items of the 1950s

Marriage, Families, and a Baby Boom

• Increase in marriages + people begin to get married younger + soldiers returning from war = “Baby Boom” from 1946-1960.

• Results:– ↑ in consumer spending– ↑ in home sales– ↑ in schools

Average age of first marriages

SuburbiaSuburbia

$7,990 or $60/month with no down $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.payment.

Aimed at middle class families.Aimed at middle class families.

Levittown, L. I.: Levittown, L. I.: “The American “The American Dream”Dream”

1949 1949 William LevittWilliam Levitt produced produced 150 houses per week. 150 houses per week.

Suburban Living:The New “American Dream”Suburban Living:The New “American Dream”k 1 story high1 story high

k 12’x19’ living 12’x19’ living roomroom

k 2 bedrooms2 bedrooms

k tiled bathroomtiled bathroom

k garagegarage

k small backyardsmall backyard

k front lawnfront lawnBy 1960 By 1960 1/3 of the U. S. population in 1/3 of the U. S. population in the suburbs. the suburbs.

What’s the square footage of this house?What’s the square footage of this house?

Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families

Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families

The The Donna Donna Reed Reed ShowShow1958-1958-19661966

Leave It Leave It to Beaverto Beaver1957-19631957-1963

FatherFather Knows Knows BestBest

1954-19581954-1958

The Ozzie & Harriet The Ozzie & Harriet ShowShow

1952-19661952-1966

Shifts in Population Distribution

Shifts in Population Distribution

• More people live in suburbs than More people live in suburbs than cities or rural areas:cities or rural areas:

19401940 19501950 19601960 19701970Central CitiesCentral Cities 31.6% 32.3% 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.6%

32.0%32.0%SuburbsSuburbs 19.5% 23.8% 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 30.7%

41.6%41.6%Rural Areas/Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9% 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 36.7%

26.4%26.4%Small TownsSmall Towns

• Popuplation also moves into the South Popuplation also moves into the South and Western states, known as the and Western states, known as the “Sunbelt” states.“Sunbelt” states.

• ““White flight” transforms cities, but White flight” transforms cities, but segregation keeps middle class segregation keeps middle class minorities in the cities. Add inner city minorities in the cities. Add inner city to vocab.to vocab.

The Culture of the Car

The Culture of the Car

First McDonald’s First McDonald’s (1955)(1955)

Franchises make America more Franchises make America more “homogenous”. What else in “homogenous”. What else in 1950s popular culture 1950s popular culture encouraged people to conform encouraged people to conform to fit in?to fit in?

Drive-In Drive-In MoviesMovies

Howard Howard Johnson’sJohnson’s