Postwar America

Postwar America1945 1960

I Love Lucy Clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbNcQlzV-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AZK2-Tfc84

2.13.2014 Warm up #105Use the brown paper

Pretend you are a teenager in the 1950s. Use the list of 1950s slang words to write a Facebook post, poem, rap etc. Try to use as many words as you can. (* prize)

1948 ElectionAppeared Truman would lose 1948 electionMade over 350 speechesCriticized a Do-Nothing Congress because it had not enacted any of his legislative proposals1948 Election (cont)Truman narrowly won the election & the Democrats made a comeback in Congress

1948 Election (cont)Fair Deal Trumans domestic agendaRaised minimum wageImproved Social SecurityNational Housing Act of 1949Did not pass national health care or civil rights legislationEvery segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from government a fair deal.

Election of 1952Dwight D. Eisenhower republican, WWII generalSlogan: Its time for a change!Promised to end Korean War

Election of 1952 (cont)Eisenhower & running mate, Richard Nixon won in a landslide

EisenhowerDynamic Conservatism balancing economic conservatism (reduce spending) with some activism (helping the people)The Affluent SocietyBy 1958, America was an economy of abundanceImproved technology created a standard of living never believed possible in the past

The Affluent Society (cont)G.I. Bill of RightsTuition for college or job trainingUnemployment benefitsLow-interest home loans

The Affluent Society (cont)White-collar workers began to outnumber blue-collar workersBlue-collar physical laborWhite-collar professionalGenerally worked for big corporationsHad to conform

The Affluent Society (cont)Baby Boom period between 1945 to 1961, in which more than 65 million children were born in the U.S.The American family grew larger and women entered the workforce

The Affluent Society (cont)Rise in luxury products led to the growth of more sophisticated advertisingAdvertising industry became fastest-growing industry in the U.S.

The Affluent Society (cont)Suburbs, mass-produced residential communitiesBuilt all over the U.S.Symbol of the American Dream

The Affluent Society (cont)Eisenhowers Federal Highway Act of 1956 created an interstate highway systemContributed to suburban communitiesUrban centers lost their importanceCreated an Automobile SocietyFast food chainsMotels

19The Affluent Society (cont)50s cars were big gas guzzlersBecame symbols of escapism and freedomFamily tripsDisneyland opens in 1955By 1956, Americans owned of all the cars in the world20Characteristics of 1950s CarsExtravagance Built to look like rocket shipsMade out of chrome and steelLarge enginesLarge tail finsVery colorful

21Medical BreakthroughsAntibioticsNew drugs for arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and heart diseaseAdvances in surgical techniquesJonas Salk developed an injectable vaccine that prevented polio

Cool Daddy-O1950s Popular Culture

24Television8,000 TVs in 1946By 1959, 80% of homes had a TV40 million TVs in 1957Television changed life forever

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Television (cont)Used for news, sports & advertisingPopular shows included:Comedy (Bob Hope and Jack Benny)Westerns (The Lone Ranger)Variety Shows (Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen)Quiz Shows (Twenty-one, $64,000 Question)27Comedy - Comedy shows were very common on TV. Many shows were adapted from popular radio shows.

Westerns Hop-a-long Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke

Variety Shows Ed Sullivans Toast of the Town, Steve Allens show Tonight Show, Milton Berle

Quiz Shows Twenty One Scandal Charles Van Doren, $129,000, 1959 Congressional Committee

Popular Family Television

28Effects of TelevisionDepicted a narrow view of American lifeSuburban, white, middle-class familiesMinorities played stereotypical roles & were not allowed to star

Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet29Effects of Television - continuedLess people went to the moviesTheaters had to adaptDoor Prizes, 3-D movies, movies for TV, Cinemascope Films shown on large panoramic screens.TV ended most radio programsConformist views depicted on TV led to a backlash by the teenage youth30Rise of Rock n RollRock n Roll - the music of the new generation & strongly influenced all future musicRoots were in rhythm and bluesWhite artists were copying Black artistsThemes of Cars, Romance, Dancing appealed to teens31Rock n Roll (cont)Rock n Roll pioneers included:Chuck BerryLittle RichardFats DominoRay CharlesBill Haley and the CometsBuddy HollyElvis Presley

32Pioneers of Rock n Roll

Chuck BerryLittle Richard33Rock n Roll (cont)There have been contenders, but there is only one King. Bruce SpringsteenElvis was a gifted performer and synthesizer of stylesDid not write most of his musicFirst to bring Rock n Roll to a wide audience

34Americas youth loved him.

His music was a blend of African American rhythm and blues and early rock n roll.

Also known as Elvis the Pelvis parents did not like his gyrations when he performed.

Filmed from the waist up on first appearance of Ed Sullivans show.Rock n Roll (cont)Adults found Rock n Roll to be dangerous to societyToo loudDisruptiveMindlessAdded to the generation gap cultural divide between children & their parents

35City Council of San Antonio voted to ban rock n roll from the jukeboxes at public swimming pools. The music attracted undesirable elements given to practicing their gyrations in abbreviated bathing suits.Rock n Roll (cont)Rise in juvenile delinquency antisocial or criminal behavior in youths

The BeatniksBeatniks started a literary and social movement centered in San FranciscoRejected conservative values of middle class AmericaBeat to be robbed or cheated, beat down, a rhythm or different beatInspired the hippie movement of the 60s & artists such as Bob Dylan38Stereotypes of BeatniksHate to workDirtyGoateeBlack beretBlack jeans (men), black tights (women)Bongo drumsCoffee housesDrink ChiantiSmoke potSlang: dig, cool, crazy

391950s Mens FashionDark suitsAll men wore hatsCardigan sweatersPink shirts became popularWestern shirtsCoonskin Caps were popular with boysJeans and leather jackets

401950s Womens FashionPoodle craze!Hair, Skirts, etc.JumpersParty dressesPencil skirtsSwing dressesGlovesScarvesWomen did not often dress in pants or shorts

411950s SlangGo APEBabyBashBent eightBossBreadBurn RubberCatClassy chassisCruisin for a bruisinCoolDont have a cowDragFastFlickGet with it!Go for pinksGreaserGrodyHang outHaul assHep, Hip, HipsterJellyrollJetsKnuckle SandwichLater, Later GatorMake outMostOdd BallPaper shakerShot downPreppie42Hound DogElvis PresleyThe Number One Hits, track 32002Oldies Rock & Roll135345.8eng - www.legalsounds.comHound DogBig Mama ThorntonThe Original Hound Dog, track 21990172626.17eng - www.legalsounds.com