Postwar America

The Soldiers Come homeAmericans try to

put the nightmare of WWII behind them and begin to rebuild their lives.

The Economy booms

Our country becomes very conservative

GI Bill of Rights The GI bill of rights

was passed through Congress to ease veterans back into civilian lives (1944)

GI bill gave veterans1. Partial payment of

tuition2. 1 year of

unemployment3. Federally

guaranteed loans (low interest)

Many Americans find their dream of material comforts. But many find it very expensive.

More than 1 million war marriages end in divorce due to women's new found independence in the work force.

Unemployment skyrockets as war veterans search for jobs.

Price restrictions are lifted and prices on goods increases.

Housing issuesIn response to a

shortage of houses, developers create an assembly line for homes.

Suburbs are started1. Inexpensive homes2. Standardized (they

all look the same)3. Regulations on how

to maintain your home

The PresidentTruman is faced with 2 huge issues

1. Communism2. Restoring the economy

4.5 million workers go on strike in 1946 due to high prices and low wages

Truman responds by threatening to draft strikers, as soldiers he can order them back to work- the unions give in

Baby BoomThe soldiers that are returning home are

settling into family lives. This leads to the Baby Boom- at the height there was a baby born every 7 seconds, leading to the largest generation in history.

The Baby Boom generation did well due to medical advances and economic prosperity

Mass CultureSuburban life revolved

around children- glorifying women who embraced the role of homemaker. 1/5 of the women who stayed home were dissatisfied with their lives.

Mass popular culture booms, largely because of TV. Mass media reflected mainstream middle-class values.

Mass Culture“The Golden Age” of television focused on

comedy, westerns, sports, and dramasChildren’s programming- shows like Davy

Crockett inspired toys associated with the program: like coonskin caps, Hula Hoops, and silly putty.

Racism Many Americans

suffer from poverty and racial discrimination, despite the economic prosperity of the nation

Post WWII African Americans were demanding their rights as citizens, leading to racial violence in the south

RacismAfrican American's

demand1. Federal anti-

lynching law2. Abolition of poll

taxes3. Establishment of

a permanent body to prevent discrimination in hiring

Racism Truman appointed a bi-racial committee on

Civil Rights to investigate race relations- they agreed with the demands, but Congress failed to act.

Truman issued an executive order for integration of armed forces in 1948, and an end to discrimination for government employees.

The supreme court ruled that African Americans could not be barred from residential neighborhoods- all steps forward in government when dealing with racial issues.

Election 1948Truman runs for re-

election with the slogan “Give’em hell Harry” denouncing Congress and campaigning directly to the citizens.

He beat Dewey by a very narrow margin

Fair DealTruman implements

his “Fair Deal”- extension to Roosevelt’s “New Deal” 1. Raised hourly

minimum wage2. Extended social

security3. Support to clear out

city slums, and build new low income housing units

Re-ElectionDespite Truman’s steps forward,

McCarthyism and the Korean War dropped his approval rating, so he did not run for re-election.

2 decades of Democratic leadership left the nation unsatisfied, opening the door for Ike and Nixon.

EisenhowerEisenhower

practiced “dynamic conservativism” = conservative when it comes to money, and liberal when it comes to people

EisenhowerEisenhower disagreed

with desegregation but he backed up the 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision by sending troops to escort black students into a school.

He ushered in an era of peace and prosperity he is re-elected in 1956.

Fifties Fads and Fashions

-The end of World War II brought thousands of young servicemen back to America to pick up their lives and start new families in new homes with new

jobs. -With an energy never before

experienced, American industry expanded to meet peacetime needs.-Americans began buying goods not

available during the war, which created corporate expansion and jobs. 

-Growth everywhere.  The baby boom was underway...

FACTS about this decade.  -Population: 151,684,000 (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)* -Unemployed: 3,288,000 -Life expectancy: women 71.1, men 65.6 -Car Sales: 6,665,800 0  -Average annual salary: $2,992 -Labor force male/female: 5/2 -Cost of a loaf of bread: $0.14 -Bomb shelter plans, like the government pamphlet You Can Survive, become widely available

Anti-Communism

• Perhaps one of the things which most characterizes the 1950's was the strong element of conservatism and anticommunist feeling which ran throughout much of society. One of the best indicators of the conservative frame of mind was the addition of the phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. Religion was seen as an indicator of anti-communism.

• Fifties clothing was conservative. Men wore gray flannel suits and women wore dresses with pinched in waists and high heels.

• Families worked together, played together and vacationed together at family themed entertainment areas like national parks and the new Disneyland. Gender roles were strongly held, girls played with Barbie dolls  and Dale Evans  gear, boys with Roy Rogers and Davy Crockett  paraphernalia. 

Drive-in movies  became popular for families and teens. Cars were seen as an indicator of prosperity and cool-ness. Highways were built to take people quickly from one place to another, by-passing small towns and helping to create central marketing areas or shopping malls.

Fashion successes were Bill Blass and his blue jeans, poodle skirts made of felt and decorated with sequins and poodle appliqués, pony tails for girls, and flat tops and crew cuts for guys.

Rock and Roll• In 1951, a disc jockey,

Alan Freed, began playing what had been called “race” music – but renamed it Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll became the symbol for 1950s youth – rhythm and blues revolutionized. Singers like Elvis Presley performed the music on variety shows, making it popular for all.

Beatniks• A small group of writers

and artists, beatniks or beats, refused to conform to the ways of dressing, thinking and acting. They believed these things stifled individualism – so they dressed carelessly and made up their own jargon. Jack Kerouac’s On the Road became their symbol.

Teenagers were defined as a

separate generation and

were represented by James Dean who wore blue jeans in Rebel

Without a Cause and created a fashion and

attitude sensation.

Activities we liked were flying saucer watching , and watching and dancing to Dick Clark's American Bandstand  

•Fad hits with kids were toys like hula hoops and Hopalong Cassidy guns and western gear, Davy Crockett coon skin hats and silly putty .

• Candies of the decade included:"Flying saucers," candy buttons, Atomic Fireballs, BB-Bats, Boston baked beans, candy cigarettes, candy lipstick (taffy style), hot dog bubble gum, Jawbreakers, Necco Wafers, Nik-L-Nip Wax Bottles, Mounds or Almond Joy candy bar, Pixy Stix, Indian Head pumpkin seeds, Slo-Pokes, Smarties, Sweetarts, Snirkle, Tootsie Roll and wax lips!

• 1950s cookbooks confirm the popularity of tuna noodle casserole, frosted meatloaf (frosted with mashed potatoes!, served with peas) and anything grilled...though mostly red meat...on the barbeque (a popular "new" suburban trend). Main meals were accompanied by frozen vegetables, with lots of butter or sauce. Canned soup reigned supreme as the ultimate combination of convenience and versatility, explaining the growth of casseroles. Chex Mix (also known as Trix Mix, TV Mix) was the "signature" snack.

This decade also marked the beginning of ethnic foods entering mainstream America. GIs returning from tours in Europe and the Pacific developed new tastes. Food companies were quick to supply the ingredients. "Americanized" versions of sukyaki, egg foo yung, chow mein, enchiladas, pizza, lasagne, and barbecued meats with polynesian sauces regularly appeared in 1950s cookbooks

• 1950JELL-O® Apple gelatin made its debut, followed later in the decade by grape, black cherry and black raspberry flavors. 1953

• JELL-O® Instant Pudding chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch flavors were joined shortly by coconut cream and strawberry. These were promoted as "Busy Day Desserts," stressing that it's never too late for real homemade desserts, and were advertised on six network television shows: Mame, Our Miss Brooks, Red Buttons, Rocket Rangers, Roy Rogers and The Bob Hope Show.

Wiffle ball--first marketed in 1955 Mr. Potato Head--This game first appeared in 1952, but you had to supply

your own potato as the plastic one appeared later. Gumby--Creator Art Clokey introduced the green, rubber posable toy on the

Howdy Doody Show in 1956. Lego, a 1954 invention of Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, he

interlocking building bricks became an international favorite. Barbie Doll, introduced on March 1, 1959.

Frisbee--began with tossing of empty pie tins by college students in the 1940s; the Wham-O company marketed them as "Flyin' Saucers" on the west

coast in 1957 and, changing the name to Frisbee in 1959, started a nationwide craze

Hula Hoop, marketed by Wham-O in 1957, became a craze during the summer of 1958.

Scrabble, first marketed in 1948, became a hit in 1952 and has maintained its popularity among board games.

Bunny Hop, a conga line "dance" from a hit record by band leader Ray Anthony.

Paint-by-Number, A craze begun in 1950 when Detroit's Craft Master company introduced kits that included paints and a drawing on a canvas

with areas numbered for the proper color.

In 1950 the US produced 65% of the world's cars. Cars were large and very

nice. Gasoline was less than 10

cents a gallon. The cars were sometimes

more grand than the houses, in poor neighborhoods.

The biggest seller was the German Volkswagon- that

would be the Beetle.

Cramming