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1952-1960
Deadlock in Korea Democrat: Adlai E. Stevenson Republican: Dwight D. Eisenhower
VP: Richard Nixon “I like Ike”
TV politics Politicians can appeal directly to voters
Eisenhower wins Promises to go to Korea & end war himself
Eisenhower visited Korea in Dec. 1952 7 months later, armistice was signed 54,000 American deaths in Korea Return to conditions of 1950:
Korea remained divided at 38th parallel Communism had been “contained”
Eisenhower seemed suited to soothe anxieties of troubled Americans
Communist crusader National visibility Grew bolder & spread more accusations after
Eisenhower’s election in 1952 Most ruthless “red hunter” Most Americans approved of McCarthy’s
crusade McCarthy attacked US army, publicly televised
Condemned by senate McCarthyism: dangerous forces of fear that a
democratic society can unleash at its peril
15 million black citizens, 2/3 in south Jim Crow Laws
Segregated schools, bathrooms, restaurants, waiting rooms
Trains & Buses: whites only, colored only seating
Jackie Robinson- cracked racial barrier in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers
African Americans refused to suffer in silence
NAACP- enjoyed some success 1944- Supreme Court rules white primary
unconstitutional Thurgood Marshall- first African American
Supreme Court Justice Sweatt v. Painter- separate professional
schools for blacks failed to meet test of equality
Rosa Parks- refused to give up her seat in the “whites only” section of a bus
Sparked Montgomery Bus Boycott- a year-long boycott of city buses Blacks would no longer submit meekly to
segregation Brought MLK to prominence
Truman ended segregation in federal civil service, 1948
Shortages in Korea forced integration of combat units
Eisenhower showed no real interest in racial issues
May 1954 Segregation in public schools was
inherently unequal & thus unconstitutional
Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson Separate but equal
led to desegregation Declaration of Constitutional Principles-
signed by Southerners who pledged their resistance to desegregation
Eisenhower not inclined to promote integration Brown v. Board of Education upset the customs of
Americans Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, used
National Guard to prevent 9 black students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School (1957) Eisenhower sent troops to escort children to their
classes Civil Rights Act of 1957- set up Civil Rights
commission to investigate violations of civil rights
SCLC- Southern Christian Leadership Conference- aimed to mobilize vast power of black churches on behalf of black rights Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Sit-in” Movement- February 1, 1960 Greensboro, North Carolina 4 black college students Demanded service at a whites only Woolworth’s
lunch counter By end of week, 1000 students Sit-in movement spread across South
Ike strove to balance federal budget & guard Republic from “creeping socialism” Federal government’s continuing aid to business
Slowed Truman’s enormous military buildup Reversed several policies of the New Deal Operation Wetback- combat problem of illegal
border crossing 1 million Mexicans were returned to Mexico in 1954
Reverted to Dawes Severalty Act of 1887
Interstate Highway Act $27 billion plan to build 42,000 miles of sleek,
fast motorways Countless construction jobs Sped up urbanization of America
Massive Retaliation- fearsome nuclear weapons used as threat to retaliate if attacked
New Soviet leader: Nikita Khrushchev Geneva Conference: Khrushchev rejected Ike’s
proposal for peace (called for “open skies”) Was massive retaliation effective?
Vietnamese leader: Ho Chi Minh Became increasingly communist
French colonial war in Vietnam- largely financed by US
Viet Minh= communist coalition Eisenhower reluctant to become involved in
another war in Asia Geneva Conference- splits Vietnam at 17th
parallel Ngo Dinh Diem- southern pro-western leader Eisenhower promised aid to Diem’s regime
Warsaw Pact- mutual defense treaty by Eastern European communist nations to counter NATO
Cold War seemed to be thawing May 1955- Soviets agree to end
occupation in Austria Khrushchev denounces bloody excesses
of Stalin
Suez Crisis President Nasser
French & British relied on US for oil US refuses to release military supplies UN police force sent for first time in history to
maintain order US days as oil power were numbered Eisenhower Doctrine- pledged US military &
economic aid to Middle Eastern countries threatened by communist aggression
OPEC
Republican: Eisenhower Democrat: Adlai Stevenson Eisenhower wins
Republicans do not get control in house or senate
Eisenhower focused on labor reform
October 1957- Soviets launch satellite into space Sputnik I Sputnik II
Shattered American self-confidence Seemingly took a backseat in scientific
achievement US worried USSR could reach America
with ICBMS (intercontinental ballistic missiles)
“Rocket fever” swept America Eisenhower establishes NASA Billions of dollars towards missile
development By 1958, US put into orbit tiny satellite &
successfully tested ICBMS Comparison of American education
system w/ USSR Emphasis on science
National Defense and Education Act
Batista was backed by Americans Fidel Castro orchestrates revolution US opened immigration to anti-Castro
Cubans Soviets set up communist base Communism looming close to America
Nixon in limelight as vice president “Kitchen Debates”- series of debates
between Richard Nixon & Khrushchev John F. Kennedy eventually nominated as
democratic candidate for president over LBJ New Frontier
Democrat: John F. Kennedy Roman Catholic TV- Nixon vs. Kennedy debates
Importance of image in tv Viewers preferred Kennedy’s glamour & vitality
Republican: Richard Nixon JFK wins
Workers, Catholics & African Americans Democratic control in Congress
22nd amendment- 1951, sets 2 term limit for presidents
Alaska & Hawaii gain statehood in 1959 Greatest failing: no moral crusade for
civil rights Ended one war & avoided all others
Science & technology drove economic growth First electronic computers in 1940s First large passenger jet- Boeing 707 White collar workers outnumbered blue collar
workers Women had more job opportunities (Clerical &
service work) Women as both workers & homemakers raised
questions about family life & traditional roles The Feminine Mystique- Feminist protest
literature, written by Betty Friedan, launched modern women’s movement
Culture in the 1950s
Plastic credit card First McDonalds Disneyland New lifestyle of leisure & affluence Sports
Culture in the 1950s-TV & Music
Almost every household had a TV Replaced movies as entertainment “Ozzie & Harriet”, “Leave it to Beaver”- idyllic
suburban families w/ working husband, 2 children & wife @ home
Music: Rock & Roll Elvis Presley “The King”
New standards of sensuous sexuality Marilyn Monroe & Playboy magazine
Literature
John Steinbeck Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire Arthur Miller J.D. Salinger