Chapter 27:The Postwar BoomEssential Question: How did Postwar America react to its new found

wealth? What are the defining societal characteristics of the late 1940s and

1950s?Unit Schedule:27.1- Postwar America

27.2- The American Dream in the Fifties

27.3- Popular Culture

27.4- The Other America

Unit Test- 10/7

27.1 Postwar AmericaLesson Objective:

To understand the social, economic, and political readjustment of the United States following World War II

Essential Question: How does prosperity effect American society?

Key Terms• G.I. Bill of Rights• Suburb• Levittown• Harry S. Truman• Dixiecrat• Fair Deal • Dwight D. Eisenhower

Key Dates• June 1947- Taft-Hartley Act• 1947-1951- Levittown NY built• Nov 1948- Truman Reelected• Nov 1952- Eisenhower Elected

Readjustment and Recovery• Recap• What did the G.I. Bill of Rights do?• What effect is that going to have on the economy?

• Housing crisis• Problem: Not enough places for soldiers coming back to live• Solution: suburbs

• Levittown• Developer William Levitt• Assembly line built houses

• Cheap• Standardized• Quick• Limited to what you could do to your home

• Economy was in trouble readjusting to postwar world• 3 million unemployed• Wage and price controls removed- prices skyrocketed wages dropped

Levittown New York

Levittown New York

Recovery• What had the American consumer just lived through?• Depression then War• Limited consumer options most of their last 15 years!

• What did many do with money made working during the war?• Saved it • Americans had money and wanted to spend it• Houses, appliances, luxury items, cars• “The affluent society”• Mostly comes in 1950s and 1960s

• What role did the Marshall plan play in this?• More nations were trading with the U.S.• Markets for American goods

Postwar Challenges• Truman become president after FDR’s sudden death• “The Buck Stops Here”• Self-confident, humble, down-to-earth

• Strikes• Workers are striking wage cuts by 1946• 4.5 Million • Coal, steel, railroads

• What is Truman’s reaction?• Threatens to draft them into the Army and order them back to work• Before he was done giving his speech the strikers gave up

• “Had Enough?”• Lagging economy and unpopularity of Truman coupled with fatigue of

Democratic leadership gives Republicans control of Congress for first time before Great Depression • Pass Taft-Hartely Bill over Truman’s Veto

Social Unrest• Truman and Civil Rights- He proposed:• Anti-lynching law• Abolition of the poll tax• Gov. to ensure no racial discrimination in hiring

• How many of these things are passed by Congress?• None

• 1948 Election• Democrats split

• Dixiecrats- Strom Thurmond • Progressives- Wallace• Republicans- Dewey

• Dewey is way ahead for most of the race• Truman campaigns across country constantly• “Give ’em hell, Harry” • Pulls off biggest upset in presidential history

• Fair Deal- continuation of New Deal

Overall:Do you think Truman was a effective president?

1948 Election

Dewey- (R) NY Harry S. Truman – (D) MO Strom Thurmond- (States’ Rights Democrat) SC

Republicans Take Over• What are the problems effecting Truman in 1952?

• Economy• Korea• McCarthyism

• In 1951 Truman has 23% approval rating• 1952 Election

• Republicans- Dwight D. Eisenhower• “Plunder at home; blunder abroad.”• Nixon accused of profiting from campaign funds

• “Checkers Speech”• 58 million TV audience• Stays on the ticket – Ike wins with 55% of the vote

• “Dynamic Conservatism”• Fiscal conservative, socially liberal• Civil Rights (we will get into that later)• “I don’t believe you can change the hearts of men with laws or decisions”- Eisenhower

on Brown v. Board• Peace, progress, prosperity

The “Checkers Speech”

Eisenhower Stevenson

Quiz 27.19/261. L__________________ are examples of the first suburbs

2. T_________ defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election.

3. E_______________ was elected president in 1952.

4. N________________ gave the “checkers speech.”

5. In 1948 T__________________ ran as a States Rights Democrat.