Facts about the 50sFacts about the 50s

• Population: 151,684,000 (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)*

• Life expectancy: Women 71.1, men 65.6• Average Salary: $2,992• Cost of a loaf of bread: $0.14

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Chapter 27: The Postwar Boom

Domestic FrontGI Bill of Rights: Congress passes during World War II.

Veterans can get college paid for, one year of unemployment benefits, and low interest loans for homes and businesses.

Levittown: William Levitt built pre-fab, planned neighborhoods in the suburbs, starting in New York.

• Led to growth of suburbs across country and an end to post war housing shortage

• Led to image of 1950s, conformity and automobile

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Post War Economy

• Early unemployment, rising prices, and labor strikes last for a few years

• Talk of postwar depression• American economy boomed during the 1950sWhy?• Suffered through depression and World War II

during the last twenty years• People couldn’t spend money and had saved• Were now ready to spend in the 1950s

Truman: Civil Rights

1948• Executive order integrating the U.S. military• Executive order ending discrimination in the

hiring of government employeesTruman’s Fair Deal• Raised minimum wage, built low income

housing in the cities, extended social security coverage but failed on national health insurance

1948 Presidential Election

• Democrats: Harry Truman (303---24 million)• Republicans: Thomas Dewey (189---22 million)• Dixiecrats: Strom Thurmond (39---1.1 million)• Progressive: Henry Wallace (0---1.1 million)Results:• Democrats split (Truman/Thurmond/Wallace)• Dewey led all the polls (stop taking in Sept.)• Truman conducts a whistle stop train tour attacking

Republican Congress for not passing his programs• Truman pulls off one of the biggest election upsets

1952 & 1956 Presidential Election• Democrats: Adlai Stevenson• Republicans: Dwight Eisenhower (Ike)• Eisenhower wins close election in 1952 and landslide

victory in 1956• Richard Nixon serves as Vice-President both termsIke’s Dynamic Conservatism• Conservative with money and liberal with people• Raised minimum wage, extended social security and

unemployment benefits, more money for public housing, created interstate highway system (economic and military reasons)

1950s Culture

• White dominated• Traditional roles for men, women, & families• Suburban life• Social and work conformity• Baby boom (largest generation in U.S. history)• Automobile (suburbs & teen freedom/independence)• Consumerism (planned

obsolescence/credit/advertising)• Fads: 3-D movies, drive-ins, hula hoops, silly putty,

coonskin caps

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Television

• 1950: 9% U.S. homes• 1960: 90% U.S. homes• Source of entertainment and news• Led to advertising, TV Guide, TV dinners,

promotion of white America• Changed radio and movies

“Rock N Roll” Music

• New style of music• Term coined by disc jockey Alan Freed• Stars: Little Richard, Bill Haley & the Comets,

Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley

1950s Counter Culture

• Beat movement• Beatniks• Anti-conformity and consumerism• Allen Ginsberg & Jack Kerouac: “On the Road”• Sets up 1960s movementsThe Other America• 40 million living in poverty: inner cities,

elderly, single mothers, all minorities