POSTWAR CONFIDENCE AND POSTWAR CONFIDENCE AND ANXIETY ANXIETY

1945-1960Chapter 26

“How did social and economic changes after World War II affect Americans?”

An Economic BoomAn Economic BoomSection 1

• “How did the nation experience recovery and economic prosperity after World War II?”

• Vocabulary:

-demobilization productivity

-GI Bill of Rights Taft-Hartley Act

-baby boom Fair Deal

StandardsStandards

•   • SSUSH21 • The student will explain economic growth and its impact on the United States 1945-1970.• SSUSH21.a • Describe the baby boom and the impact as shown by Levittown and the Interstate Highway

Act. • SSUSH21.b • Describe the impact television has had on American culture, including the Presidential

Debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960), news coverage of the Civil Rights movement. • SSUSH21.c • Analyze the impact of technology on American life including the development of the 

personal computer and the cellular telephone. • SSUSH21.d • Describe the impact of competition with the USSR as evidenced by the launch of Sputnik I

and President Eisenhower's actions.

An Economic Boom

The Nation Recovers From War Main Idea: When World War II ended, Americans worried that the economy would fall back into depression, but ultimately there was economic growth.

Truman Overcomes Huge Obstacles

Main Idea: When Truman entered office he struggled with labor problems and southerners who wanted to avoid passing civil rights reforms, but he still managed to achieve reforms while in office.

Eisenhower Charts a Middle Path

Main Idea: Politically, Eisenhower took the middle road as President and the United States had one of the most prosperous times in the twentieth century during his term.

The Nation Recovers From WarThe Nation Recovers From War

• GI Bill aids returning soldiers• Baby Boom fills classrooms• Converting from a wartime economy –

inflation and strikes• U.S. dominates the world economy• Technological progress boosts productivity• Government spending supports growth

Reading Skill: Understand EffectsNOTE TAKING

Birthrate, 1940-1960CHART

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Truman Overcomes ObstaclesTruman Overcomes Obstacles

• Grappling with Congress and Labor

-Taft-Hartley Act (outlawed the closed shop)• Angering segregationists – Congress

rejected recommendations to reform civil rights

• Truman upsets Dewey in Election of 1948• Truman proposed the Fair Deal

Truman’s Domestic PoliciesTruman’s Domestic Policies

• Moving to a Peacetime economy

• Taft-Hartley Act – 80-day cooling-off period

• Fair Deal – 21-point program

• Republican Congress• Election of 1948 –

Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey

The Presidential Election of 1948GRAPH

Desegregation of the Armed ForcesDesegregation of the Armed Forces

• Truman desegregated the Armed Forces and Civil Service Employees

Eisenhower Charts a Middle PathEisenhower Charts a Middle Path

• “Ike” defeated Adlai Stevenson in the Election of 1952

• World War II general• Did not repeal existing New Deal programs,

such as Social Security and the minimum wage

• Created the Interstate Highway system• Spent federal money to improve education• Prosperous, peaceful and tranquil time

Dwight EisenhowerDwight Eisenhower

• Talented diplomat• Nixon’s Checkers Speech • Wins election in 1952 and

1956• Modern Republicanism –

“conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings.”

Suburbs and HighwaysSuburbs and Highways

• Baby boomers• Suburbs – GI Bill• Interstate Highway

Act, $26 billion to build 40,000 miles of limited access highway

The Postwar Economy

• Economic Prosperity in the years after World War II brought many changes to American life.

The Mood of the 1950sThe Mood of the 1950sMany Americans enjoyed the stability and prosperity of the 1950s, while some young people began to rebel against their parents’ 

society

THE 1950s

After depression and war,

Americans value prosperity and

security

People have more free time to

pursue entertainment and

fun

Many young people stay in school, rather than leaving

early and finding jobs

Many experience new

found commitment to religious beliefs

and practices

Women are expected to

work at home, raise family and

help husband

New books and rock and roll

challenge values of the time

Demand for Civil RightsDemand for Civil RightsAfter WWII, African Americans began winning important victories in the battle 

for civil rights

A Society on the MoveA Society on the MoveSection 2

“What social and economic factors changed American life during the 1050s?”

Vocabulary:

-Interstate Highway Act AFL-CIO

-service sector Sunbelt

-California Master Plan franchise business

-franchise business multinational

-informational industry corporation

A Society on the Move

Americans Move to the Suburbs

Main Idea: Millions of Americans moved to the suburbs, where new housing developments established ideal communities to raise families.

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System

Main Idea: Eisenhower authorized the funding of an interstate highway system, which helped to connect major cities, making the move to suburbs possible and increasing the travel industry.

Migrating to the Sunbelt

Main Idea: Western and Southern states saw a rise in population as Americans moved there for jobs and Latinos migrated there from Mexico and Cuba.

The American Economy Changes Focus

Main Idea: After World War II, Americans shifted from mostly industry jobs to service jobs. This trend also led to a rise in franchises and multinational corporations and a decline in trade unions.

The American DreamThe American Dream

• Characterized by a home in the suburbs and a car in the garage, came true for many people in the postwar years

Car OwnershipGRAPH

Americans Move to the SuburbsAmericans Move to the Suburbs

• Suburbs attract young Americans – developers such as William Levitt built homes; FHA provided low-interest loans; GI Bill provided low-interest loans for returning service men and women

• “Car Culture”• Interstate Highway Act – built for defense

and travel

The Interstate Highway SystemTRANSPARENCY

LevittownTRANSPARENCY

Migrating to the SunbeltMigrating to the Sunbelt

• Sunbelt- Name given to the southern and western states

• Appealing climate and jobs in defense industries

• Latinos, including many Cubans escaping Castro’s regime, moved to the Sunbelt

• Impact of migration – California became large and Northeast and Midwest lost political power

Reading Skill: Identify Causes and EffectsNOTE TAKING

American Economy Changes FocusAmerican Economy Changes Focus

• Service sector grows – information industries; ENIAC, first computer

• Entrepreneurs start businesses – franchise businesses

• American corporations go multinational• Unions consolidate their gains – AFL-CIO

-Most white-collar workers did not join unions

-Corruption in the Teamsters Union

Changes in the WorkforceChanges in the Workforce

• By 1956 a majority of American workers held white-collar jobs

• Growth of the service industry• Blue-collar workers saw improved working

conditions• American Federation of Labor and Congress

of industrial Organizations merged into the AFL-CIO

Businesses ReorganizeBusinesses Reorganize

• Per capita income, the average income per person, increased from $1,526 to $2,788

• Conglomerates, a large corporation that owns many smaller companies that produce entirely different goods and services

• Franchises, the right to open a restaurant using a parent company’s brand name and system

Consumer Credit GrowsConsumer Credit Grows

• Credit cards, used to charge goods and services

• Diner’s Club, 1950• American express• BankAmericard

(VISA)

Educational Opportunities ExpandEducational Opportunities Expand

• Government provides funding for education• Education is “Democratized” – California

Master Plan called for three tiers of higher education: research universities, state colleges, and community colleges

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka -1954; segregated schools declared unconstitutional

Reading Skill: Identify Main IdeasNOTE TAKING

Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education

• May 1954 Supreme Court declared that “separate but equal” was no longer permissible in public education

• “separate facilities are inherently unequal”

• Struck down Plessy v. Ferguson , 1896

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Mass Culture and Family LifeMass Culture and Family LifeSection 3

• “How did popular culture and family life change during the 1950s?”

• Vocabulary:

-consumerism Benjamin Spock

-median family income rock-and roll

-nuclear family Elvis Presley

Mass Culture and Family Life

The Culture of Consumerism Main Idea: New products in the marketplace and an increase in income led to a rise in consumer spending in the 1950s.

Family Life in the Fifties

Main Idea: In the 1950s, traditional families, which were described at the time as a mother who stayed home, a father as the breadwinner, and children at the focus, became the center of society.

Television Takes Center Stage

Main Idea: Televisions were purchased quickly by Americans, expanded the mass national culture, and had a huge impact on Americans and society.

Rock-and-Roll Shakes the Nation

Main Idea: Building on traditional African American rhythm and blues music, Elvis Presley helped to spread the popularity of rock-and-roll to youth in the 1950s.

Culture of ConsumerismCulture of Consumerism

• Median family income rose to $5,417 during the 1950s

• Buying new conveniences• Home appliances• By 1953, 90% of all households owned a

television

Technology Transforms LifeTechnology Transforms Life

• Television• Computers-

transistors• Nuclear Power• Advances in

Medicine

Technology ChallengeTechnology Challenge

• Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957

• Americans afraid of nuclear attack

• National Defense Education Act of 1958

Family Life in the FiftiesFamily Life in the Fifties

• Nuclear family – many women stayed home• By 1960, 1/3 of women worked• Children are the focus of the family• Dr. Benjamin Spock, Common Sense Book of

Baby and Child Care• Religious revival• Improved healthcare for baby boomers

Comfort and SecurityComfort and Security

• Youth culture• Resurgence in religion

– Billy Graham• Men’s roles• Women’s roles –Betty

Friedan

Television and the American FamilyTRANSPARENCY

Rock-and Roll Shakes the NationRock-and Roll Shakes the Nation

• Drawing on African American Roots• Attracting a wider audience• Elvis Presley

Poodle Skirt, Bobby Sox, Saddle OxfordsPoodle Skirt, Bobby Sox, Saddle Oxfords

Reading Skill: Identify Main IdeasNOTE TAKING

Baby-Boom KidsINFOGRAPHIC

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Dissent and DiscontentDissent and DiscontentSection 4

• “Why were some groups of Americans dissatisfied with conditions in post-war America?”

• Vocabulary:

-beatnik urban renewal

-inner city termination policy

Dissent and Discontent

Critics Reject the Fifties Culture

Main Idea: Many intellectuals, artists, and other social critics complained about the conformity of American society after World War II.

Rural and Urban Poverty

Main Idea: During suburban growth, those in urban and rural areas, especially African Americans suffered from overcrowding, crime, and poverty.

“Other Americans” Face Injustice

Main Idea: Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Native Americans were some of the minorities who suffered hardships in housing, employment, and other areas of life.

Critics Reject Fifties CultureCritics Reject Fifties Culture

• Objecting to Conformity – criticized advertising and loss of individualism

• Beats reject middle-class life – beatniks• Refused to conform to accepted ways of

dressing, thinking, and acting• Disliked materialism of fifties

Challenges to ConformityChallenges to Conformity

• Films: Rebel Without a Cause• Books: The Catcher in the Rye• Music: Rock and Roll – Elvis Presley• “Beat Generation” stressed spontaneity and

spirituality, challenged traditional patterns of behavior

Rural and Urban PovertyRural and Urban Poverty

• Cities suffer a decline – loss of middle class in cities

• Urban renewal projects – government cleared large tracts of older housing and built freeways and developments to revitalize downtown areas

• Poor forced to seek housing in overcrowded neighborhoods

• Rural poor suffer

Other Americans Face InjusticeOther Americans Face Injustice

• Puerto Ricans• Mexicans• Native Americans – termination policy

(sought to end tribal government and to relocate Native Americans to the nation’s cities; terminated federal responsibility for the health and welfare of Native Americans

• Stressed assimilation

The Struggle for EqualityThe Struggle for Equality

• Truman supported civil rights

• Congress refused to act• Truman ended

discrimination in hiring federal employees

• Truman ordered an end to segregation in the armed forces

• Jackie Robinson – first African American in pro baseball

• Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers

• 1947, league’s most valuable player

• Opened the way for other African American athletes

Reading Skill: Identify Main IdeasNOTE TAKING

Poverty in the United StatesGRAPH

Native American RelocationTRANSPARENCY

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