THE GOLDEN AGE OF
AMERICA
THE ELECTION OF 1948
Truman won in a close
political upset. In fact, some
newspapers had prematurely
declared Dewey to be the
winner!
• Harry
Truman
• Democratic
Party
• Thomas
Dewey
• Republican
Party
• Strom
Thurmond
• States’
Rights
Democratic
Party/
Dixiecrats
• Henry
Wallace
• Progressive
Party
What effect do third parties have on elections?
They steal votes from the major party
candidates!
1948 ELECTION
.
1952 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Ike won the 1952 election.
He served 2 terms as President.
General turned
President,
Dwight
Eisenhower
POSTWAR AMERICA
• World War II finally brought us out of the
Great Depression, but people couldn’t buy
much - thanks to rationing & the conversion
of factories to war production.
• Increased defense spending during the Cold
War continued to help the economy, & by
the 1950s, people were anxious to spend!
GI BILL OF RIGHTS
SERVICEMEN’S READJUSTMENT ACT, 1944
• Gave veterans a
guaranteed year’s worth
of unemployment benefits
while job hunting.
• Encouraged them to get
an education by paying
part of their tuition.
• Offered low-interest loans
for buying homes, farms, &
starting businesses.
The “ideal” woman was
supremely happy doing
housework & raising
children
Advertising boomed as
consumerism became
equated with success
BABY BOOM
POPULAR CULTURE OF THE 1950S
• Rock ‘n’ Roll music was born!
WHAT’S WRONG WITH
THOSE KIDS
• Teenagers emerged as a distinct group,
dating, dancing, “rebelling” & spending
more money, than any previous
generation.
WHAT’S ON THE TUBE
• Television became popular, especially
game shows, westerns, & comedy.
AGAINST THE GRAIN
• Beatniks
expressed
social &
literary
nonconformit
y (don’t do
anything the
rest of the
country is
doing)
ART CULTURE OF THE 1950S
• Abstract
expressionist
painting was
made
popular by
artists like
Jackson
Pollock
SPORTS IN THE ‘50S
• The New York Yankees, Cleveland Browns, &
Boxing led the way.
• Baseball became completely integrated.
FASHION OF THE TIMES
• Hemlines, waistlines, & hairlines grew shorter
• Colors became brighter
THE CAR CULTURE
• U.S. became the largest auto manufacturer in
the world
• Cruising, hot rodding, & drag racing were “in”
• Drive-in restaurants & drive-in movies became
popular
CARS OF THE 1950S
MILES & MILES OF ROADS
• The Interstate Highway Act was signed by President
Eisenhower in 1956
• Authorized the building of 41,000 miles of highways
nationwide
• Contributed to a decline in the commercial use of
railroads
• Helped unify the nation
THE “OTHER” SIDE OF AMERICA
In postwar
America, millions of
middle-class white
Americans left the
cities for the
suburbs
HUD (Housing and
Urban
Development) was
created as a part of
government
attempts at urban
renewal, but still,
many were
displaced as
dilapidated areas
were torn down
This meant they
were no longer
paying city
school taxes,
property taxes,
etc.
Poor whites
and poor
nonwhites in
urban areas
suffered
because of
this “white
flight”
At the same time,
the rural poor
began migrating to
the inner cities
City governments
could not afford to
maintain or
improve schools,
public
transportation,
police, or fire
departments
POLIO
1952—nearly 60,000 cases
reported with about 3,000
deaths!
• Poliomyelitis is a viral disease
that damages the nervous
system (This is what FDR had)
• It was transmitted through not
washing hands after using the
bathroom &/ or coming in
contact with contaminated
objects.
• Dr. Jonas Salk developed a
vaccine & it was widely
available by 1955.
To boldly go where no man
has gone before, but who
will get there first?
USA vs. USSR
SPACE: A NEW FRONTIER
• October 1957: USSR launched Sputnik,
the world’s first artificial satellite.
• America was shocked! How could
they beat us?
• January 1958, USA launched its first
satellite called Explorer I.