THE POSTWAR
BOOM
THE AMERICAN DREAM
IN THE 1950S
Chapter 19.1 Essential
Questions




What economic and social problems
faced Americans after World War II?
How did the desire for stability lead to
political conservatism?
What were causes and effects of social
unrest in the postwar period?
How was Truman’s domestic policy
different from Eisenhower’s?
SECTION 1: POSTWAR
AMERICA


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
After WWII, returning
vets faced a severe
housing shortage
In response to the crisis,
developers used
assembly-line methods to
mass-produce houses
Developer William Levitt
bragged that his
company could build a
home in 16 minutes for
$7,000
Suburbs were born
With the help of low-interest
loans from the GI Bill, many
veterans moved into suburbs
REDEFINING THE FAMILY

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A return to traditional
roles after the war was
the norm
Men were expected to
work, while women were
expected to stay home
and care for the children
Conflict emerged as
many women wanted to
stay in the workforce
Divorce rates surged but
were highly frowned
upon
REMARKABLE
ECONOMIC
RECOVERY


Experts who predicted a postwar depression were
proved wrong as they failed to consider the $135
billion in savings Americans had accumulated from
defense work, service pay, and investments in war
bonds
Americans were ready to buy consumer goods
DESPITE GROWTH,
ISSUES PERSIST


One persistent
postwar issue
involved labor
strikes
In 1946 alone, 4.5
million discontented
workers, including
Steelworkers, coal
miners and railroad
workers went on
strike
TRUMAN TOUGH ON
STRIKERS



Truman refused to let strikes cripple the nation
He threatened to draft the striking workers and
then order them as soldiers to return to work
The strategy worked as strikers returned to their
jobs
SOCIAL UNREST
PERSISTS



African Americans felt
they deserved equal
rights, especially after
hundreds of thousands
served in WWII
Truman took action in
1948 by desegregating
the armed forces
Additionally, Truman
ordered an end to
discrimination in the
hiring of governmental
employees
THE 1948 ELECTION
Dewey



The Democrats
nominated President
Truman in 1948
The Republicans
nominated New York
Governor Thomas
Dewey
Polls showed Dewey
held a comfortable
lead going into
election day
TRUMAN WINS IN A
STUNNING UPSET

Truman holds a now infamous Chicago
Tribune announcing (incorrectly)
Dewey’s victory

Truman’s “Give
‘em hell, Harry”
campaign
worked
Truman won a
very close race
against Dewey
To protest Truman’s emphasis on Civil Rights, Southern
Democrats, or “Dixiecrats”, opted to run a third
candidate, South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond
Truman’s “Fair Deal”


Truman proposed an ambitious economic
program- it was supposed to be an extension
of FDR’s “New Deal”
He proposed:

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A nationwide system of compulsory health
insurance (can anyone say Obamacare?) (Def)
A crop-subsidy system for farmers (Def)
Raising the minimum wage (P)
Extending Social Security to more people (P)
Initiating flood control and irrigation projects (P)
Secured federal funding for low-income housing
REPUBLICANS PLAN
FOR 1952 ELECTION

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
By 1951 Truman’s
approval rating sank
to an all-time low of
just 23%
Why? Korean War,
rising tide of
McCarthyism, and a
general impression
of ineffectiveness
Truman decides not
to run again
The Republicans (right) were
chomping at the bit in the ’52
election
STEVENSON VS. IKE 1952
ELECTION

Stevenson
Ike
The Democrats
nominated
intellectual Illinois
Governor Adlai
Stevenson while
the Republicans
nominated war
hero Dwight David
Eisenhower
“I LIKE IKE”


Eisenhower used the
slogan, “I Like Ike”
for his presidential
campaign
Republicans used
Ike’s strong military
background to
emphasize his ability
to combat
Communism
worldwide
IKE’S VP SLIP-UP



Nixon and his dog
Checkers
One potential disaster
for Ike was his running
mate’s alleged “slush
fund”
Richard Nixon
responded by going on
T.V. and delivering an
emotional speech
denying charges but
admitting to accepting
one gift for his children
– a dog named Checkers
The “Checkers speech”
saved the ticket; notice
again the power of TV!
IKE WINS 1952 ELECTION
Ike’s Hit’s and Misses…

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Pressed hard to bring
about a balanced
budget and tax cuts
Raised the minimum
wage
Extended Social
Security and
unemployment benefits
Increased funding for
public housing
Backed the creation of
the Interstate Highway
System

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
Tried to avoid
controversy.
Was forced to intervene
in the Little Rock (AR)
Central HS crisis
Brown v. Board of
Education ruling took
place in 1954
Rosa Parks/Montgomery
Bus Boycott in 1955
Ike did not press for an
end to segregation
Ike Walks the Middle of the
Road…


Ike’s approach to politics- “Dynamic
Conservatism” (also known as modern
Republicanism)
He wanted government to be
“conservative when it comes to money
and liberal when it comes to human
beings.”
Ch.19.2 Essential Questions




How did changes in business affect
workers?
What was the suburban lifestyle like in
the 1950s?
What were the causes and effects in
the automobile industry boom?
Why was there an increase in
consumerism in the 1950s?
SECTION 2: THE AMERICAN
DREAM IN THE FIFTIES



After WWII ended,
Americans turned their
attention to their
families and jobs
New businesses and
technology created
opportunities for many
By the end of the 1950s,
Americans were
enjoying the highest
standard of living in the
world
Ozzie and Harriet reflected
the perfect American family
THE ORGANIZATION AND THE
ORGANIZATION MAN



White Collar jobs expanded
greatly in the 1950s
During the 1950s,
businesses expanded
rapidly
More and more people
held “white-collar” jobs clerical, management, or
professional jobs
The fields of sales,
advertising, insurance
and communications
exploded
SOCIAL CONFORMITY



American workers found
themselves becoming
standardized
Called the “Organization
Man,” the modern worker
struggled with a loss of
individualism
Businesses did not want
creative thinkers, rebels
or anyone that would
“rock the boat”
Despite their success, some workers questioned whether
pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as
conformity replaced individuality
CONGLOMERATES EMERGE


Conglomerates, major corporations that
include a number of smaller companies
in unrelated fields, emerged in the
1950s
One conglomerate, International
Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), bought
rental car companies and hotel chains
FRANCHISES EMERGE

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
Another strategy for
business expansion
was franchising
A franchise is a
company that offers
similar services in
many locations
Fast food restaurants
developed the first
franchises in America
McDonald’s is one of
the leading franchises
in the world
THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE

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The American Dream complete with
a white picket fence
Most Americans worked
in cities, but fewer and
fewer of them lived there
New highways and the
affordability of cars and
gasoline made
commuting possible
Of the 13 million homes
built in the 1950s, 85%
were built in suburbs
For many, the suburbs
were the American
Dream
THE BABY BOOM



During the late
1940s and through
the early 1960s the
birthrate in the U.S.
soared
At its height in 1957,
a baby was born in
America every 7
seconds (over 4.3
million babies in ’57
alone)
Baby boomers
represent the largest
generation in the
nation’s history
What are the official years of the Baby
Boom Generation?
How did the birthrate rise and fall
during the baby boom years in the
US?
1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the number
of births in North America.
1940
2,559,000 births per year
1946
3,311,000 births per year
1955
4,097,000 births per year
1957
4,300,000 births per year
1964
4,027,000 births per year
1974
3,160,000 births per year
WHY SO MANY BABIES?

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Why did the baby boom
occur when it did?
Husbands returning from
war
Decreasing marriage age
Desirability of large
families
Confidence in economy
Advances in medicine
WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU
Your generation will be supporting an increasingly
aging American population
ADVANCES IN MEDICINE
AND CHILDCARE

Advances in the
treatment of
childhood
diseases included
drugs to combat
typhoid fever and
polio (Jonas Salk)
Dr. Salk was instrumental in
the eradication of polio
DR. SPOCK
ADVISES PARENTS


Dr. Spock’s book sold 10
million copies in the 1950s
Many parents raised
their children according
to the guidelines of
pediatrician Dr.
Benjamin Spock
He thought children
should be allowed to
express themselves and
parents should never
physically punish their
kids
IMPACT OF BABY BOOM


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As a result of the baby
boom 10 million
students entered
elementary schools in
the 1950s
California built a new
school every 7 days in
the late ’50s
Toy sales reached an
all-time high in 1958
when $1.25 billion in
toys were sold
Symbols of the Baby Boom
in Suburbia
1950
1960
Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs)
750
1050
Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs)
320
532
Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars)
53.6
145.2
Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars)
1.0
3.8
Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars)
0.24
1.0
Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars)
72
300
Number of Children age 5-14
24.3
35.5
Number of baseball Little Leagues
776
5,700
Fads of the Baby Boomers
Hula Hoops
Frozen Foods
Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes
What celebrity deaths have most
affected the Baby Boomers?
Panty Raids
John F. Kennedy
Barbie and GI Joe Dolls
Bikinis
Marilyn Monroe
Frisbees
Martin Luther King
Yo-yos
John Lennon
Ouija Boards
Dune Buggies
WOMEN’S ROLES IN THE
1950S

During the
1950s, the role
of homemaker
and mother was
glorified in
popular
magazines,
movies and
television
WOMEN AT WORK


Those women who
did work were
finding job
opportunities
limited to fields such
as nursing, teaching
and office support
Women earned far
less than man for
comparable jobs
LEISURE IN THE 1950s



Americans
experienced shorter
work weeks and
more vacation time
than ever before
Leisure time
activities became a
multi-billion dollar
industry
Labor-saving
devices added more
spare time
Labor-saving
devices
provided
more leisure
time for
Americans
POPULAR LEISURE
ACTIVITES


Bowling remains
one of the top
leisure activities
in the U.S.

In 1953 alone
Americans spent $30
billion on leisure
Popular activities
included fishing,
bowling, hunting and
golf
Americans attended,
or watched on T.V.,
football, baseball and
basketball games
THE AUTOMOBILE
CULTURE


After the rationing of WWII,
inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy
credit led many to buy cars
By 1960, over 60 million Americans
owned autos
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
ACT 1956

In 1956 Ike
authorized
a
nationwide
highway
network –
41,000
miles of
road linking
America
THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
SYSTEM

“Automania” spurred
the construction of
roads linking major
cities while
connecting schools,
shopping centers and
workplaces to
residential suburbs
IMPACT OF THE
HIGHWAY



Trucking is the #1 means of
moving cargo in the United
States today
The Interstate
Highway system
resulted in:
More trucking
Less railroad
More suburbs,
further away
HIGHWAYS
“HOMOGENIZE” AMERICA


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Another effect of the
highway system was
that the scenery of
America began to
look the same
Restaurants, motels,
highway billboards,
gas stations, etc. all
began to look similar
The nation had
become
“homogenized”
Anytown, USA
“Our new roads, with their
ancillaries, the motels, filling
stations, and restaurants
advertising eats, have made it
possible for you to drive from
Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a
change of diet, scenery, or culture.”
John Keats, The Insolent Chariots
1958
DOWNSIDE
TO MOBILITY
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While the car industry boom stimulated
production, jobs, shopping centers, and the
restaurant industry, it also had negative
effects
Noise
Pollution
Accidents
Traffic Jams
Stress
Decline of public
transportation
RISE OF
CONSUMERISM

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By the mid-1950s,
nearly 60% of
Americans were
members of the
middle class
Consumerism (buying
material goods) came
to be equated with
success and status
“Keeping up with the
Jones’s”
NEW PRODUCTS

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One new product after
another appeared in
the marketplace
Appliances, electronics,
and other household
goods were especially
popular
The first credit card
(Diner’s Club) appeared
in 1950 and American
Express was introduced
in 1958
Personal debt
increased nearly 3x in
the 1950s
THE ADVERTISING
AGE

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The advertising
industry capitalized
on runaway
consumerism by
encouraging more
spending
Ads were everywhere
Ad agencies increased
their spending 50%
during the 1950s
Advertising is everywhere today in
America
Ch.19.3 Essential Questions:


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How did television programs in the
1950s reflect middle-class values?
How did the beat movement and
rock ‘n’ roll music clash with middleclass values?
How did African-American entertainers
help to integrate the media in the
1950s?
SECTION 3: POPULAR
CULTURE

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A new era of mass
media led by
television
emerged in the
1950s
In 1948, only 9%
of homes had T.V
In 1950, 55% of
homes had T.V.
By 1960, 90% of
American homes
had T.V.
THE GOLDEN AGE
OF TELEVISION



Mass media- the
means of
communication that
reach large
audiences
The 1950s was
known as the
“Golden Age of
Television”
Comedies were the
main attraction as
Milton Berle, Lucille
Ball and Desi Arnaz
were very popular
Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
starred in I Love Lucy
TELEVISION EXPERIMENTS
WITH VARIOUS FORMATS



The FCC (Federal
Communications
Commission) did its best
to regulate television and
radio
Television innovations
like on-the-scene-news
reporting, interviews,
westerns and sporting
events offered the viewer
a variety of shows
Kids’ shows like The Howdy
Doody Show and The Mickey
Mouse Club were extremely
popular
TV ADS, TV GUIDES AND TV
DINNERS EXPAND

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TV advertising soared from $170 million in 1950 to
nearly $2 billion in 1960
TV Guide magazine quickly became the best selling
magazine
Frozen TV dinners were introduced in 1954 – these
complete ready-to-heat meals on disposable aluminum
trays made it easy for people to eat without missing
their favorite shows
A Downside to TV???

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Critics objected to its effects on
children (exposure to violence)
Women appeared in
stereotypical roles
Male characters outnumbered
female by 3 to 1
African-Americans and Latinos
rarely appeared in television
programs at all
1950s television portrayed an
idealized white America, with no
references to poverty, diversity
or contemporary conflicts
Would the Birth of Television Lead to
the Death of Radio and the Movies?



Radio and movies survived
because they adapted and
evolved.
Radio stations now offered
news, weather, and more
importantly- rock ‘n’ roll
Movie theatres also had
some advantages over TVsize, color, and sound
James Dean, a teenage idol, died at
the age of 24 in a car accident.
A SUBCULTURE EMERGES


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Although mass media
and television were
wildly popular in the
1950s, dissenting
voices emerged
The “Beat Movement”
in literature, art and
poetry celebrated a
nonconformist
lifestyle and attitude
Rock n’ roll clashed
with tidy suburban
views of life and was
originally called “race
music”.
BEATNIKS FOLLOW OWN PATH


Beatniks often performed poetry
or music in coffeehouses or bars
Centered in San
Francisco, L.A. and
New York’s Greenwich
Village, the Beat
Movement expressed
social nonconformity
Followers, called
“beatniks”, tended to
shun work and sought
understanding
through Zen
Buddhism, music, and
sometimes drugs
MUSIC IN THE 1950s

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Musicians in the 1950s
added electronic
instruments to traditional
blues music, creating
rhythm and blues
Cleveland DJ Alan Freed
was the first to play this
music in 1951– he called it
“rock and roll”
First called “race music”the early performers were
mostly black, but the
audience was mostly white
FREED
ROCK N’ ROLL


In the early and mid-fifties, Richard
Penniman, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and
the Comets, and especially Elvis Presley
brought rock and roll to the forefront
The driving rhythm and lyrics featuring
love, cars,
and problems
of being
young --captivated
teenagers
across the
country
THE KING OF ROCK AND
ROLL


Presley’s
rebellious style
captured young
audiences
Girls screamed
and fainted,
and boys tried
to imitate him
SECTION 4: THE OTHER
AMERICA


In 1962, nearly
one out of every
four Americans
was living below
the poverty level
Most of these
poor were the
elderly, single
women and
their children,
and/or minorities
WHITE FLIGHT



In the 1950s, millions
of middle-class white
Americans left the
cities for the suburbs
At the same time
millions of African
American rural poor
migrated to the cities
The so-called “White
Flight” drained cities
of valuable resources,
money and taxes
Urban Renewal




Most African Americans, Native
Americans and Latinos in the cities
had to live in dirty, crowded slums.
One proposed solution was “urban
renewal”. The National Housing Act
of 1949 called for the tearing down of
rundown neighborhoods and
constructing low-income housing
Although the tearing down did occur,
parking lots, shopping centers,
highways, parks and factories were
constructed on much of the cleared
land
Urban renewal simply became “urban
removal” as many people simply had
to move from one ghetto to another.
Dodger Stadium- An example of urban renewal
Poverty Leads to Activism…



When the United States entered
WWII, a shortage of agricultural
workers spurred the government to
initiate a program in which Mexican
braceros, or hired hands, were
allowed into the U.S. to harvest crops
from 1942-1947
They were expected to return to
Mexico once their employment ended;
but many remained in the U.S. illegally
to escape the poor economic
conditions in Mexico.
As a result, prejudice against Mexicans
and Mexican-Americans rose
dramatically
The Longoria Incident




Felix Longoria was a MexicanAmerican WWII hero who had been
killed in the Philippines.
The only undertaker in his Texas
hometown refused to provide his
family with funeral services
Outraged Mexican Americans stepped
up their efforts to stamp out
discrimination by creating the
G.I. Forum and the Unity League of
California
Both were designed to register
Mexican American voters and to
promote candidates who would
represent their interests.
Native Americans Continue Their Struggle…




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From 1887 to 1934, the government policy towards Native Americans was
one of “Americanization” and assimilation.
In 1953 the federal government announced it would give up its
responsibility for Native American tribes.
The new approach, known as the “termination policy” eliminated federal
economic support, discontinued the reservation system, and redistributed
tribal lands to individual Native Americans.
Native Americans were encouraged to resettle in cities.
The policy was a dismal failure. Most couldn’t find jobs because of poor
training and racial prejudice. In 1963, the termination policy was
abandoned
The National Congress of American Indians was formed to 1) Ensure civil
rights for Native Americans and 2) enable Indians on reservations to
retain their own customs