VP:
Richard
Nixon
DiO:
January
20,
1953‐
January
20,
1961
Born:
Oct
14,
1890
Died:
March
28,
1969
State:
Texas
PP:
Republican
Domes&c
Policy
and
Civil
Rights
of
the
1950s
(1)
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
presiden&al
campaign
•  Republicans
used
Ike’s
strong
military
background
to
emphasize
his
ability
to
combat
Communism
worldwide
“I
Like
Ike”
• Republican
rallying
cry
• “It’s
Qme
for
a
change”
republican
slogan
aUer
20
years
of
DemocraQc
presidency
• Ike
promised
end
of
war
in
Korea.
• Won
by
a
landslide‐
6
million
votes
IKE’S
VP
SLIP‐UP
Nixon
and
his
dog
Checkers
•  One
poten&al
disaster
for
Ike
was
his
running
mate’s
alleged
“slush
fund”
Accused
of
receiving
giWs
from
California
businesspeople
totaling
$18,000
while
a
senator.
•  Richard
Nixon
responded
by
going
on
T.V.
and
delivering
an
emo&onal
speech
denying
charges
but
admi[ng
to
accep&ng
one
giW
for
his
children
–
a
dog
named
Checkers
•  The
“Checkers
speech”
saved
the
&cket
IKE
WINS
1952
ELECTION
a. Democrat: Adlai
Stevenson
b.
Republican:
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
(Richard
Nixon
VP)
(16
cont)
Ike
won
just
under
60%
of
the
popular
vote;
electoral
vote
was
457
to
73
in
favor
of
Ike!
d. Ike
failed
to
win
either
house
of
Congress
for
his
party
–
country
remained
heavily
DemocraQc
–
but
everyone
loved
Ike.
(2)
Hidden
Hand
Presidency
• Cabinet
assumed
new
importance;
genuine
advisory
board
• Full‐Qme
secretary,
agenda,
&
regularly
kept
minutes
(remember
he
is
63…
kinda
old)
• If
for
some
reason
the
President
is
unable
to
lead,
the
US
govt.
will
not
come
to
standsQll
(17)
Federal
Highway
Act
of
1956
–
authorized
the
construc&on
of
a
network
of
super‐highways;
41,000
miles
of
road
with
its
primary
purpose
of
defense
The
bridges
were
built
high
enough
for
missile
systems
to
be
hauled
under
and
roads
wide
enough
for
tanks,
and
at
least
1
of
every
5
miles
is
perfectly
straight
for
airplane
access.
Who
were
worried
about
defending
ourselves
against?
THE
AUTOMOBILE
CULTURE
•  AWer
the
ra&oning
of
WWII,
inexpensive
and
plen&ful
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
na&onwide
highway
network
–
41,000
miles
of
road
linking
America
THE
INTERSTATE
HIGHWAY
SYSTEM
•  “Automania”
spurred
the
construc&on
of
roads
linking
major
ci&es
while
connec&ng
schools,
shopping
centers
and
workplaces
to
residen&al
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
•  Another
effect
of
the
highway
system
was
that
the
scenery
of
America
began
to
look
the
same
•  Restaurants,
motels,
highway
billboards,
gas
sta&ons,
etc.
all
began
to
look
similar
•  The
na&on
had
become
“homogenized”
Anytown,
USA
“Our new roads, with their ancillaries, the motels, filling sta6ons, and restaurants adver6sing 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
•  While
the
car
industry
boom
s&mulated
produc&on,
jobs,
shopping
centers,
and
the
restaurant
industry,
it
also
had
nega&ve
effects
•  Noise
•  Pollu&on
•  Accidents
•  Traffic
Jams
•  Stress
•  Decline
of
public
transporta&on
•  1946‐1964
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
genera&on
in
the
na&on’s
history
(24)
THE
BABY
BOOM
Maddie
What
are
the
official
years
of
the
Baby
Boom
Genera&on?
1946
‐
1964
saw
a
marked
increase
in
the
number
of
births
in
North
America.
How
did
the
birthrate
rise
and
fall
during
the
baby
boom
years
in
the
US?
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?
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
genera&on
will
be
suppor&ng
an
increasingly
aging
American
popula&on
ADVANCES
IN
MEDICINE
AND
CHILDCARE
• (14)
Jonas
Salk
Advances
in
the
treatment
of
childhood
diseases
included
drugs
to
combat
typhoid
fever
and
polio
Dr.
Salk
was
instrumental
in
the
eradica&on
of
polio
DR.
SPOCK
ADVISES
PARENTS
•  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
Dr.
Spock’s
book
sold
10
million
copies
in
the
1950s
IMPACT
OF
BABY
BOOM
•  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‐
&me
high
in
1958
when
$1.25
billion
in
toys
were
sold
Symbols
of
the
Baby
Boom
in
Suburbia
1950
1960
Hot
Dog
ProducQon
(millions
of
lbs)
750
1050
Potato
Chip
ProducQon
(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
Lijle
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
Barbie
and
GI
Joe
Dolls
Bikinis
Frisbees
John
F.
Kennedy
Marilyn
Monroe
MarQn
Luther
King
Yo‐yos
John
Lennon
Ouija
Boards
Dune
Buggies