1950s
Influential Laws
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During the 1950's and 1960's, southern states continued to pass 'separate but equal' laws.
These laws are referred to as segregation laws because they segregated (or separated)
people based on race.
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In September, 1957, nine African-American students tried to attend the all-white Central High
School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The governor sent the Arkansas National Guard to stop the
students from entering the school. President Eisenhower stepped in. He sent U.S. soldiers to
Arkansas to escort the children to school for the entire school year.
http://lawfreefaq.com/law/7380-12law.html
Laws cont.
• In Montgomery 1955, 50,000 African-Americans did not ride the city buses.
They decided to continue the boycott until segregation on buses ended. For
over a year, African-Americans walked, hitchhiked, rode bicycles, or shared
car rides.
• On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Alabama's state and
local laws requiring segregation on buses were unconstitutional. The
boycott ended on December 21, 1956. It had lasted 382 days.
http://lawfreefaq.com/law/7380-12law.html
Important Events/News Stories
*1950 - Pres. Harry Truman ( 'til 1952) approves the production of the
hydrogen bomb, and sends the air force and navy to Korea in June.
*1951 – Transcontinental Television begins with a speech by Pres. Truman.
*1953 – 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower is president.
*1952 - The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 removes racial and
ethnic barriers to becoming a U.S. citizen.
*1953 - Julius and Ethel Rosenburg are electrocuted for their part in W.W.II
espionage.
*1953 - Fighting ends in Korea
*1954 - U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy begins televised hearings into alleged
Communists in the army.
*1954 - Racial segregation is ruled unconstitutional in public schools by the
U.S. Supreme Court.
*1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery,
Alabama.
*1955 - The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial
Organizations merge making the new AFL-CIO an organization with 15 million
members.
also in 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio
*1956 – The Federal Highway Act is signed, marking the beginning of work on
the interstate highway system.
*1958 – Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, successfully orbits the earth.
*1958 - The first domestic jet-airline passenger service is begun by National
Airlines between New York City and Miami.
*1959 – Alaska and Hawaii become the forty-ninth and fiftieth states.
www.thepeopleofhistory.com/1950s.html
Books
Fiction
The Cardinal - Henry
Morton Robinson
From Here to Eternity James Jones
The Sliver Chalice Thomas B. Costain
The Robe - Lloyd C.
Douglas
Not as a Stranger Morton Thompson
http://www.caderbooks.com/best50.html
Works
Non-Fiction
Look Younger, Live Longer Gayelord Hauser
Pogo - Walt Kelly
A Man Called Peter Catherine Marshall
Life Is Worth Living - Fluton J.
Sheen
This I Believe, 2 - Raymond
Swing
Dances
Works
Fashion
Jitterbug
Lindy Hop
Cha-Cha
The Hand Jive
The Madison
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-thecommon-dances-from-the-1950s.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOrQTh
_Cq7U&feature=related
Leather Jacket
Poodle Skirts
Dresses
Penny Loafers
Letter Sweater
Gloves
Scarves
Girdle
Stilletos
Pencil Skirts
Jeans
http://www.tqnyc.org/2007/NYC074230//fashion.htm
•Credit Cards
Inventions
•Introduced by Diner’s Club International – Company in Britain.
•Eliminates the need to carry cash.
•Time saving device
•Huge success and universally used.
•Barcode
•A unique code for items that’s read by a scanner.
•Invented by Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver
•Initially used to identify railroad cars
•Used in shipping and sales tracking.
•Barbie Dolls
•Created by Ruth and Elliot Handler
•Recognized the value of helping children realize their dreams and goals through play.
•Revealed at New York’s annual Toy Fair in 1959
•Quickly caught the attention of little girls across the country
•Snowmobiles
•Helpful and successful
•Helped people in snowy weather who aren’t able to get around by car
•Valued in Alaska
•Used to haul things or rode for enjoyment
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111064/50inventions.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/a/modern.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1900a.shtml
Music! Top Ten Songs of the 50s
ARTISTS
1.Bing Crosby
2.Rosemary Clooney
3.Nat King Cole
4.Ames Brothers
5.Dean Martin
6.Bill Haley & His Comets
7.Elvis Presley
8.Pat Boone
9.Tommy Edwards
10.Bobby Darin
Elvis Presley
SONGS
1.White Christmas
2.Come on-a My House
3.Unforgettable
4.You, You, You
5.That’s Amore
6.Rock Around The Clock
7.Hound Dog
8.Love Letters In The Sand
9.It's All In the Game
10.Mack The Knife
*The music in the 1950’s affected the buying habits and
clothing of teens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mjb4yLMeK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXiulKIgGpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AieUk2AH4w&
feature=PlayList&p=DADB0C561054C19C&playn
ext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298
Bing Crosby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q&feature=relate
d
Television
*In the fifties if you had a television, you would be the neatest kid
on the block. Even though at the beginning they only had a few
shows, anything would be fun
Popular showsKids
Lassie
Walt Disney
Mickey Mouse Club
Drama
Dragnet
The Twilight Zone
Superman
Private Everywhere
Comedy
I Love Lucy
The Honeymooners
The Families of the Fifties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y
G1UVCexVFg&feature=related
http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/decade/1950.htm
Movies
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In 1952 movies became more than just movies. In the month of November the first 3-D movie, Bwana Devil,
was able to be seen. At first people were amused by this optical illusion, but the fad did not last very long at
all.
1950’s was the birth of teen film! Leather jackets, motorcycles, rock "n" roll & rebellious youths were introduced to the world.
Rebel Without a cause
Rebel Without a Cause tells the story of a rebellious teenager played by James Dean, who comes to a town, meets a girl, disobeys
his parents, and challenges the local high school bullies. It was an attempt to portray American youth, critique parental style, and
exploit the differences between generations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDL8UeYpnxk
VERTIGO (1958)
A tense, absorbing, and thrilling masterpiece. Jimmy Stewart, the best actor of Hollywood’s Golden Age, plays his greatest role as
a man that not only must battle his own fear of heights but also must battle his own personal demons, such as a desperate
search for identity. Singing in the Rain
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is a film of well-being, joy, and happiness that cascades throughout series of songs and dances. This film of
up-beat goofiness and charm stars Gene Kelly, who gives his most legendary performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7QL46cK7B8&feature=related
Lady and the Tramp
Film introduced by Walt Disney in 1955. The story centers on a female American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives with a
refined, upper middle-class family, and a male stray called the Tramp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WxDdz-Anls&feature=related
Movies cont.
Singing in the Rain
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is a film of well-being, joy, and happiness that cascades
throughout series of songs and dances. This film of up-beat goofiness and charm
stars Gene Kelly, who gives his most legendary performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7QL46cK7B8&feature=related
Lady and the Tramp
Film introduced by Walt Disney in 1955. The story centers on a female American
Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives with a refined, upper middle-class family,
and a male stray called the Tramp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WxDdz-Anls&feature=related
Marilyn Monroe
1926-1962
*In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe was a famous actress
and model.
*Many people in the world and in America believe that
her name brings beauty and sensuality, with a note of
innocence, to the minds of those who hear it.
*Marilyn Monroe dominated the age of
movie stars to become, without question,
one of the most famous women of the 20th
century.
Jackson Pollock
1912-1956
•Jackson Pollock was a famous artist in
the 1950s.
•He was an influential American painter
and a major figure in the abstract
expressionist movement
•He was regarded as a mostly reclusive
artist. He had a volatile personality and
struggled with alcoholism all of his life.
John Wayne
1907-1979
*He was an American film actor, director
and producer
*He is famous for his distinctive voice, walk and
height. He was also known for his conservative
political views and his support, beginning in the
1950s, for anti-communist positions.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was a black woman arrested and
convicted for refusing to give up her seat for a
white man on a bus and violating the city's
segregation law. Rosa Parks heroic stand and
actions changed the course of history and
made her an American icon.
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk was the first to develop an injection
vaccine against polio. During the 1950s, polio
was one of the most feared and widespread
childhood diseases. Salk was recognized as a
miracle worker. His original intention was to
study law, but he was attracted to the medical
sciences and decided to become a doctor, who
researched to medical practices.
Perry Como
Perry Comos was a popular television performer and recording
artist, who produced numerous hit records. [Received 3
Emmys] His weekly television shows and seasonal specials
were broadcast throughout the world He was widely respected
for both his professional standards and the conduct in his
personal life
Singing Hot Diggity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BbEY_8Fhk
Elvis Presley
1935-1977
*Elvis Presley was a famous musician in the 1950s.
*He was a rock and roll influence to teens to be different but alike at the same time.
*He wanted to be “cool” but “different”
Audrey Hepburn
*She was a Fashion/ image icon
*Was a humanitarian
*Wowed millions of people with her gorgeous looks and power packed perfomances
*She won a Golden Globe Award, Academy Award, and Best Motion Picture
Lucille Ball
*She was the star of I Love Lucy, a popular TV show, in the 1950s.
*She won 8 Emmys
*She was in the movies Stage Door and Mame
*She married Desi Arnaz who was a Cuban bandleader
Harry S. Truman
*The 33rd president of the United States
*He was an artillery officer
*County Commissioner of Missouri
Frank Sinatra
Won an academy award for best supporting actor in “From Here to Eternity”
Signed with capitol records
Created reprise
records
Marlon Brando
Greatest actor in motion picture history
Won an academy award
Supported Civil Rights and Indian movements