Truman and Eisenhower on
the Homefront
Chapter 20, Section 1
March 9, 2011
The GI Bill
 As the war came to an end, the U.S.
looks for ways to help its servicemen
returning home.
 The GI BILL (aka the SERVICEMEN’S
READJUSTMENT ACT) provides low
interest loans to veterans – helps
them buy houses, start businesses,
and go to college.
Taft-Hartley Act
 Although the economy is getting better,
there are still problems. Strikes and
inflation happen after the war.
 The TAFT-HARTLEY ACT sets unions
back by getting rid of :
 Closed shops (businesses that only hired
union workers)
Truman VETOED it, but a Republican congress
overrides the veto.
Seen as a response to the Wagner Act
Truman’s Domestic Agenda
 President Truman wanted to do a
number of things to help the country
when he became president. These
included:
 Expansion of social security
 Raising the minimum wage
 National health insurance
 A LARGE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
Congress won’t pass most of these things –
Truman calls them the “DO-NOTHING
CONGRESS”
ELECTION OF 1948
 Many Southerners got angry when
Truman proposed a Civil Rights Bill.
 In the Election of 1948, Southern
Democrats start the States’ Rights (or
DIXIECRAT) party.
 Sen. STROM THURMOND of SC leads the
party.
 Henry Wallace runs on the Progressive
Party ticket.
 Although they wouldn’t win, this looked
as if it would split the vote and let the
Republican win.
 Truman defeats THOMAS DEWEY
FAIR DEAL
 Truman coins his ideas as the FAIR
DEAL.
 Congress does raise the minimum wage
and expands Social Security.
 They do not provide national health
insurance or pass Truman’s civil rights
legislation.
The “Checkers” Speech
 In the Election of 1952, Eisenhower is
almost derailed when his VP candidate,
Richard Nixon, is accused of taking
illegal gifts.
 Just before Ike drops him from the
ticket, Nixon goes on TV and says he
had never taken any gifts except for a
puppy named “Checkers.” The
American people think puppies are
really cute, so they let him slide.
Nixon and “Checkers”
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixoncheckers.html
“Dynamic Conservatism”
 Although Eisenhower was a
conservative, he enacted many
activist policies. This blending of the
two ideas becomes known as
“dynamic conservatism.”
 Ike calls for the FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ACT. This helps construct 40,000
miles of interstate highway which cost
$25 billion.
Eisenhower wins again easily in 1956.
Chapter 20, Section 2 & 3
“And they’re all made out of
ticky-tack, and they all look just
the same…”: Prosperity,
Conformity and Security in the
1950s
Life for Americans in the 1950s
 In the 1950s, the nation has seen a
decade of economic depression and a
decade of war. After this, society is
characterized by THREE THINGS:
 PROSPERITY – economic well-being
 CONFORMITY – Being like everyone else
 David Riesman’s book The Lonely Crowd
discusses how Americans want to be just
like their neighbors in the 1950s
 SECURITY – Feeling safe (from econ.
Depression, war, and Communism)
Reasons for Prosperity
 There are a couple of major reasons
for prosperity after the war:
 Machines meant less people had to work
on farms and factories. More people had
WHITE-COLLAR jobs (sales and
management) than BLUE COLLAR jobs
(labor in factories).
 The GI Bill allows people to buy houses,
and start businesses – this allows people
to have stuff that they couldn’t have
imagined before the war
BABY BOOM
 After the war, couples reunite and want to
start families. This leads to the BABY
BOOM – a period of time from 1945 to
1961 when birth rates were at an all time
high. Reasons included:
 Couples “missed each other” during the war
 The GI bill allowed people to have jobs and
homes where they could raise kids
 Popular culture glorified the idea of “happy
families”
LEVITTOWNS
 Because of the GI Bill, many soldiers
could afford MORTGAGES.
 This leads to LEVITTOWNS – huge
neighborhoods in the SUBURBS with
houses made out of pre-cut and
easily assembled materials.
 All the houses looked alike, but they
could be build and sold cheaply.
Levittowns
FRANCHISING
 Businesses began FRANCHISES – where a
person owns several businesses in different
places that are just alike.
 In 1951, Kemmons Wilson started the HOLIDAY
INN motel chain – all of the hotels were the
same.
 In the 1950s, Ray A. Kroc buys a burger
restaurant and builds a nationwide chain. At
McDONALD’S, you can get the same burger in
California as you could in Virginia.
The Power of TV…
 In 1946, the U.S. has 7,000 TV sets – by
1957, there were over 40,000,000.
 TV shows promote CONFORMITY – Leave it
to Beaver, I Love Lucy, and The Adventures
of Ozzie and Harriet show happy families
playing out traditional gender roles.
 TV also allows for more ADVERTISING –
which encourages people to buy new stuff.
SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS
 In the world of medicine, Dr. Jonas
Salk creates a vaccine for POLIO
(FDR’s disease). This helps end
nationwide polio epidemics.
 In space, the U.S. has launched its
own satellite by January 1958 to keep
up with the Soviets.
PROS and CONS of 1950s life
 PROS: On one hand, people were able to
live BETTER than ever before. People had
nicer stuff and more of it. The standard of
living had increased for many Americans.
 CONS: On the other hand, many Americans
put less emphasis on individualism and
independence. People are encouraged to
look, act and think just like everyone else.
Also, times become harder for those left
out of this prosperity.
Who Gets Left Out?
 Some people did not share the prosperity of
the 1950s…
 People in the inner cities – When people
move to the suburbs, the life of those left in the
cities begins to decline. High-rise housing
projects lead to violence and crime.
 African Americans – Despite moving to cities,
many African Americans could not find higher
paying jobs. They still faced a great deal of
discrimination – even in the north.
 Native Americans – With the TERMINATION POLICY,
the government makes them subject to the same laws
as white citizens. They also try to move NAs to big
cities.
 Non-conformists – People who did not fit the Beaver
stereotype were often seen as outcasts or “juvenile
delinquents.”
 “Beat” poets like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac
criticize the CONFORMIST culture in America.
 Movies like Rebel Without a Cause brings attention to
the “generation gap” between parents and their
children.