American Popular Culture of
the 1950’s
Truman’s “Fair Deal”
The Idealized 1950’s
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"Every segment of our population, and every
individual, has a right to expect from his
government a fair deal."
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Near 0% unemployment
Corporate income and dividends more than
doubled
No bank closures in almost nine years
Minimum wage increased from .40 to .75 cents
Social Security benefits doubled
Truman’s “Fair Deal”
The Idealized 1950’s
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Civil Rights – Desegregated
the armed forces, mandated
that all federal contracts be
offered equally, and equal
housing opportunities to all
Truman’s “Fair Deal”
The Idealized 1950’s
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Health and Welfare – mandated
health and dental benefits offered
by federal employers, water
pollution solutions, major hospital
construction and modernization,
and research grants for mental
illness treatments
Truman’s “Fair Deal”
The Idealized 1950’s
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Labor and Education – raise in
minimum wage, fair labor
standards, vocational
education opportunities
expanded, long term low
interest school loans offered,
school lunch programs
expanded
The GI Bill
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Introduced after World War II and
expanded after the Korean War
Provided veterans with medical care
for war injuries, money towards
college or vocational training schools,
low interest home loans, and
unemployment benefits immediately
following the war for up to one year
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After the gloom of WWII and the Great
Depression, Americans used the
economic boost of the war to build new
technologies and to enjoy the comforts
of home and recreation once again
The “Good Life” of the 1950’s
The Suburbs - Levittowns
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With growing families and increased
income, families moved out of the
cities and into the surrounding suburbs
Levitt pioneered the idea of mass
producing affordable homes and
planned communities
Baby-Boomer Generation
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During the Depression, the
birthrate was around 19 per
1,000
After the war, with an improved
economy and outlook, the
birthrate jumped to 25 per
1,000
Automobiles and Highways
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With more families living further from work,
the Interstate Highway Act provided $33
billion to create interstate highways,
connecting the suburbs with the cities
More highways and longer commutes led to
an explosion in the automobile industry and
related roadside industries
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Auto Sales and Garages
Roadside Attractions
Hotels and Motels
Safety Features
Resort Destinations
Fast Food
Television
Viewership and Profits
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Between 1949 and 1969, the
number of households in the U.S.
with at least one TV set rose from
less than a million to 44 million.
The number of TV stations rose
from 69 to 566. The amount
advertisers paid these TV stations
and the networks rose from $58
million to $1.5 billion.
Popular Shows of the 1950’s
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I Love Lucy
The Lone Ranger
Leave It To Beaver
Jack Benny
Perry Como
Ozzie and Harriet
The Honeymooners
Superman
Bonanza
The Price is Right
Dragnet
Tarzan
Andy Griffith
Milton Berle
Three Stooges
Beverly Hillbillies
Mickey Mouse
Gunsmoke
Lassie
The Evening News
The Computer
UNIVAC: a
device, which
contained
20,000
vacuum tubes,
occupied
1,500 square
feet and
weighed 40
tons;
The Computer, 2000?
Scientists from
the Rand
Corporation
created this
model to
illustrate how a
"home
computer"
could look in
the year 2000.
Nuclear Power
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Heat from controlled fission could be
used to create steam, which in turn
could be used to drive electrical
turbines
Disney’s “Our Friend The Atom”
Medical Advances
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1954 –
Polio
Vaccine
(Salk, Thomas)
1950’s – Conformity v. Rebellion
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Conformity and conservatism
promoted harmony and compromise.
Individuality promoted rebellion and
conflict. Post-war America craved
peace and fulfillment.
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
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And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
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And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
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Perry v. Elvis
One-Piece v. Bikini
Lettermen v. Beatnik
Homemaker v. Work