United States History

1. United States History Chapter 29: Society After World War II

2. Demobilization • With so many returning home from war, there were many concerns with the American economy • GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college • Employment Act of 1946: gov’t would help economy switch to peacetime production • A depression never came, mostly because companies began to make consumer goods again • However, employers favored vets, so many women and non-veterans lost their jobs • Inflation rose sharply, especially after price controls were lifted

3. Labor Strikes • Unhappy with working conditions, many workers went on strike after the war • President Harry S. Truman feared strikes would cripple the economy • Threatened intervention, or even an army draft, to those that went on strike in critical industries • Taft-Hartley Act: allowed the gov’t to end some strikes, limited political contributions of unions • Although limited, unions began to gain strength • Began to include benefits like pensions and insurance into union contracts with employers

4. President Truman

5. Election of 1948 • Even though approval was low, Truman took stands on tough issues • Committee on Civil Rights created in 1946 • Designed to address racial issues that plagued the nation • Suggested that the nation end segregation and discrimination • Eventually, Truman issued orders to end segregation in the military and companies with government contracts • Democrats were split on civil rights • Nominated Truman for reelection • The “Dixiecrats”, southern white Democrats nominated Strom Thurmond • Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey and was expected to win • Truman pulled off the upset, even with some newspapers reporting his loss

7. The Fair Deal • Truman wanted to expand New Deal programs • Higher minimum wage • National health insurance • Aid to the poor • Employment aid • Republicans and some Democrats were against the program • Some programs were passed • Expansion of social security • Minimum wage to $0.75/hr • Overall, people wanted a smaller government, peace and stability

8. Dwight D. Eisenhower

9. 1950s Society • After “Ike” was elected in 1952, he promised to cut the government and reduce spending • However, welfare programs, education, and military spending cut into his promises of a balance budget • His attitude towards the government and its role in society were “conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings” • This attitude became known as Modern Republicanism • The national debt increased to $291 billion dollars under his administration

10. 1950s Society • Automation ruled industry, taking manufacturing jobs away • However, a need for white collar jobs skyrocketed during the decade • Unions grew in popularity • The AFL and CIO merged into one • However, support dwindled in the late 1950s after charges of corruption in unions • Suburbs exploded outside of cities • People could afford cars to drive to work from farther away • Planned communities, such as Levitttowns, were built, looking almost exactly alike • The Highway Act of 1956 built an interstate highway system

12. Suburban Life • After the war, people moved to the suburbs • Marriage rates boomed • Birthrates soared, creating a baby boom generation • An emphasis on child rearing and family became apparent • Dr. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care guided many parents • Advertising continued to encourage people to buy • Family activities, church, and other social activities became common • Television, the newest mass medium, made its debut in many homes of the 1950s • I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ed Sullivan Show, etc entertained families every night of the week

14. Pop Culture of the 1950s • Rebelling against the ideals of their parents, teenagers expressed themselves openly • MAD Magazine • The Catcher in the Rye • James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause) • The creation of rock ‘n’ roll was the definition of all that is 1950s • Variation of rhythm and blues • Plugged in guitars and used “obscene” lyrics • Termed coined by Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ that marketed the new “black” music to white suburban kids • Rock stars traveled the nation, playing before screaming crowds and producing hits still popular today • Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few • Adults despised rock for the obscenity of lyrics and stage presence • Also helped to break down color barriers

16. Civil Rights Stirrings… • In 1896, Plessyv. Ferguson legalized segregation in the United States • In 1954, this was challenged in the court case Brown v. Board of Education • Linda Brown, a young black girl in Topeka, KS, challenged the school board • She claimed that she should be able to attend the neighboring white school, instead of going to a school farther away • Her lawyer was future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall • On May 17, the court struck down Plessy and ordered all American schools to desegregate • The struggle for equality would be long and hard, however

17. Civil Rights Stirrings… • Little Rock Central High School • 9 black students volunteered to attend the all white school in 1957 • Governor OrvalFaubus ordered the AR National Guard to the school to prevent the students from enrolling for 3 weeks • President Eisenhower ordered the US Army to Little Rock to force desegregation • Known today as the Little Rock Nine • Montgomery Bus Boycott • Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing her front seat to a white man in 1955 • Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, black residents of the city boycotted the busses for over a year • Led to the passage of desegregation of the busses and the Civil Rights Act of 1957

18. Elizabeth Eckford, Little Rock Central, 1957

19. Rosa Parks

20. Beyond Black and White • Discrimination affected other racial groups during the 1950s as well • Hispanics: most notable incident involved a Mexican American veteran and a funeral home’s refusal to conduct a service for him • League of United Latin American Citizens and the American GI Forum • Several court cases involving school segregation • Asians did not fit the profile of the “ideal American” • Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, allowing for more to immigrate • Native Americans were pressured to abandon reservations • Relocation Act of 1956 encouraged Natives to move to cities and cut funding for reservations • However, gov’t backed down from the policy of termination in 1958

21. Questioning Conformity and Society • Many felt that discrimination and conformity were signs of serious problems in America • Authors such as Ralph Ellison (The Invisible Man) depicted lives of those that lived in discrimination and poverty • The beats (and supporters called beatniks) challenged the lifestyle of the middle class • Most famous was Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road • Original copy of On the Road was written in 3 weeks on one continuous piece of paper • Farmers and inner city dwellers continued to suffer from poverty • Production increased on farms, but prices dropped due to increased production in Europe and the use of new equipment like tractors • City poor often lived in substandard housing and discrimination prevented people from moving up into better housing • The urban renewal program destroyed old dilapidated units and built “projects” but those also fell into disrepair