AMERICA in the ’50s And 60s

1. AMERICA in the ’50s And 60s

2. There were four major changes in the US during the 1950s and 60s • Social • Science/Technology • Music/Art • Political Changes

3. Social Changes

4. Suburbs = The American Dream • Affordable single-family housing • Good schools • Friendly neighbors like themselves • New highways, affordable automobiles, low gasoline prices • A safe, healthy environment for children 13 million homes built in the 1950s – 85% were suburban

5. The Generation Gap • The generation gap was the cultural separation between children and their parents. • Many parents viewed rock ’n’ roll as loud and dangerous. • The music was banned in some communities. • The music united teens in their own world and helped to create what became known as the generation gap.

6. Juvenile Delinquency From 1946-1960, the number of teenagers in the US rose from 5.6 million to 11.8 million Attributed to changes in pop culture, such as Catcher in the Rye and “Rebel Without a Cause” Another problem facing the nation was juvenile delinquency, which was antisocial or criminal behavior by teenagers Juvenile crime rose 45% between 1948 and 1953. Car thefts by juveniles increased and more teenagers joined street gangs

7. The HippieMovement In the 60s, thousands of teenagers became part of the “counterculture.” These “hippies” rebelled against the traditional American culture. The hippie look was long hair, tie-dyed shirts, and use of drugs like marijuana, LSD and heroin Hippies believed in a world free of war and hate and full of peace and love

8. The Counter-Culture

9. Famous music groups of the Hippie Movement Music played a large part of the Hippie Movement Jimi Hendrix The Beatles Jim Morrison and the Doors Jefferson Airplane Bob Dylan

10. Family Life Women in the 50s and 60s were seen as wives and not much else; they usually stayed at home and were expected to cook, clean, and serve the husband and rest of the family This is a popular show from the time, Leave it to Beaver, which portrays the “nuclear” family

11. TheBabyBoom The American birthrate exploded after World War II. From 1945 -61 more than 65 million children were born This period became known as the Baby Boom Contributing factors: The end of wars led to more young couples getting married Pop culture glorified pregnancy, parenthood and large families

12. Science/Technology

13. Science/Technological Breakthroughs

14. The Space Race started when Russia sent Sputnik and the first man into space. The U.S. got the people thinking, “If Russia can send satellites into space, then they can send nuclear weapons from space to the U.S. and destroy the U.S."It also showed that Russia had better educated students to take Russia into space, and the U.S. was falling behind in education. The Space Race1957-1975 Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, launched by Russia in 1957

15. One cause of the Space Race was the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful countries after WWII. • Both these countries were competing to be the number one world leader, so space was a critical area for battle. The Space RaceCauses

16. Birth of television By 1957, there were about 40 million television sets in use and TV became an important source of information Shows like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners were the most popular TV shows of the ’50s

17. The Automobile Culture America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile. First McDonald’s (1955) Drive-In Movies Holiday Inn

18. Music/Art

19. New music began hitting the scene, such as: • Bebop • Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker • "Hot House” • The Supremes, The Temptations, The Jackson 5 • "My Girl," by The Temptations • Rock-n-roll • Rolling Stones • Jimi Hendrix • The Beatles • "Twist and Shout," by The Beatles Music

20. Birth of Rock ’n Roll In the 1950s, many teenagers rebelled against the middle-class suburban values, particularly conformity and wanted to be unique. • It was during this period that many youths turned to new and unconventional styles of music • Soon white artists began making music that was based on African American rhythm and blues • This form of music became known as rock ‘n’ roll and it became wildly popular with the nation’s teenagers

21. Elvis Presley The King of Rock ’n Roll Presley’s extraordinary popularity established rock ’n’ roll as an unprecedented mass-market phenomenon His reputation as a performer endured up to his death in 1977 at the age of 42. Graceland, his home in Memphis, is now a public museum visited by upwards of 600,000 people annually.

22. Woodstock Music festival held in upstate New York in 1969 that exemplified the counterculture of the 1960s Thirty-two of the best-known musicians of the day performed in front of nearly half a million concert-goers Woodstock is regarded as one of the greatest moments in pop music history

23. Pop Culture of the 50s Top TV Shows The Lone Ranger The Honeymooners Father Knows Best

24. Political Change

25. 1950: • The Korean War began • Senator Joseph McCarthy began Communist “witch-hunt” • 1955: • Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat • 1957: • Sputnik launched by Soviets • 1958: • NASA founded • 1960: • Lunch counter sit-in at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC • 1961: • Soviets launched the first man in space • 1963: • JFK assassinated • 1965: • First US troops sent to Vietnam • 1968: • MLK Jr and robertKenedy assassinated • 1969: • Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moo

26. THE TURBULENT ’60s

27. Kennedy beats Nixon In one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history, Kennedy defeated Nixon “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” -- John F. Kennedy Inauguration Speech, 1961 In his inauguration speech, Kennedy inspired people with his optimism, his youthfulness and his ability to handle the media. “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” -- John F. Kennedy, Inauguration Speech, 1961

28. Camelot JFK was a very popular president with the American people. People often refer to Kennedy’s presidency as “Camelot” because of the potential and promise for the future, and the period was symbolic of hope His youthful energy, looks, glamorous wife Jacqueline, and their young children led to constant coverage by the media.

29. The Kennedy White House JFK’s closest confidant was his brother Bobby RFK was appointed to the important position of Attorney General

30. The New Frontier JFK’s domestic programs became known as the New Frontier. • Main goals of the New Frontier: • Increase federal aid to education • Provide health insurance to the elderly • Create a Department of Urban Affairs to deal with problems in the inner cities • Create an organization of volunteers to help fight poverty in other countries

31. Assassination in Dallas On Nov. 22, 1963, Kennedy and his wife traveled to Dallas to make some political appearances As the motorcade rode through downtown Dallas, JFK was shot in the head Lee Harvey Oswald was the man who was accused of shooting Kennedy

33. 1968: Turbulent Year Martin Luther King shot in April of 1968 Tet Offensive showed U.S. was not winning the Vietnam War Riots occurred at the Democratic National Convention in August of 1968 Robert F. Kennedy shot in June of 1968

34. THE VIETNAM WAR

35. Vietnam in the ’50s Following World War II, the French controlled southeast Asia (known as Indochina) Ho Chi Minh led a revolt against the French to gain independence for Vietnam By 1954, the French fell to the Vietminh and they withdrew from Indochina, leaving Vietnam a divided country Southeast Asia (aka: French Indochina)

36. Domino Theory The Domino Theory was the belief that if one country fell to communism, the other Southeast Asian nations would eventually fall to communism as well

37. This map from an American magazine published 14th November 1950 shows how much they feared the spread of Communism in the Far East.

38. South Vietnam problems The people of South Vietnam hated South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem. He was corrupt and did not govern in the best interest of the citizens. Diem was disliked because he discriminated against the Buddhist population Some Buddhist monks protested Diem’s rule by setting themselves on fire A Buddhist monk commits suicide in protest to the harsh policies of the S. Vietnamese government

39. Vietcong Guerrilla army based in South Vietnam (also known as the NLF) that fought the U.S. and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War The Vietcong were South Vietnamese communists who fought for Vietnamese unification on the side of the North Vietnamese

40. Vietcong Advantages • They were familiar with the landscape (rivers, lakes, etc.) • They could find a safe haven in Cambodia, Laos or South Vietnam • They could often count on the support of the local population

41. Tet OffensiveJanuary 30 – June 8, 1968 In early 1968, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack on the South during the Tet, which is the Vietnamese New Year A Vietcong agent is shot during the Tet Offensive

42. Credibility Gap Opposition to the Vietnam War grew in the United States in the late 1960s Many Americans were suspicious of the government’s truthfulness about the war William Westmoreland Robert McNamara Many Americans believed a credibility gap had developed (people lost trust in what the government was telling them)

43. My Lai Massacre March 16th, 1968 American platoon had massacred more than 200 South Vietnamese civilians who they thought were members of the Vietcong in a village called My Lai A village set afire during the My Lai Massacre Most of the victims were old men, women and children My Lai massacre increased feelings among many Americans that the war was brutal and senseless Unidentified Vietnamese man and child killed by US soldiers

44. Draft Lottery BeginsDecember 1st, 1969 Many Americans who were against the war believed the United States had an unfair draft system Minorities made up a large percentage of soldiers in Vietnam. As the war continued, more people were drafted

45. 26th Amendment ratified During the Vietnam War, the average age of U.S. soldier was 19 Most soldiers were old enough to fight, but not old enough to vote Anger over the draft led to numerous protests The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

46. The Draft Minorities made up a large percentage of soldiers in Vietnam. As the war continued, more people were drafted

47. The Draft Many men refused to go into the military. As a sign of protest, many burned their draft cards or dodged the draft by leaving the country

48. Kent State MassacreMay 4, 1970 In April of 1970, President Nixon announced that American troops had invaded Cambodia Anti-war protestors saw this as an escalation of the war, sparking violent protests on college campuses At Kent State University in Ohio, protestors became violent. The Ohio National Guard was called in and fired upon the student demonstrators, killing four students

49. Ohio Neil Young Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68g76j9VBvM