The Postwar Boom: Chapter Nineteen

1. The Postwar Boom: Chapter Nineteen Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2. Postwar America: Section One READJUSTMENT AND RECOVERY Ten million men and women in 46 try to rebuild their lives GI Bill of Rights Purposes* Many go to live in suburbs* William Levitt built standardized homes in treeless lots Divorce rates begin to rise due to women working

3. Postwar America Had to convert from a wartime to a peacetime economy A million defense workers, along with veterans, were looking for work and unemployment rises Prices on goods had risen by 25 percent—took two years for demand to catch up Economists predicted a postwar depression—did not happen because of savings accounts*

4. Postwar America MEETING ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Harry S. Truman* Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice Had to deal with the threat of communism and restoring the American economy after the war Steelworkers, coal miners, and railroad workers go on strike—hurts the economy* Takes over the mines; might do this with railroads; threatens to draft workers into the army

5. Postwar America SOCIAL UNREST PERSISTS • After WWII, violence occurs in South and veterans demand their rights • Truman willing to sacrifice not getting reelecteddue to his support • Commission on Civil Rights* • Congress refused to pass

6. Postwar America Truman fights oncreates executive order to ban separation of races in military and discrimination when hiring federal employees Lower courts no longer allowed to prevent African Americans from moving into certain neighborhoods Truman does become reelected despite opposition and creates the Fair Deal*

7. Postwar America REPUBLICANS TAKE THE MIDDLE ROAD • Truman’s approval rating sinks due to Korean War and McCarthyism • Next election: Adlai Stevenson vs. Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower* • Republicans blame democrats for losses against communism overseas; claim federal govt. is growing too powerful; Truman admin is corrupt

8. Postwar America • Newspapers accuse Ike’s running mate, Nixon, of accepting private funds from wealthy supporters • The “Checkers” speech* • Speech saves his place; Eisenhower becomes pres.

9. The American Dream in the Fifties: Section Two This slide is brought to you by Coca-Cola THE ORGANIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATION MAN • White collar jobs increase, while blue collar jobs decrease* • Many work for large corporations and govt. agencies • Conglomerates* • Franchises*

10. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide brought to you by Betty Crocker Businesses did not want individuals, rebels, or creative thinkers working for them Companies give personality tests to see if people “fit in” THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE *Living in the suburbs provided good schools and a safe and healthy environment to raise kids *Returning soldiers contributed to the baby boom*

11. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide is brought to you by Kool-Aid Vaccines developed to cure typhoid and polio Dr. Benjamin Spock writes a popular baby book with the following advice* TV shows such as Father Knows Best and Ozzie and Harriet—glorify the female* Some women work outside the home—usually as nurses, teachers, and office workers

12. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide is brought to you by Kodak Americans have more free time—standard 40 hour work week is developed Participate in fishing, bowling, hunting, boating, and golf Watched or attended baseball, basketball, and football games Avid readers—read books on cooking, religion, homemaking, romances, mysteries, and fiction Read comic books, The Reader’s Digest, Sports Illus.

13. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide is brought to you by Cheerios THE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE After WWII, there is an abundance of fuel, which made it inexpensive Advertising and easy credit available made people want to buy cars Living in the suburbs made having a car a necessity for travel—much different than the city* “Automania” spurred the govt. to create highways to link cities (41,000 miles of it created)

14. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide is brought to you by 7-Up With highways and cars, new jobs are created for vacations spots, restaurants, the movies, malls, gas stations, repair shops, and road crews Problems with cars* “White flight” occurred with cars* Negative results with taking away jobs and resources CONSUMERISM UNBOUND Consumerism*

15. The American Dream in the Fifties This slide is brought to you by Ford New products began to appear such as washing machines, blenders, freezers, microwaves, televisions, tape recorders, record players, lawn mowers, grills, lawn decorations, and swimming pools Planned obsolescence* America becomes a “throwaway society” Americans pay for these items with credit cards and installment buying Advertising found in newspapers, magazines, billboards, radio, and, of course, tv

16. Popular Culture: Section Three I Love Lucy NEW ERA OF THE MASS MEDIA Mass media* Television: 19509 percent of homes; 195455 percent of homes; 196090 percent of homes Description of early television sets Federal Communications Commission* I Love Lucy, Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver, Mickey Mouse Club

17. Popular Culture • TV launches advertising, TV Guide, and tv dinners • Programs are criticized because they weren’t accurate with women, minorities, and real problems* • Radio, now, only covers news, weather, music, advertising, and community issues • Movie industry was hurting at first; movies rely on these factors*

18. Popular Culture A SUBCULTURE EMERGES Critics against the suburban lifestyle and tv images emerge Beat Movement* Beatniks lived a life without work—sought a higher conciousness through Buddhism, music, and drugs Poets and writers believed in having an open structure Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road

19. Popular Culture AFRICAN AMERICANS AND ROCK N ROLL • Electronic music was being added to blues music • Alan Freed is the first disc jockey to play it and names the music rock ‘n’ roll* • Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley and His Comets, and Elvis Presley make the music popular amongst teenagers • Elvis picked up his style from singing in church and listening to gospel, country, and blues music

20. Popular Culture Signed to RCA and songs sold millions of copies Rebellious style captivates audiences; screaming girls and boys tried to imitate him Presley and the Ed Sullivan Show Many adults believed the following about this music* Some cities ban the music Television and radio exposure would help erase these beliefs

21. The Other America: Section Four URBAN POOR One in every four Americans lived below the poverty level: elderly, single mothers, and minorities Presence of white flight as African Americans moved from South to the North Loss of taxes leaves city govts. unable to improve schools, transportation, and police and fire depts.

22. The Other America Urban renewal* POVERTY LEADS TO ACTIVISM During WWII, there was a shortage of agricultural laborers, so the govt. hired braceros* When employment ended, there was an expectation to return to Mexico Many remained illegally and more entered the country to escape the poor conditions of Mexico

23. The Other America 1944 National Congress of Indian Affairs* WWII, Native Americans became aware of discrimination when they came home and lost their wages and outsiders had take control of tribal lands 1953 federal govt. announces that it would give up responsibility for tribes Termination policy* Problems of termination policy*