1、Affluence & Anxiety,1950s Modern America & Civil Rights,The Postwar Boom,1945-1960-rapid economic growth 1960-fear of another depression wanes,Postwar Prosperity,Stimuli to consumer goods industry Baby boom Population shift to suburbia defense spending in capital investments Employment expands,Linge
2、ring Problems,Agricultural overproduction, low prices Older industrial areas decline 1957-1958-recession slows decades economic growth,Life in the Suburbs,Characteristics of the Suburbs,Dependence on the automobile Father drove to work Schools built Mother drove to shopping centers,Characteristics,
3、2,Family togetherness Holidays spent together Vacations spent together Even TV watched together,Suburbia Filled with,Cookie cutter Developments Homes Lives,Suburbia, 2,Inhabited by middle class They move “for the children”Cities inhabited by under classes,Suburbia, 3,Middle class restructured Upper
4、working class became members Very few non-whites in suburbs Segregation by physical space,First Modern Suburb,Levittown Several built in the Northeast 1st in PA Divisions had up to 2,000 homes each Many more followed,Levittown,Lawn care new concern,In the city there were no lawns or even trees Now m
5、en tended to their lawns as part of the suburban lifestyle,Patio Living,In the city everyone met on the front stoop In the suburbs everyone went to the patio To relax, eat, & party New types of entertaining,Cooking Out!,Hard to cook out in the city Now nice backyards to spend hours in Cook out & BBQ
6、 Became one of the outdoor hobbies of men Lawn care another,New Services,For Suburb Living,Theater Goes to the Suburbs,Drive-In Movies Like today Except there were also playgrounds for children Even train rides,Drive-In Food,Since the car had become such an important staple to American life The Driv
7、e-In restaurant was born No longer did Americans have to get out of the car to eat Food was brought to your carEventually the drive-thru,Busy lives New food options,TV Dinners Swanson bought too many turkeys one holiday season What to do with all the leftover? Design a frozen meal easy to prep 1st f
8、rozen dinner Turkey, dressing, potatoes, peas And they could be eaten in front of the TV,Women & Society,After WWII,Women willingly went back home Few wanted to continue to work or stay in the military Most wanted: A husband A home Children,Women & Propaganda,Govt encouraged return to “traditional”
9、lives TV presented happy homemakers & happy families Magazines addressed all types of “home” issues,Traditional Feminism Discouraged,But not everyone agreed Bombshell: “The Feminine Mystique” published By Betty Friedan Discussed what women thought of their lives & what they really wanted,More Women
10、in Workplace,Stimulated New Feminism Eventual belief a woman could do it all & have it all! She can be Wonder Woman,Hard Won Victories,Over time conditions better for women Wage gap shrank Increased visibility in sports Flexibility for working parents,Dissident Voices,Not everyone openly fought for
11、womens rights The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan Urged women to take care of their husbands If he was happy, you would be happy The inclusion of sexual ideas kept women reading Millions of women read,The Good Life?,On the surface life seemed ideal But Consumerism the dominant social theme of the 1950
12、s Quality of life left Americans anxious and dissatisfied,Areas of Greatest Growth,Church Membership,Membership in churches grew as families grew Americans seemed to want & need a connection to the church & God Reaction against rampant consumerism “propaganda” of “Traditionalism”,School Attendance,A
13、s the baby boom children came of school age 1,000s of schools are built In city, suburb, town, & country,Television Watching,Favorite pastime Network programs for groups Families together Mothers during the day Children after school,See the USA!,Families traveled across the country On new highways S
14、taying in new “motels” Holiday Inn Visiting old & new attractions Disneyland,Criticism,Critics of Consumer Society,Social critics of suburban culture Jack Kerouac, writer Traveled to report on “Beat” artists who promoted counterculture,Criticism new forms,Writers & “Beat” artists Not the only critic
15、s Women AAs & music,Birth of Rock & Roll Elvis,Not your parents music! The repression of the 50s Left baby boomers Restless & frustrated Especially by the social norms of the day Perfectly dressed & no sex until marriage Rock & roll exclaimed this And helped to break down the barriers,Remember Sputn
16、ik?,1957 1st satellite Launched by USSR,Reaction to Sputnik,American response National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) National Defense Education Act upgrade science teaching Sense of failure, declined by 1960,Farewell to Reform,Spirit of reform wanes in postwar years Reasons: Growing af
17、fluence reduced sense of grievance Americans eager to enjoy their new prosperity Consumerism & Capitalism is Strong!,Truman & the Fair Deal,Fair Deal attempted to expand New Deal Limited achievement Consolidated Roosevelts reforms Set the agenda for future attempts,Eisenhowers Modern Republicanism,E
18、isenhower left New Deal intact1956-Highway Act created interstate highway system stimulated the economy shaped metropolitan growth patterns,Civil Rights,Civil Rights-The Struggle,Cold War prompted quest for American moral superiority Legal discrimination against AAs challenged US self-image,Civil Ri
19、ghts as Political Issue,Trumans CRs legislation failed But did integrated the armed forces CR made part of the liberal Democratic agenda Election of 1948 AA vote gave Truman margin of victory,Desegregation,Finding an end to Jim Crow,Desegregation,Realizing the climate was changing NAACP started cour
20、t cases Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, KS Argued separate but equal was inherently unequal,Decision,1954 US Supreme Court handed down its decision Brown v. Board of Education Segregated schools unconstitutional Desegregate “with all deliberate speed“,Importance,Although the decision was speci
21、fically aimed at education It was clear that Segregation was on its way out Just as Plessy v Ferguson had institutionalized Jim Crow laws Brown v Board overturned Plessy,Desegregating the Schools,Massive resistance in Deep South 1957-Eisenhower acted Federal troops sent to Little Rock, AR Commission
22、 on Civil Rights estab,The Beginnings of Black Activism,NAACP-press for CRs in courts as other groups work toward CRs,Bus Boycott,1955 Rosa Parks MLK leads And comes to the attention of the nation Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends after nearly a year & concessions from the bus company,SCLC,1956 Southern C
23、hristian Leadership Conference Southern ministers Esp black ministers Directs anti-segregation campaign,Sit Ins,Sit-Ins Attempts to desegregate lunch counters Occur to bring attention to segregation One more way to protest Part of the resistance of college students,Sit-Ins,Sit-Ins not always quiet O
24、ften verbal abuse Occasionally violent,SNCC,By the end of the decade 1960 Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Struggle for civil rights moves to the college campus,At the Close of the Decade,Ambivalence,American people more optimistic in 1960 than in 1950 Fear of economic depression wanes Fear of Cold War continues recognition that racial injustice incompatible w/Am ideals,After the Show,Go to: http:/ Watch “We didnt start the fire” music video Then open the email I sent with the lyrics Follow the directions included,
