The 1950s

The 1950sBy: Chris Conte, Sophie Hasco, Anastasia Novodran, Bryan Tye, Nick Longinotti

The TargetsWhat should I know?

Identify and explain the actions taken by the U.S government to limit communism at home.Explain how the Americans responded to real and perceived threats of domestic communism in the 1950s.Describe the major goals of President Trumans Fair Deal and relate whether they were accomplishedExplain how President Eisenhower tried to manage the nations problem.

I canDescribe suburban life during 1950sAnalyze how trends in the popular culture reflected the larger social changes among teenagers in the 1950s

I can

The beginning of the 1950s was also the beginning of the Cold War. Because of this American citizens and the government were truly concerned about their safety and the perceived threat of the spread of Communism. Around this time, the government began creating many programs in hopes of containing these perceived threats.Internal Security Act 1950Modifying laws to restrict civil liberties in the name of securityRequired communist party members to register with the government. Imposed strict rules on suspected communists

Loyalist Review Board (during 1951)200,000 workers investigated, 2000 resigned, and 300 fired due to security risks.Communism in the USACreation of the CIAIn order to gather military and strategic information overseasHouse Un-American Activities CommitteeQuestioned the ties of members of peace organizations, liberal political groups, and labor unions.Hollywood TenRefused to answer government questions and went to jail

McCarthyism Joseph McCarthy (senator) claimed to have a list of alleged communist supports within in the federal government system.Used his position as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to wage war against alleged communist sympathizers within the government.Almost with no evidence, ruined the images of hundreds of government members.Communism in the USA

McCarthy SpeechFBI Director J. Edgar Hoover contributed towards many legislative investigations involving Communist threatsHoover and FBI gathered extensive profiles on suspected communistsUsed wiretaps, surveillance technology, and infiltration of communist and leftist groups to gain informationFBI monitored American Communist Party and convicted 12 members on charges of attempting to overthrow the government in 1950As the Red Scare intensified many citizens became convinced U.S. was in danger of being taken over by CommunistsPoliticians became more conservative for fear of being accusedMany Americans accused of being communist sympathizers saw personal lives disrupted

Threats of Domestic Communism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm8Am_G5HRE&feature=relmfu Threats of Domestic CommunismAmerican Communists convicted of espionage in 1951and executed in 1953Both members of Young Communist League in their early livesBelieved to have headed a spy ring within the U.S. and accused of passing information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet UnionMany people believed the Rosenbergs were victims of Red Scare and anti-communist hysteriaThe Rosenbergs proclaimed innocence from time of trial until their deaths

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Rosenberg Sentence to DeathSet of proposals for domestic reform in U.S. during Truman administrationGoals expanded off of Roosevelts New Deal to promote economic opportunity and social stabilityDifficult to accomplish goals due to political opposition from conservativesResults: Banned racial discrimination in Gov. Hiring Process and eliminated segregation in militaryIncreased minimum wage ($0.75/hr)Social Security coverage expanded to 10 million peopleUnemployment compensation became more availableFederal Funds went towards public housingVeterans received numerous benefits

Trumans Fair Deal

Failures: Trumans program for universal health care did not pass in CongressWidespread federal aid for education Many proposals only partially took effectTrumans Fair Deal ended as a mixed successPreoccupation with Cold War didnt allow Truman to concentrate fully on domestic issues

Trumans Fair Deal

Took office in 1953 after the Truman Administration with the campaign slogan of I Like IkePromised to boost the economy and reform the Federal Government.Balancing the budgetReduce government regulation of the economyCut billions of dollars from the federal government.Eisenhower and the Nation

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was closely developed under the supervision of the Texan Ovets Culp.Modern RepublicanismEisenhower was possibly the first president to have the approach of Modern Republicanism.conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings.This topic really shines when the movement of desegregation had begun.

Eisenhower and the NationTechnically, Eisenhower somewhat began the movement of desegregation.Put a new chief justice in the Supreme Court, Earl Warren.Warren Court unanimously decided that segregation in school was unconstitutional.After the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Arkansas governor attempted to defy the law.Governor Orval Faubus used national guards to bar African Americans from entering schools of Little Rock.Eisenhower and the NationAfter the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Arkansas governor attempted to defy the law.Eisenhower made it clear he would uphold the law.Faubus was enjoined and was forced to remove the National Guards.Armed Mobs chased the Africans out, so Federal troops were sent in to deal with the trouble.A lot of trouble to uphold the law right?ContainmentEisenhower did continue Trumans policy of containment.Eisenhower and the NationContainmentSouthern Vietnam received military support with weapons and military advisors.Latin America got CIA to help undermine the government with covert actions.The Middle East also received CIA to protect American economic and political interests.Eisenhower and the Nation

Brown vs. Board of EducationSupreme Court Case in 1954Challenged segregation in public schoolsNAACPs lawyer Thurgood Marshall represented Brown and argued against separate but equal ruling from Plessy vs. Ferguson Marshall argued rule was harmful to minority students and affected their ability to learnRacial segregation in public schools declared unconstitutional by Supreme CourtHistoric Events and People

Known for her role in Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955Refused to give up seat on a bus to a white passenger on Dec. 1 1955Violated city law which said whites and blacks must sit in separate rows on busesRefusal started bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama which lasted 382 daysEnded with Supreme Court declaring segregation on busses unconstitutionalBeginnings of Civil Rights Movement occurred in 50s and continued throughout the 60s

Rosa Parks

First Satellite launched by the United States in 1958Part of Cold War Space Race between U.S. and U.S.S.R.Launched after the two Soviet Satellites (Sputnik 1 in 1957 and Sputnik 2 also in 1957) on January 31st 1958Designed to measure solar radiation, cosmic ray intensity, etc. so information could be gained about conditions in spaceUltimate goal of Soviet and U.S. Space programs was to send man into space and to the moon

Explorer ISputnik I

Explorer I

Highway SystemNetwork of highways constructed throughout U.S. as a result of the Federal Highway Act (1956)Largest public works project in history of U.S.Dwight D. Eisenhower believed highways would improve the economy and provide transport for military in case of attackEisenhower saw it as national defense systemContributed to growth of suburbs because people could commute to jobs easily

Enacted in 1952 and restricted immigration to U.S. by governing citizenshipSponsored by Senators Pat McCarran and Francis WalterQuota system established for different nationalities and regionsTruman vetoed act and believed restriction was un-AmericanVeto was overturned by CongressToday, we are "protecting" ourselves as we were in 1924, against being flooded by immigrants from Eastern Europe. This is fantastic...We do not need to be protected against immigrants from these countrieson the contrary we want to stretch out a helping hand, to save those who have managed to flee into Western Europe, to succor those who are brave enough to escape from barbarism, to welcome and restore them against the day when their countries will, as we hope, be free again....- Trumans veto message to CongressImmigration and Naturalization ActSuburbanization was played a major role in the idea of the American DreamPost war, many young couples wanted to settle down and have their own home where they could raise their children, safe from the horrors of the inner cityBaby Boom after the war, most young Americans wanted to have children confident that the future held peace and prosperityUniformity everyone dressed the same, their income was the same, was of the same age, etc.

Suburban Life

Conformity families participated in the same activities as their neighbors, attended the same church, etc. By 1960 almost 60 million Americans lived in suburbs (about 1/3 of the total population) The role of being a mother and a housewife was emphasized for women in the 50s, yet the number of working women increased most families need two paychecks to sustain a middle-class income

Suburban Life

Teenagers had more free time and more money to spend found new ways to spend their time Movies, music, books, magazines all seemed to "glamorize rebellion against suburban conformity." Rock n' Roll pushed teenagers to forget the uniformity of suburban life and urged individualism

Teenage Social Changes

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