The Postwar BoomChapter 19

The Postwar Boom1. Postwar America

2. The American Dream in the Fifties3. Popular Culture

4. The Other America

GI Bill of RightsSummer of 46’ – 10 million

men & women return homeGI Bill of Rights –

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act Returning veterans receive

financial aid ( low-interest loans, no down payments) forCollegeTrade SchoolStart business or farmBuy a homeUnemployment benefits

Redefining the Family

Tension between men and women and their roles

This contributed to rise in divorce rates

Many women did not want to give up their independence

More than 1 million war marriages ended in divorce

Economic Readjustment Converted from wartime

to peacetime economy Unemployment increased

Veterans & laid-off workers

3 million seeking work OPA – ended control on

max. price of goods Price of goods

skyrocket Increased 25%

Many workers earned less now than during war

What problems did Americans face after war?

Doesn’t stay like this for too long…

Economic Recovery Americans

suddenly had money to spend, automobiles to houses

American economy boomed!

Demand for goods and services exceed supply and increase production

“The Affluent Society”

Housing Crisis William Levitt and Henry

Kaiser – create assembly line methods to mass-produce houses

Suburbs = homes in small residential communities surrounding cities

People move from places like Detroit to places like Troy

By 1960 – 1/3 of Americans lived in suburbs

“Cookie Cutter” houses – all look the same – Levittown

More people can afford homes

Harry Truman – “The Buck Stops Here”

Viewed as honorable, down-to-earth, and self-confident.

Truman had to address strikes – 4.5 million

Truman supports Civil Rights Created President’s

Commission on Civil Rights – Requests for…. Federal anti-lynching law Ban on poll tax as voting

requirement Permanent civil rights

commission DENIED BY CONGRESS July 1948 – issued executive

order for integration of the armed forces

1948 Election Truman elected –

Democratic party Dixiecrats – group formed

who protested Truman’s emphasis on civil rights (Southern Democrats)

Fair Deal – proposal for nationwide

health insurance Promote full employment Increase minimum wage •Does not run for re-election

due to all time low rating.

•Both Democrats and Republicans oppose to Fair Deal

1952 – I like Ike Eisenhower wins on promise

to end Korean War Nixon’s “Checkers” Speech “Modern Republicanism”

Conservative policies – cut spending, reduce taxes, balance budget

Liberal approach to meeting peoples needs

Raised minimum wage , extended social security and unemployment benefits, increased funding for public housing

•Supported Civil Rights• Civil Rights Act of 1957• Civil Rights Act of 1960

•Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka• 1957 Supreme Court Ruling that

public schools must be racially integrated.

Working for the “Man” Factory work more automated –

machines Growth in “white collar” jobs

1940 – 45% 1960 – 56%

Better working conditions but Heavy pressure to conform “Company man” or “Organization

Man” Described how new large

organizations created “company people”

Disadvantage – conformity replaced individuality!

Unions continue to push for “blue collar” workers rights

Working for the “Man” Conglomerates – major corporation including smaller

companies in unrelated industries Security against failure

Franchise businesses begin to develop Offered similar products/services in multiple locations McDonald’s – Ray Kroc

Baby Boom

1957 – 1 baby born every 7 seconds

Baby Boom Population explosion Baby Boom generation is

born – 1940’s to 1960’s 1957 – 4,308,000 babies

born Largest generation in

nations history Why?

Reunion of husbands and wives after war

Decreasing marriage age Desire for large families Advances in medicine Confidence in economic

prosperity

• Baby Boom led to rapid growth in schools• Toy sales reach $1.25 billion

Advances Medicine… Dr. Jonas Salk – developed a vaccine for

polio Killed 20,000 kids annually

Dr. Benjamin Spock – “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” Says mothers should stay home with children

Women’s Roles… Role of home-maker and mother

glorified in TV, movies, & magazines On the contrary…some felt their roles

were boring, felt isolated, unfulfilled Betty Friedan – “The Feminine

Mystique”

Leisure in the Fifties Time saving devices

Washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, power lawn mowers

This allowed for more time for leisure activities

Americans spent more than $30 billion on leisure goods and activities Fishing, bowling, hunting,

boating, golfing, baseball games, reading, etc

The Automobile Culture Americans buying cars break record numbers

6.7 million in 1950 to 7.9 million in 1955 Suburban living –

People needed to drive to their jobs in the cities Churches, synagogues, doctors’ and dentists not in waking distance

Stores, gas stations, shopping malls, drive-ins spring up Automakers introduce new car design every year

New Highways are built Interstate Highway Act 1956 – cost $32 billion Unified country More Americans vacationed, road trips to national parks, lakes, mountains

and more Problems..

Noise and exhaust pollution Automobile accidents claiming lives Traffic jam = stress Damaging roads

Interstate Highway System

The Culture of the Car

1958 Pink Cadillac

1959 Chevy Corvette

Consumerism – buying material goods New products in the marketplace

House appliances, blenders, freezers Leisure – TVs, tape recorders, record players, swimming pools

Planned obsolescence - marketing strategy, purposely manufactured products to become obsolete – to wear out or become outdated People wanted up to date items – “keeping up with the

Joneses” Credit Cards: Diners Club 1950, Amex

1958 Installment plans Consumer debt increased from $73

billion to $179 billion TV advertising becomes HUGE!

Mass Media Mass media – communication reaching large audiences

TV developed the fastest Primary source of entertainment and

information By 1960 – 90% of Americans had TV sets Black and white Brought families together

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – govt agency that regulates and licenses TV, telephone, radio, and other communications

Radio & Movies – both survive with the TV set taking over. Movie goers decreased by nearly half, but

still had its advantages Radio turned to local programming of news

“I Love Lucy”

“Leave it to Beaver”

“Father Knows Best”

The Beat Movement Who: Beatniks ( followers of the movement Where: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City’s

Greenwich Village What: Expressed social and literary nonconformity of

artists, poets, and writers “Beat” originally meant weary

Came to refer to musical beat later

Beatniks counter-culture Did not like regular work Little structure Expressed themselves through poetry, music, and literature

Jack Kerouac wrote a novel describing Beatnik culture entitled On the Road

Beatniks, Elvis, Beatles are seen as rebellion against conservatism

Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Beginning Alan Freed, a disc jockey

in Cleveland, Ohio started to play music in 1951 that was a mixture of rhythm and blues, country, and pop

He called this music Rock ‘n’ Roll

Music for both African Americans and white people

What was Rock ‘n’ Roll all about?

Heavy RhythmSimple melodiesLyrics that discussed

LoveHeartache CarsProblems of being

young

Jazz – style of music composed by use of improvisation

Adults view on Rock ‘n’ RollThought it would…

Produce a decline in morals Increase delinquency Create deviant citizens

Rock ‘n’ Roll ArtistsElvis Presley

King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Original dance style Famous for songs like

“Don’t be Cruel”“Hound Dog”“Jailhouse Rock”“Can’t Help Falling In Love”

Richard Penniman “Little Richard”

Chuck Berry Jerry Lee LewisBill Haley

The Other AmericaMillions of white Americans left the cities for the

suburbsMeantime, rural poor migrated to inner cities

5 million African Americans moved into urban areas

Cities lost people, businesses, property, and income taxes

Poverty grew rapidly and suburban Americans were unaware

Urban Renewal or Urban Removal?

Urban renewal was a proposed solution to the housing problem in inner cities

Solution – tear out rundown neighborhoods and reconstruct low-income housing

Only half way successfulAreas were torn down, but instead…Factories, shopping centers, parking lots and

parks were built on some of the new clear land.

Most affected were African Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos – lived in dirty crowded slums

Termination PolicyEliminated federal economic supportDiscontinued the reservation systemDistributed tribal lands among individual Native

AmericansBureau of Indian Affairs helped to relocation

Native Americans resettle in citiesPolicy was a depressing FAILURE

Unable to find jobs Poor trainingRacial prejudiceNo access to medical care

Policy abandoned in 1963