Washington Comes of Age

Essential QuestionWhat significant political, economic, and social challenges affected Washington State in the post-World War II era?

Post-War Washington• People were relieved when World War II

ended, but many worried about losing their jobs as a result.

• The GI Bill was passed after the war to assist returning soldiers.

• The bill provided money for college tuition and helped veterans buy houses.

• The years 1946 to 1964 were called the “Baby Boom” because 77 million babies were born during this time.

• Families with young children often moved from the cities to the suburbs.

• Suburban living led to the construction of housing, highways, and big shopping centers.

From Hot to Cold• Even though the United States and Soviet

Union were allies during the war, the United States didn’t like the Soviet government because it was Communist.

• After the war, the two countries feared the other might attack at any time. This fear began the Cold War.

• People started worrying that members of the Communist party would take over the U.S. government.

• Many people suspected of being Communists were fired from their jobs.

• The University of Washington was one of the first universities in the country to fire professors who were suspected Communists.

New Technologies

and Industries• During the Cold War, there was a competition

between the United States and the Soviet Union to have the most powerful weapons. This was called the arms race.

• The arms race also caused people in Washington to worry that the Soviets might attack at any time.

• Washington seemed like a good target because of the Boeing plant and the Hanford nuclear site.

• Washington built bomb shelters and practiced how to evacuate, if necessary.

• The two countries also competed in a space race.

• At first, the Soviet Union led the race by launching the world’s first satellite called Sputnik.

• America eventually won the space race by being the first to land on the moon in 1969.

New Technologies

and Industries• As with previous wars, the Cold War

provided jobs for many people.• Many people in Washington worked in the

aerospace industry at the Hanford site and for Boeing making airplanes, missiles, and space vehicles.

• The Cold War created a lot of prosperity for Americans.

• The U.S. government began building freeways.

• These highways linked Washington to the rest of the nation.

Cold War Turns Hot• American soldiers battled in Korea and

Vietnam. Enemy troops were supplied by the Soviet Union.

• In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. This started the Korean War.

• The United States and 15 other nations sent troops to help South Korea. This war lasted three years.

• The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953.• American involvement in Vietnam lasted for

20 years. More than 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam.

• Unemployment increased dramatically after the end of the Vietnam War because the need for war materials decreased.

The Cold War Ends• The Cold War ended in 1991. • The United States emerged from the Cold

War as the world’s main superpower.• During the war, the United States dealt with

communism, racial inequality, women’s rights, and concern for the environment.

Second-Class Citizens• Although African Americans fought in both

world wars, they were still considered second-class citizens.

• Jim Crow laws separated white people from black people in many Southern states. Jim Crow was the name given to laws that made segregation legal.

• Blacks were not welcome at most restaurants, hotels, or public swimming pools. They could only buy homes in certain neighborhoods.

Challenging Inequality• Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the

Civil Rights Movement. He led nonviolent forms of protest.

• The first major victory of the Civil Rights Movement was the Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in schools.

• Other victories followed:– The Civil Rights Act of 1964– The Voting Rights Act of 1965– The Fair Housing Act of 1968

The Movement Spreads• The Civil Rights Movement was an

inspiration to other minority groups in the United States, including Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and women.

• These groups joined in the fight for rights and were successful in many areas.

Uniting Farm Workers• Many Mexicans continued to migrate and

settle in the central part of Washington. • They moved to escape poverty, but it ended

up being just as bad in Washington. • Caser Chavez was a Mexican American civil

rights leader who believed in nonviolent protest.

• He founded the Farm Workers Union and organized a nationwide boycott for California grapes.

Native American Movement• Native Americans fought to improve

conditions on reservations. • After World War II, the government wanted

to move Native Americans into the cities to find better jobs.

• Native Americans faced much discrimination in the cities and life was not easy.

• They organized protests to raise awareness about their struggles.

• After two years, the government agreed to create a Native American cultural center in Seattle.

• The 1974 Boldt ruling restored Native American fishing rights.

Women’s Rights• In the 1970s, women fought for equal rights. • The national movement for women’s rights

was called feminism. The goal was to gain equal rights.

• People worked to add an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, but it failed to become a law.

A Multicultural Washington• Washington is home to many ethnic groups. • After the war, the Japanese left the

relocation camps and returned to their homes.

• In the years following World War II, Latinos became Washington’s largest minority.

• Immigration of Asian and Pacific Islanders increased 60 percent since the last census.

• The number of Native Americans increased 20 percent.

Concern for the

Environment Grows• The view from outer space shows an

environment in danger. • In the 1970s, people in Washington became

aware of the damage being done to the environment.

• Seattle’s abundant rain and green plants earned it the nickname “Emerald City” in 1981.

• In 1999, satellite photos showed that Seattle’s tree cover had declined 50 percent in 20 years.

• Asphalt and concrete had taken over much of the city.

• Traffic congestion remains Seattle’s biggest problem.

Industrial Pollution• Many of Washington’s rivers have been

polluted with industrial waste.• A study was done on Lake Roosevelt that

showed fish from the lake had high levels of metal.

• The pollution was coming from a few companies in British Columbia who were dumping their untreated waste into the Columbia River.

The Hazards of Hanford• Decades of producing plutonium for

nuclear weapons left Hanford one of the most contaminated places on Earth.

• Nuclear tests were done that showed high levels of cancer-causing elements in the atmosphere.

• These toxins poisoned animals and people who ate fish from the river or drank milk from contaminated goats or cows.

• In 1989, the state agreed to clean up the radioactive waste. This was the largest and most expensive public works project in American history.

Where Did All the Fish Go?• The fish population in the Columbia River

system has shrunk from 16 million a year to less than one million.

• Pollution, careless logging and grazing, and dams have contributed to the decreasing numbers.

• Dams disrupt the natural environment of fish. They slow down the water flow and increase the temperature of the water, which can kill fish.

• One solution has been to build fish ladders to aid fish in going upstream to breed.

Timber–A Dwindling Resource• Although timber companies plant new

forests, it takes at least 25 years for the trees to mature.

• This caused timber companies to start cutting down trees in national forests. This made many people very upset.

• When an old-growth forest is gone, it’s extinct, or gone forever!

Looking to the Future• We are all facing the complex issue of how

to use and save our natural resources. • Compromise is needed so all people can

share the earth’s resources.