Hoye 1950s p2
- 2. Born: Oct. 14, 1890, in Texas
- 3. Died: March 28, 1969, in Washington, D.C.
- 4. Education: Graduate of West Point
- 5. WWII:Supreme Allied Commander during WWII
- 6. 34th President: Republican, 1953 to 1961
- 7. VP: Richard NixonPost War AmericaServiceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944Baby BoomSuburban GrowthRise of the Sunbelt
- 8. GI BILL OF RIGHTSOn June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944"“GI Bill of Rights”
- 9. GI BILL OF RIGHTSHelp veterans adjust to civilian life after separation from service
- 10. Gain higher education if you couldn’t afford one
- 11. Restore lost educational opportunities because of military service.
- 12. Enhance our nation through a more highly educated and productive work force
- 13. FDR signing the GI Bill of Rights into law.
- 14. This was a correction of our mistake after WWI.GI BILL OF RIGHTSGI Bill provided 6 benefitseducation and training
- 15. Loans for a home, farm, or business
- 16. unemployment pay of $20 a week for 52 weeks
- 17. job-finding assistanceEligible for GI Bill BenefitsWWII veteran, served 90 days or more after September 16, 1940 and a honorable discharge. Program ended July 25, 1956Of the 15,440,000 veterans, some 7.8 million were trained.
- 19. 3,480,000 in other schools
- 20. 1,400,000 in on-job training
- 21. 690,000 in farm trainingTotal cost of the World War II education program was $14.5 billion.
- 22. Suburban LivingLevittown, L. I.: “The American Dream”1949 William Levitt produced 150 houses per week.$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.
- 23. Suburban Living:The New “American Dream” 1 story high 12’x19’ living room 2 bedrooms tiled bathroom garage small backyard front lawnBy 1960 1/3 of the U. S. population in the suburbs.
- 24. Suburban LivingSHIFTS IN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, 1940-1970194019501960 1970Central Cities 31.6% 32.3% 32.6% 32.0%Suburbs 19.5% 23.8% 30.7% 41.6%Rural Areas/ 48.9% 43.9% 36.7% 26.4%Small TownsU. S. Bureau of the Census.
- 25. Suburban LivingThe Typical TV Suburban FamiliesLeave It to Beaver1957-1963The Donna Reed Show1958-1966Father Knows Best1954-1958The Ozzie & Harriet Show1952-1966
- 26. Baby BoomersIt seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant.
- 27. British visitor to America, 1958.Baby BoomersDuring Great Depression, birthrate and population decreased.
- 28. Post WWII, both increaseTRUMAN AT HOMETruman’s “Fair Deal” programcalled for improved housing
- 29. full employment
- 30. a higher minimum wage
- 31. better farm price supports
- 32. New Tennessee Valley Administrations
- 33. extension of Social Security.“Point Four Program”financial support of poor, underdeveloped lands
- 34. keep underprivileged peoples from becoming communists.Popular CultureConsumer-driven mass economyTelevisionBy 1961, 55 million TV sets3 national networks, bland sit-coms, westerns, quiz shows, sports, “vast wasteland” for children, cultureAdvertisingAll media, aggressiveShopping centers, credit cardsChange from “mom & pop” to franchises
- 35. ConsumerismAmericans were caught up in the “economic boom” that took place after WWII1950 --> Introduction of the Diner’s Card
- 36. ConsumerismAmericans were becoming a consumer society…..Buying whatever new product that came out that would make their lives comfortable.
- 37. Television1946--> 7,000 TV sets in the U. S.1950 --> 50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S.Television is a vast wasteland --> Newton Minnow, Chairman of Federal Communications Commission, 1961Mass AudienceTV celebrated traditional American values:
- 38. Superman-----Truth, Justice, and the American way!TelevisionDavy Crockett--King of the Wild FrontierSheriff Matt Dillon, GunsmokeThe Lone Ranger (and his faithful sidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man??
- 39. TelevisionFamily Shows --> glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban life.Wally and the BeavI Love LucyAlice Kramden, The Honeymooners
- 40. Popular CulturePaperback booksReading Increase despite television—1 million copies a dayRecordsMass-marketed, inexpensive LP’s or 45’sRock and Roll music becomes popular with teenagers
- 41. RISE OF THE TEENAGE CULTURE Elvis Presley Chuck Berryelvis
- 42. Teen CultureIn the 1950s --> the word “teenager” entered the American language.1956 --> 13 mil. teens with $7 billion to spend a year.1951 --> “race music” --> “ROCK ‘N ROLL”Elvis Presley --> “The King”
- 43. Teen Culture“Happy Days” OR“Juvenile Delinquency”?Marlon Brando inThe Wild One (1953)James Dean inRebel Without a Cause (1955)Dobie Gillis
- 44. Popular CultureRole of WomenMass media reinforced traditional rolesLower wages in the workplaceSocial CriticsStruggle against conformityWanted increased social spendingBeatniksJack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg
- 45. Well-Defined Gender RolesChanging Sexual Behavior:Alfred Kinsey--> 1948 --> Sexual Behavior in the Human Male1953 --> Sexual Behavior in the Human Female* premarital sex was common. * extramarital affairs were frequent among married couples.Kinsey’s results are an assault on the family as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness. -- Life magazine, early 1950s
- 46. Teen CultureThe “Beatnik” Generation:* Jack Kerouac --> On The Road * Allen Ginsberg --> poem, “Howl” * Neal Cassady * William S. Burroughs A man is beat whenever he goes for broke and wagers the sum of his resources on a single number; and the young generation has done that continually from early youth------------John Clellan HolmsJack Kerouac is said to have responded:We’re a beat generation!
- 47. Against traditional values of the Great Depressions and WWII generation (their parents)
- 48. Would influence the “counter-culture” of the 1960’sA Changing WorkplaceNew Corporate Culture“The Company Man”1947-1957 --> factory workers decreased by 4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million blue-collar jobs. By 1956 --> more white-collar than blue-collar jobs in the U. S1956 --> Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
- 49. Well-Defined Gender RolesTheideal 1950’s manwas the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 19551956 --> William H. Whyte, Jr. --> The Organization Man * a middle-class, white suburban male is the ideal.Young GentlemanFamily ManThe Provider
- 50. Religious RevivalToday in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954Church membership: 1940 --> 64,000,000 1960 --> 114,000,000Television Preachers1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen --> “Life is Worth Living”2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale --> The Powerof Positive Thinking3. Reverend Billy Graham --> ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism.
- 51. Progress Through Science1951 -- First IBM Mainframe Computer1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered1954 -- Salk Vaccine Tested for polio1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant1958 -- NASA Created (National Aeronautical Space Administration)1959 -- Press Conference of the First 7 American Astronauts
- 52. Highway Act of 195642,000 miles of interstate highways linking major citiesImprove national defenseGood for jobs, truckingBad for the poor, public transportation
- 54. The Culture of the CarAmerica became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile.First McDonald’s (1955)Drive-In MoviesHoward Johnson’s
- 55. The Culture of the CarCar registrations: 1945 --> 25,000,000 1960 --> 60,000,0002-family cars doubles from 1951-19581956 -->Federal Interstate Highway Act--> largest public works project in American history! * Cost $32 billion * 41,000 miles of new highways built
- 56. The Culture of the Car1959 Chevy Corvette1958 Pink Cadillac
- 57. The Culture of the Car1955 --> Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.)Frontier LandMain StreetTomorrow Land
- 58. The Culture of the CarThe U. S. population was on the move in the 1950s.
- 59. NE & Mid-W ---> S & SW (“Sunbelt” states)