1950’s America1950’s America

ProsperityFamilyCold WarCivil Rights

Tension Between US & Tension Between US & USSRUSSRDemocracy:

Government by the people: supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by the people or their elected representatives

Capitalism:◦ an economic system where

INDIVIDUALS or CORPORATIONS control the means of production (materials, land, etc) and the exchange of wealth Free Market controlled by the people not the

govt

Tensions between US & Tensions between US & USSRUSSRCommunism:

◦Advocates one-party rule and the elimination of private property, and does not tolerate opposition

◦GOVERNMENT Controls all means of production and wealth

Iron CurtainIron CurtainUSSR wants to be

surrounded by Communist countries to protect its interests

Iron Curtain◦ Imaginary line that

separates Communist East Europe from the West

COLD WAR (1946-COLD WAR (1946-1990)1990)An era of confrontation and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union

Cold War PoliciesCold War Policies

Containment:◦Keeping Communism within it’s

existing territories through the use of diplomatic, economic, and military actions

Cold War PoliciesCold War PoliciesMarshall Plan:

◦America gives European nations aid to rebuild their economies Billions of $ in

supplies, machinery, and food

Iron Curtain nations refuse aid

Truman Doctrine:◦America will aid

“free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures” US pledge to fight

communism world wide

NATO vs WarsawNATO vs Warsaw

NATO Warsaw Pact

North Atlantic Treaty Organization◦ Mutual defense alliance

which agreed to come to the aid of any country attacked by the USSR

◦ ALL Western Nations

◦ US, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Iceland

Mutual defense alliance in Eastern Europe◦ Created in response to

NATO

◦ Yugoslavia only Communist country that does not join

Berlin AirliftBerlin Airlift

Berlin is located in SovietGermany (East Germany)

USSR cuts off all road and rail traffic to West Berlin (US, FR, GB run Germany)

American sends cargo planes to West Berlin for 11 months full of food, medicine, & coal

USSR lifts the blockade

Revolution in ChinaRevolution in ChinaCommunist rebels

are trying to take over the country

US sends $2 billion in aid to the Nationalist govt

USSR was backing the rebellion group

October 1949 –rebellion succeeds (People’s Republic of China)

Mao Tse Tung◦ Communist Leader

of China

Korean WarKorean War 1950-1950-19531953

Why was it fought?

1. Domino Effect – if one country falls to Communism others will follow

2. Undermine Communism – we should not just contain communism but roll it back and retake territory

3. Fighting Communism – the US could fight the USSR without directly attacking

Stage 1Stage 1

North Korea Invasion◦June 25, 1950◦Communist North

Korea invades South Korea South Korean and

American forces pushed into Port of Pusan

Stage 2Stage 2UN Offensive

◦UN agrees to send troops to help South Korea

◦September 15, 1950 MacArthur invades Port of

Inchon – takes North Korea by surprise

They don’t stop at 38th parallel, they keep pushing towards China

Stage 3Stage 3Chinese Offensive

◦China sends troops to North Korea because they see advancing UN troops as a threat

◦Push UN/SK/US below 38th parallel

Truman sv. MacArthurTruman sv. MacArthurTheir Issue:

◦MacArthur wants permission to blockade China’s ports, attack China, and use atomic weapons against China

Truman’s Response:◦Truman refuses to attack China◦MacArthur openly criticizes Truman for

focusing on limited war (containment)◦Truman fires MacArthur (Ridgeway)

Stage 4Stage 4Stalemate/

Armistice◦By Mid-1951 North

Korea is pushed back over 38th parallel

◦Battles die down – peace negotiations start

◦Peace treaty not signed until July 1953

Red ScareRed ScareFear in America

that there are Communist spies planning to overthrow the government

◦ Starts in 1945

◦ Lead by McCarthy

Senator Joe McCarthySenator Joe McCarthyWisconsin

Senator◦Starts Red Scare◦Accuses people of

being Communists

◦Often without evidence

Alcoholic

Whitaker Chambers & Alger Whitaker Chambers & Alger HissHiss

Whitaker Chambers Alger Hiss

Former Communist Party Member

Testifies HUAC that several people in the govt were Communist Spies◦ He knows this because he

was working with them to sell secrets to the Soviets

◦ Testifies against Alger Hiss

Convicted of Perjury based on Chambers testimony◦ Chambers produced

documents and microfilm Hiss had given him

“Pumpkin Papers” – he hid the papers in a hollow pumpkin on his farm in MD

The RosenbergsThe RosenbergsHusband and wife

both accused of selling Atomic Bomb secrets to Soviets◦ Executed by Electric

Chair (June 1953)◦ Not sure wife is

100% guilty but husband definitely was

Hollywood 10Hollywood 10

Screenwriters, Actors, directors, producers were told to name names of colleges who were Communists◦ Some plead the 5th

◦ 10 refused to sign loyalty oaths (Hollywood 10)

Cold War in AmericaCold War in AmericaSubversion – the effort to secretly

weaken a society and overthrow the government

Loyalty Oaths – many businesses and government agencies required employees to sign an oath stating they were loyal to America

LOYALTY OATHLOYALTY OATHTAKEN BY TEACHERS IN TAKEN BY TEACHERS IN

MASSACHUSETTSMASSACHUSETTS

I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of American and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States of America or of the Commonwealth by force or violence or any illegal or unconstitutional method: I am not a member of the Communist Party.

Prescribed by me under penalty of perjury, this __ day of _______, 1960.

Cold War in AmericaCold War in America“McCarthyism”:

◦ Damaging reputations with vague and unfounded charges

McCarthy’s Downfall:◦ McCarthy went after

members of the military and the trials were held on TV

◦ People were outraged at how he bullied witnesses

VENONA PROJECTVENONA PROJECT

- 1946 – US broke the USSR spy code

-Messages proved espionage (Rosenbergs)

- Project was not announced to the public until 1955

USSR Bomb DevelopmentUSSR Bomb Development

September 1949 – first atomic bomb successfully tested

1953 – USSR tests first H-bomb (Hydrogen)◦ Less than a year after

US

DUCK AND COVERDUCK AND COVER

Sputnik & NASASputnik & NASAUSSR puts fist

artificial satellite into space in October 1957

July 1958 NASA is created in the US to become more advanced in space technology so we can be better than the USSR

GI BillGI Bill

". . . had it not been for the GI Bill, I would not have been able to attend college."– Joe Sanford Hinshaw, Class of 1951

• After W.W. II 16million troops needed to be demobilized.

• The G.I. Bill was designed to ease the transition from Military to civilian life.

• It provided veterans with financial aid for college, buying a house, and or starting a small business,

It allowed many veterans to turn the productive energy into $

Suburbia= Residential Suburbia= Residential Areas outside major citiesAreas outside major cities

Why Levittown Life

• escape the crime and color of the city

• Believed to be a step up in life

• Homes became very affordable through the G.I. Bill and towns like Levittown

-Cookie cutter homes that were put together assembly line style.

- A new Levitt home was built every 15minutes

-First 2 Levitt communities were Long Island ,and suburban Philadelphia

Baby BoomBaby BoomBetween the years of 1940

and 1960 one baby was born every 7 seconds !!!!

A great economy + a good living

environment + better medical

technology = larger families

The nation population increased by:◦ 19 million in the 1940’s◦ 30 million in the 1950’s

The Beats/BeatniksThe Beats/Beatniks

1950’s Entertainment Who are they?

Television:◦ Family sitcoms: told viewers

exactly what family life should be

◦ Variety Shows: combine song, dance, comedy, acrobatics, and juggling – Ed Sullivan

Music:◦ Rock ‘n’ Roll – Elvis Presley

◦ Lead to Generation Gap Cultural separation between

children and parents

White artists that live unconventional lives, harshly criticize conformity to American life◦ Poets

◦ Authors

FEDERAL HIGHWAY FEDERAL HIGHWAY ACTACTPresident Eisenhower

1956 – largest public works project in American History

10 year effort to construct 40,000 miles of interstate highways

1950’s Civil Rights 1950’s Civil Rights MovementMovement

Civil Rights Civil Disobedience

rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. constitution 

the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to blacks.

Non-violent resistance movement

Active refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of government

Booker T WashingtonBooker T WashingtonFocused on

education, hard work, economic progress and hard merit to prove to whites the value of African Americans

Accepted racial segregation socially but not economically

WEB DuboisWEB DuboisWhite discrimination

kept African Americans from good paying jobs

Advocated for African Americans to have all rights of American Citizens

Left US before the movement of the 50’s

Marcus GarveyMarcus GarveyUniversal Negro

Improvement Association (UNIA)

Racial Pride and Self-improvement

Called for separate self-development of African Americans

Advocated going back to Africa

Brown vs. Board of Brown vs. Board of EducationEducation1954 – Supreme Court ruled

segregation in public school violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment

Integration: Blacks/Whites coexisting

De Facto Segregation: segregation by custom and tradition

Plessy vs. FergusonPlessy vs. Ferguson1896 – Supreme Court ruled that

segregation was constitutional◦“Separate but Equal” – could

segregate African Americans as long as you provided equal facilities for them

Segregation: separating white Americans from African Americans

Little Little Rock 9Rock 9

September 1957 – 9 African American Students enroll in Little Rock High School

Governor calls in National Guard to block student entry into the school

President Eisenhower has to send in 1,000 troops to protect students so they can attend school (remain there for the rest of the year)

Emmett TillEmmett TillAugust 1955Emmett Till (Age: 14) visits his

uncle in MississippiSaid “Bye Baby” to a white woman

who owned a storeWas Kidnapped and beat to deathMen responsible walked free

because they had an all white jury

1955 Events1955 Events

Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus Boycott

December 1, 1955Parks refused to give up

her seat on a public bus for a white man

Arrested and charged with disorderly conduct

African American’s boycotted the bus on the day of the trial

So successful that they continued to boycott

December 1956 – Alabama Bus segregation is found unconstitutional

MLK Jr – 26 year old pastor who led boycott◦ Preached non-violence

Civil Rights Act of 1957Civil Rights Act of 1957Created Civil Rights division of

the Department of Justice◦Gave authority to seek court

injunctions against anyone who interfered with the right to vote

Created US Commission of Civil Rights◦Investigate allegations of denial of

voting rights