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United States History. Chapter 29: Society After World War II. Demobilization. With so many returning home from war, there were many concerns with the American economy GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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United States History
Chapter 29:Society After World War II
Demobilization With so many returning home from war, there were
many concerns with the American economy GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans
pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college
Employment Act of 1946: gov’t would help economy switch to peacetime production A depression never came, mostly because companies
began to make consumer goods again However, employers favored vets, so many women
and non-veterans lost their jobs Inflation rose sharply, especially after price controls
were lifted
Labor Strikes Unhappy with working conditions, many workers
went on strike after the war President Harry S. Truman feared strikes would
cripple the economy Threatened intervention, or even an army draft, to
those that went on strike in critical industries Taft-Hartley Act: allowed the gov’t to end some
strikes, limited political contributions of unions Although limited, unions began to gain strength
Began to include benefits like pensions and insurance into union contracts with employers
President Truman
Election of 1948 Even though approval was low, Truman took stands on tough
issues Committee on Civil Rights created in 1946 Designed to address racial issues that plagued the nation Suggested that the nation end segregation and discrimination Eventually, Truman issued orders to end segregation in the
military and companies with government contracts Democrats were split on civil rights
Nominated Truman for reelection The “Dixiecrats”, southern white Democrats nominated Strom
Thurmond Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey and was expected to
win Truman pulled off the upset, even with some newspapers
reporting his loss
The Fair Deal Truman wanted to expand New Deal programs
Higher minimum wage National health insurance Aid to the poor Employment aid
Republicans and some Democrats were against the program Some programs were passed Expansion of social security Minimum wage to $0.75/hr
Overall, people wanted a smaller government, peace and stability
Dwight D. Eisenhower
1950s Society After “Ike” was elected in 1952, he promised to
cut the government and reduce spending However, welfare programs, education, and
military spending cut into his promises of a balance budget
His attitude towards the government and its role in society were “conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings” This attitude became known as Modern
Republicanism The national debt increased to $291 billion
dollars under his administration
1950s Society Automation ruled industry, taking manufacturing jobs
away However, a need for white collar jobs skyrocketed during
the decade Unions grew in popularity
The AFL and CIO merged into one However, support dwindled in the late 1950s after charges
of corruption in unions Suburbs exploded outside of cities
People could afford cars to drive to work from farther away Planned communities, such as Levitttowns, were built,
looking almost exactly alike The Highway Act of 1956 built an interstate highway system
Suburban Life After the war, people moved to the suburbs
Marriage rates boomed Birthrates soared, creating a baby boom generation
An emphasis on child rearing and family became apparent Dr. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and
Child Care guided many parents Advertising continued to encourage people to buy Family activities, church, and other social activities
became common Television, the newest mass medium, made its debut in
many homes of the 1950s I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ed Sullivan Show, etc
entertained families every night of the week
Pop Culture of the 1950s Rebelling against the ideals of their parents, teenagers
expressed themselves openly MAD Magazine The Catcher in the Rye James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause)
The creation of rock ‘n’ roll was the definition of all that is 1950s Variation of rhythm and blues Plugged in guitars and used “obscene” lyrics Termed coined by Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ that marketed the
new “black” music to white suburban kids Rock stars traveled the nation, playing before screaming crowds
and producing hits still popular today Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to
name a few Adults despised rock for the obscenity of lyrics and stage
presence Also helped to break down color barriers
Civil Rights Stirrings…
In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson legalized segregation in the United States
In 1954, this was challenged in the court case Brown v. Board of Education Linda Brown, a young black girl in Topeka, KS,
challenged the school board She claimed that she should be able to attend the
neighboring white school, instead of going to a school farther away
Her lawyer was future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall
On May 17, the court struck down Plessy and ordered all American schools to desegregate
The struggle for equality would be long and hard, however
Civil Rights Stirrings…
Little Rock Central High School 9 black students volunteered to attend the all white school in
1957 Governor Orval Faubus ordered the AR National Guard to the
school to prevent the students from enrolling for 3 weeks President Eisenhower ordered the US Army to Little Rock to
force desegregation Known today as the Little Rock Nine
Montgomery Bus Boycott Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing her front
seat to a white man in 1955 Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, black residents of the city
boycotted the busses for over a year Led to the passage of desegregation of the busses and the
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Elizabeth Eckford, Little Rock Central, 1957
Rosa Parks
Beyond Black and White Discrimination affected other racial groups during
the 1950s as well Hispanics: most notable incident involved a Mexican
American veteran and a funeral home’s refusal to conduct a service for him League of United Latin American Citizens and the
American GI Forum Several court cases involving school segregation
Asians did not fit the profile of the “ideal American” Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, allowing for more
to immigrate Native Americans were pressured to abandon
reservations Relocation Act of 1956 encouraged Natives to move to
cities and cut funding for reservations However, gov’t backed down from the policy of
termination in 1958
Questioning Conformity and Society
Many felt that discrimination and conformity were signs of serious problems in America
Authors such as Ralph Ellison (The Invisible Man) depicted lives of those that lived in discrimination and poverty
The beats (and supporters called beatniks) challenged the lifestyle of the middle class Most famous was Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road
Original copy of On the Road was written in 3 weeks on one continuous piece of paper
Farmers and inner city dwellers continued to suffer from poverty Production increased on farms, but prices dropped due to
increased production in Europe and the use of new equipment like tractors
City poor often lived in substandard housing and discrimination prevented people from moving up into better housing The urban renewal program destroyed old dilapidated units and built
“projects” but those also fell into disrepair