The Post War Boom Chapter 19

Section 1-Postwar America

Readjustment and Recovery By million veterans needed a job GI Bill (1944) – Encouraged vets. to get an education – Paid them a years worth of unemployment while they looked for a job – Low interest loans to be used for housing

Readjustment and Recovery Housing Crisis – Vets. came home and with money from GI Bill Not enough houses out there – Levitt and Kaiser solved this problem by making Houses using assembly line ideas (Cookie Cutter Houses) – Suburbs began to fill up – 1 st Suburb-Levittown in Long Island NY

Readjustment and Recovery Family – Divorce rate up, some stress after war Women tasted independence, did not want to give it up How did the US Change Post war Economically? – Peacetime economy – Canceled war contracts – People laid off and unemployment up – Prices skyrocketed, but not wages 25% raise on prices!

Recovery Not as bad as could be People that had been saving money and had gone without and now are ready to spend! Cold war spurned growth – Aid to other countries encouraged an increase factories

Recovery How did we meet our challenges? – Truman had to meet the needs of the people Fears of Communism Restore economy

Social Unrest Problems at Home: – Strikes-Higher prices and low wages led to strikes Truman supported unions, but could not allow chaos Threatened to draft striking workers, unions cave This caused Truman future problems on the labor front because they would not support labor

Social Unrest Truman supports Civil Rights reform – 1946 President’s Commission on Civil Rights – 1948 Executive Order to integrate Armed Forces Tried to end discrimination in gov. jobs Supreme Court said they could not segregate neighborhoods

Social Unrest 1948 Election- – Democrats-Truman – Republicans-Dewey South Dems not happy: Dixiecrats: – Nominated Thurmond as candidate Liberal Progressive party formed too – Nominated Wallace

Social Unrest The Fair Deal – Extension of New Deal Compulsory health insurance Aid to farmers But both ideas defeated However – Minimum wage up – Social security for more people – Flood control and irrigation – Low income housing

Republicans Take the Middle Road Truman’s approval rating low – Communism, McCarthyism caused problems 1952 Election – Truman not run Democrats-Stevenson Republicans-Eisenhower

Republicans Take the Middle Road Republicans – Pushed conservatism and anti communism – Pick Ike Slogan “We Like Ike” His V.P. Nixon in trouble for illegal slush fund Checkers Speech: TV helped saved Nixon

Republicans Take the Middle Road Ike different then Truman – Dynamic Conservatism Conservative towards money, liberal to people – Tried to stay middle of the road, but civil rights was not going to let him Did push for a balanced budget and higher minimum wage – Created highways

Section 2- The American Dream in the Fifties

The Organization and the Organization Man As 1950’s moved forward, there were more White Collar jobs – Service industry jobs increased, especially in advertising

The Organization and the Organization Man Conglomerates: – Major company that owns smaller ones in unrelated fields It was a way to help when your company had hard times Franchising – Similar products in different locations – Right sold to an individual to do business – Ray Kroc: McDonalds: He bought it from the brothers for 2.7 million – Added the mythic “Golden Arches”

The Organization and the Organization Man Social Conformity – Standardized what people ate and the way they worked Loss of individuality “The Organization Man”: William H. Whyte Company People: fitting in to corp. culture Rewards for teamwork, cooperation, loyalty

The Suburban Lifestyle 1950-Job security may have cost individuality but provided “good things” – Highways and cars led to Suburbs Baby Boom: – infant born every 7 seconds – Created the largest generation in US history – Cause-Depression, War, Better medicine and childcare

The Suburban Lifestyle Advances in Medicine- New Drugs to help kids – Dr. Jonas Salk Vaccine for Polio – Dr. Benjamin Spock: Books on childcare Wanted gov. to pay moms for staying home Effects of Baby Boomers- – Toy Sales boomed! – New schools had to be built

The Suburban Lifestyle Women’s Roles- – Glorified women’s place in home TV, magazines, everything said, women should be at home – Some women started to speak out and say it was isolating them Betty Friedan: The Feminine Mystique – As we neared the 60’s women were taking jobs outside of home, but sometimes stereotypical Women earned less Often limited to teaching, nursing, and office jobs Were not pushed to go to college

The Suburban Lifestyle Leisure in the Fifties- – More time then ever before – More labor saving devices then before – More time for sports and games – Readers: Do it yourself, comic books, mysteries

The Automobile Culture Automania- – After the war the car defined America – Suburbs made car and highways necessary Interstate Highway Act 1956 – Helped some towns, killed others – New vacation ideas popped up due to car Disneyland in CA-1955 – Had negative effects too Environment, traffic, noise, flight from cities – Created a gap between rich and poor – Increased advertising

Consumerism Unbound Consumerism 1950’s Success = Hundreds of new products – TV, tape recorders, HIFI record players – Clothes just for fun – Power mowers, BBQ, lawn decorations!

Consumerism Unbound Planned Obsolescence Wear out or become obsolete on purpose to get us to buy more – New models every few months We become a throwaway Society

Consumerism Unbound Credit – Very 1 st Credit Card: Diners Club Card 1958-American Express Bought large items on installment plans Increase in mortgages Private debt grew from $73 billion to $179 billion

Consumerism Unbound Advertising Age- – Encouraged more spending – Billions of dollars a year on advertising – Used psychology to convince you what you need – TV commercials became main way to convince you

Section 3-Popular Culture

Mass Media Television: – By % of Americans had TV Early TV’s -small and in black and white – WWII technology made TV better FCC-Founded to keep an eye on communication – Gave licenses for channels New Shows: I Love Lucy – News became a mainstay of TV with Murrow – TV Commercials TV Dinners and TV guide

Mass Media Critics: – Some say TV is bad Might effect kids – Stereotypes reinforced, and barley any minorities No poverty, no struggles TV showed the “Ideal White America”

Mass Media Radio and Movies – Radios gave up on shows and played music/news Movies faltered at first, used technology to get – Fans back, better sound and picture – Smell-o-vision and Aroma Rama, 3D

A Subculture Emerges Subculture – Not everyone bought into the new America and conforming Beat Movement – Nonconformity of art, poets, and writers – Wrote and performed differently Not accepted by everyone

A Subculture Emerges African Americans and Rock and Roll – Blues was electrified and turned into Rock and Roll African American musicians appealed to the white audiences – Rock and Roll – Seemed to have a message for teenagers – Some were worried music would corrupt the youth!

A Subculture Emerges African Americans and Rock and Roll – Jazz also hit the mainstream – Gave a voice and place to African American singers Created a separate market for African Americans – Since TV was not reflecting culture, at least radio was

Section 4-The Other America

Urban Poor Not everyone found the American Dream – Poor class starts to rise up – White Flight- Leaving city for suburb Rural poor moved to cities Cities were robbed of tax payers

Inner Cities Suburbanites did not see what was happening – Minimum income level rose every year People were in trouble – Book: “The Other America”: Harrington Told the story of poverty in America

Inner Cities Fixing Poverty- – Urban Renewal National Housing Act of 1949 – Decent home for every family – Tear down rundown houses New Cabinet position - Housing on Urban Development People displaced – Black Bottom in Detroit for I-75

Poverty Leads to Activism Minorities began to speak out on their behalf – Mexicans: 1942-U.S. initiated program of braceros (hired hands) many stayed and hoped to make a go of U.S. The Longoria Incident – Felix Longoria-WWII hero: Mexican Killed in war, town would not bury him Foundations were started to help fight for rights

Poverty Leads to Activism Native Americans – 1924-Got citizenship and right to vote – 1934-Assimilation stopped and gave Natives autonomy – 1944-National Congress of Native Americans ensure civil rights to retain customs on reservations Native Americans served with honor in WWII and deserved respect

Poverty Leads to Activism Termination policy – 1953-The U.S. would no longer financially support reservations – Natives tried to find places for their people U.S. government let the Natives down – Not a proud moment in our history 