The Postwar Years at Home 7.5/7.6/7.7

The Postwar Years at Home For the first time in years, Americans have surplus income and products are available for purchase The U.S. economy experiences one of its greatest periods of growth The gross national product (GNP) and per capita income double Inflation –GNP-total annual value of goods and services a country produces

Conglomerates The Great Depression made many giant corporations wary of investing all resources in a single business Conglomerate-corporation made up of three or more unrelated businesses Better able to defend against economic downturns

Franchises Ray Kroc built a nationwide chain of fast-food restaurants Selling to entrepreneurs the right to open a franchise A business that contracts to offer certain goods and services from a large parent company The creation of these entities allowed for a tremendous growth, but their smaller, independent competitors suffered.

Technology TV begins to replace radio and movies as the main form of entertainment. People would gather to watch TV as a family.

Other advances We see the beginning of the computer industry in America Transistor-tiny circuit device that amplifies, controls, and generates electrical signals –It did the work of much larger tubs, but took up less space and generated less heat It reduced the size of electronic appliances It could be used in radios, computers

Medicine 1952-Polio Vaccine – Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Thomas Francis Many surgical advances from WWII-allowed doctors to correct heart defects Many advances in fighting bacterial infection Advances in the production of antibiotics such as penicillin were saving lives

Other advances America begins to use nuclear power for the first time to power their homes

G.I. Bill of Rights Allowed G.I.’s to: Go to college –Educational stipends for college Buy homes cheaply –Low-interest mortgages to purchase homes

Changes in the Workforce After WWII new machines assumed many of the jobs previously preformed by people Blue-collar workers learned new skills and found white-collar jobs Many WWII veterans go to white collar jobs rather than blue collar ones.

Changes in the Workforce Advances in the highway system, the purchase of new cars, and the demand for new homes led to an explosion in suburban growth Developer William J. Levitt Built new communities in the suburbs Mass-production techniques in home building Built homes in just weeks instead of months “LEVITTOWN” Levittown in Pennsylvania had about 16,000 homes

The Suburbs During this time period, America sees an explosion in housing growth, especially the suburbs. Baby Boom Began in the mid-1940s continued through the 50s

Rise in Conformity A society that used to admire trailblazers and individuals now began to gravitate towards conformity, or “sameness”. Americans began to treasure comfort and security. This attitude was enhanced by images that Americans saw on TV

The Beat Generation Beatniks-In the 1950s, a person who criticized American society as apathetic and conformist Was a counter culture in response to the rise in American conformity. Dark clothes, “playing it cool”

Youth Culture Young people began to stay in school until completion in greater numbers. People were marrying younger (especially girls).

Conformity was also the norm for young people.

Rock and Roll Came from R&B Kids loved it “The Man”… HATED it, and so did parents. “Elvis the Pelvis”, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and more…

Rebellion Teen angst Showed the rift between the WWII generation and the baby boomers. James Dean

Jack Kerouac Author of On The Road 1957 On the Road is based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across America Typed his first complete draft in less than a month On one continuous roll of paper Spontaneous writing method

Betty Friedan –writer –Activist –feminist 1963 book The Feminine Mystique leading figure in the women's movement Benjamin Spock –American pediatrician –1946 book The Common Sense of Baby and Child Care –Believed that women should stay home with their children

Rise in Religion “One nation, under God…” and “In God we trust” appear for the 1 st time. These phrases were used in response to Communism Illustrated the idea of “God-less Communism” vs. “Christian Democracy”

Rise in Religion In the 1950s people who had drifted away from religion flocked back to their churches Billy Graham Thousands of Americans flocked to hear Graham preach Televised Wrote several books

Roles of Men and Women America settles into very different roles for men and women. Men are the breadwinners, while the women stay at home. –Women are still in the workplace in large numbers Both of these roles are glorified.

Government Post war strikes –As inflation rose, goods became more expensive Taft-Hartley –law that outlawed the closed shop-a workplace in which only union member can be hired The President could force strikers back to work if the strike affected national interest, national health or safety Attempted Civil Rights Legislation, but was blocked by Congress. –Truman Desegregates the Army.

The Fair Deal Attempted to extend the New Deal –Raise minimum wage, Unemployment Benefits, National Health Insurance, and other measures Truman lost support among Democrats –Conservative Democrats ***Most people thought he would lose the election of 1948 because of this loss of support, but he did not.***

The Chicago Daily Tribune was certain Truman would lose to Republican Thomas E. Dewey But he didn’t!!

Truman and Civil Rights Truman publicly supported civil rights for many years 1946 Truman appointed a Biracial Committee on Civil Rights to look into race relations –Recommended that a permanent civil rights commission be established Desegregates the Army in 1948 July 1948-Bans Discrimination in Federal hiring

1952 Election Nixon came under fire for allegedly accepting funds from wealthy Republican donors. The “Checkers Speech” Nixon - "...the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and...regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it." The American Public forgave Nixon, and he and Ike got a huge publicity boost because of this speech.

Eisenhower (Ike) 1st Republican President since Hoover More comfortable working behind the scenes. Some saw him as a do- nothing president. American people approved of Ike’s style and he won reelection

Ike continued… ***Republicans wanted to get rid of all New Deal and Fair Deal legislation, but Ike wanted to take a middle road.*** Modern Republican –Cuts spending, lowers taxation, and tries to shrink the government. Coolidge, Hoover, and Eisenhower favored big business Created the Interstate Highway System. –People rely less on public transportation

Permanent increase in the military budget –Creates a permanent “military-industrial” complex. The military establishment as it developed links to the corporate and scientific communities, employing 3.5 million Americans by 1960 Alliance of the military, industrial and scientific communities.