An Affluent Society Chapter 24

Post-war economy grew as pent- up demand for luxury goods spurred more production Serviceman’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill) – provided grants and loans for veterans to attend college, establish small businesses, and buy homes High demand for goods caused inflation – which in turn caused strikes

Congress passed Taft-Hartley Act limiting power of unions Labor unrest and high prices resulted in Republicans winning both houses in Congress Congress passed Taft-Hartley Act limiting power of unions Outlawed closed shop – forced businesses to hire only union workers Allowed Right-to-Work – outlawed union shops requiring workers to join unions before being hired Prohibited Featherbedding – practice of limiting work output in order to create more jobs

Truman’s Legislative Agenda Wanted to expand Social Security Raise minimum wage from .40 cents/hr to .75 cents/hr Spend money on public housing Establish national health system Wanted civil rights laws to guarantee black right to vote, abolish poll taxes, and make lynching a federal crime Issued executive order barring discrimination in federal employment and ending segregation in the military

Election of 1948 Democratic party split: one faction of Southern Democrats formed Dixiecrat Party, another faction formed a new Progressive Party Republican nominee – popular NY governor Thomas Dewey Dewey predicted to win Truman traveled country attacking “Do-Nothing” Congress Despite predictions, Truman won re- election The Fair Deal – programs Truman wanted to put into place

“I Like Ike” Eisenhower handily won election of 1952 Vice President – Richard Nixon and “Checkers” speech Eisenhower politically moderate Cut regulations, and rent and price controls Cut many federal programs that helped businesses Passed the Federal Highway Act – established US Interstate Highway system Truman Presidency

Odd Numbers go North and South Even Number go East and West Mile markers start from 1 West to East And from 1 South to North Exit numbers are based on mile markers

“The Affluent Society” – term coined by economist John Kenneth Galbraith – new phenomenon where society had an economy of abundance Average American income tripled between 1940 and 1960 Dramatic rise in home ownership Farms and factories more efficient – more “white collar” jobs White collar jobs outnumbered Blue Collar (physical labor) jobs

Business Multinational Corporations – businesses expanding overseas often closer to resources and cheaper labor Rise of Franchises – a person owns one or more stores of a chain operation – chains often have standard buildings, uniforms, products

New Consumerism Keeping up with Jones’ More disposable income = more luxury items such as washing machines, vacuums, refrigerators Increase of labor-saving devices such as coffee makers, blenders, lawn trimmers More sophisticated advertising targeted specific markets like breakfast cereals, toys, cars

The Growth of Suburbia The 1950s Family Levittown – cheap mass-produced homes 85% of home construction in suburbs GI Bill made homes affordable The 1950s Family Baby Boom – explosion of American birthrate 1945-1961 Wars had delayed marriage Popular culture celebrated parenthood

Women in the 1950s Focus on traditional married homemaker Despite cultural push towards stay-at-home mothers, more numbers of women working By 1960 1/3 of all married women worked

Technological Advances Invention of the transistor allowed the making of miniature radios and calculators Early computers: ENIAC and UNIVAC Jonas Salk developed first Polio vaccine – Polio almost disappeared 1958 US launched its first satellite New jet aircraft revolutionized air transportation

Television First broadcasts in early 1940s Common in US homes by end of 1950s – by 1957 over 80% of US homes had TVs Advertising grew (commercials) Sporting events became popular Popular programs included comedies, Westerns, police dramas, and variety shows like the Ed Sullivan Show Prime Time shows moved to color broadcasts by mid-1960s

Television changed many eating habits Many families ate dinner on TV trays while watching TV A new kind of meal was sold – the TV Dinner

Television Versus Movies Television caused a steep decline in movie attendance Theaters began handing out door prizes and dishes 3D films and new cinematography like Cinemascope was used to lure viewers Studios created the “Blockbuster” film Movie studios sold movies to television broadcasters Drive-in theaters were introduced

Radio Versus Television Radio audiences also dropped due to television Radio stations began to specialize in certain types of entertainment such as news, talk shows, weather, and pre-recorded music Numbers of radio listeners grew due to these changes Invention of transistor

Rock and Roll Rock and Roll emerged as the music of the new generation Radio disc jockey Alan Freed noticed many white kids dancing to African-American rhythm and blues He played it on his show and kids went nuts – white musicians began making music form its roots First Rock and Roll star was Elvis Presley – many towns banned him and his records

Generation Gap – the cultural separation between children and their parents The Beat Movement – artists, poets, writers, musicians who lived on the fringe of society (aka beatniks) Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were two “beat” writers

African-American Entertainers Not as accepted on national shows Rock and Roll: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Drifters, Chiffons, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes Black music had profound effect on white musicians such as Elvis and the Beatles

Despite prosperity of 1950s many still lived below the poverty line – government set minimum income required to support a family of four In The Other America, Michael Harrington showed the lives of America’s poor: single mothers, elderly, minority immigrants, rural Americans, and inner-city residents Among poorest regions in US were the Appalachians and Indian reservations

Decline of Inner Cities “White Flight” – whites moving to suburbs leaving poorer minorities in decaying urban centers Urban Renewal – programs to fight poverty by tearing down slums and building high rise apartments aka “The Projects” Program failed – projects became rundown and crime- ridden

Many of those left behind in urban centers were blacks Many blacks in Northern cities due to Great Migration of WWI Blacks lost jobs as industries closed down in Rust-Belt cities Hispanic population often poorer as well – many had stayed after end of Bracero program Migrant workers often had no permanent homes and little money

Native-Americans Indians average income $1,000 less than blacks US government wanted Indians to assimilate Termination Policy – withdrew recognition of tribes and placed them under same laws as whites Policy was disaster for Indians – extreme poverty and lower life expectancies resulted

Appalachia Mostly white Extreme poverty – schools rated below those of inner cities; whole regions on welfare Unemployment on rise due to closing of coal mines

Juvenile Delinquency – anti- social or criminal behavior of young people Delinquency rate rose 45% between 1948 and 1953 Car theft was top crime Liberals claimed it was caused by poverty but many delinquents were middle-class