Lesson 7 Social Issues of the 1950s Postwar America (1945-1960) Lesson 7 Social Issues of the 1950s

Lesson 7 Social Issues of the 1950s Postwar America (1945-1960) Lesson 7 Social Issues of the 1950s Learning Objectives Summarize the arguments made by critics who rejected the culture of the fifties. Describe the causes and effects of urban and rural poverty. Explain the problems that many minority groups faced in the postwar era.

Critics and Rebels Emerge Post War America Movements against conformity Material life improved, but quality of life did not Individuality vs. “fit in” Literature J.D Salinger Catcher in the Rye- phoniness in adults Beat Generation Beatniks – refused to conform Middle class Americans become outraged over beatniks actions James Dean Marlon Brando – actor Symbol of nonconformity

Poverty in the Cities and Rural Areas Behind the new household appliances, the spreading suburbs, the burgeoning shopping malls, and the ribbons of highways was a very different United States. It was a nation of urban slums, desperate rural poverty, and discrimination. People who were poor and dispossessed were well hidden.

Poverty in the Cities and Rural Areas Not everyone experienced prosperity during this time. Stubborn areas of long-term poverty, such as this part of rural West Virginia, saw little benefit from the boom times.

Poverty in the Cities and Rural Areas Analyze Data What push and pull factors might have affected Americans in the South during this period?

Poverty in the Cities and Rural Areas Analyze Graphs This graph shows how poverty levels changed from 1955–2005. Overall, what was the poverty trend in this period?

Struggles of Minorities During the postwar years, the battle for civil rights in the South began to gain headlines. Yet, in the same time period, African Americans and other minorities also fought for equality in the urban north and west. Central to their struggles were efforts to overcome housing and employment discrimination.

Struggles of Minorities Puerto Ricans, like previous waves of immigrants, formed communities in specific urban neighborhoods.