Chapter 22

Truman to Eisenhower GI Bill - Provided loans to veterans to establish businesses, buy homes, and attend college Taft-Hartley Act 1947  Curbed the power of unions  Outlawed closed shop  States could pass right-to- work laws  Passed by Congress over Truman’s veto

Truman to Eisenhower Election of 1948  Truman attacked “Do Nothing” Congress  Won support of labor, farmers, and African- Americans  Truman narrowly won election

Truman to Eisenhower The Fair Deal  Truman domestic policies  Raised minimum wage to 75 cents an hour  Expanded Social Security

Truman to Eisenhower Election of 1952  Eisenhower won  Vice President Richard Nixon Ike as President  Passed Federal Highway Act – largest public works program in American history

Even numbers go East – West Odd numbers go North – South Mile markers count down North to South and East to West They count up South to North and West to East Exits are numbered by the mileage marker Don’t know which side of the car the gas tank is on?

Affluent Society The Spread of Wealth  More white-collar jobs such as sales and management  Rise in income at all levels  Advertising the fastest growing industry

Affluent Society The Baby Boom  1945 to 1961  Over 65 million babies born  Boom due to end of wars, GI Bill loans for houses, popular culture celebrating parenthood

Affluent Society Advances in Electronics  Transistors – allowed miniaturization  ENIAC – first computer Advances in Medicine  Polio epidemic killed or paralyzed thousands  First polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk

Popular Culture Rise of Television  New market for advertising  Varied categories of shows from comedies to westerns  Introduction of TV dinners  Blacks portrayed as one- dimensional characters

Popular Culture Impact of TV on Hollywood  Movie audiences declined  Introduced 3D films  Larger screens/movies in Cinemascope

Popular Culture New Youth Culture  Rock and Roll influenced by rhythm and blues  King of Rock and Roll – Elvis Presley  Generation Gap – the cultural separation between children and their parents

Popular Culture Black Entertainers  Television tended to shut out blacks  Rock and Roll singers much more popular  Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Drifters  Women’s groups also popular – the Shirelles, Supremes

The Other Side Poverty Line – a figure set by the government that reflects the minimum income needed to support a family Urban Renewal – programs that tried to eliminate poverty by tearing down slums

The Other Side Decline of the City  Inner cities had mostly poor populations  As middle class moved to suburbs tax money went with them  Little $ left for city services, housing, etc

The Other Side Hispanics  Bracero Program brought ~5 million Mexicans to US  Worked long hours in fields and lived in crude shacks

The Other Side Native Americans  Termination Policy – US government withdrew all official recognition of Native American groups as legal entities and made them subject to same laws as whites  This policy resulted in Indians becoming poorest group in America