Erin Livingston Spring 2014

You will be able to summarize the effects that growing nuclear power had on American society in the 1950s. You will be able to describe the technological and cultural changes happening in 1950s America. You will be able to explain how Eisenhower’s presidency was shaped by the Cold War and other conflicts.

Click the arrows at the bottom or top of the page to move on to the next slide or go back to the previous slide Some slides will have picture that you need to click in order to move on. There will be hyperlinked text to click on to take you to videos or websites. The icon will take you back to the menu.

Start here and click on the icon that you would like to explore. We Like Ike Atomic Anxiety Television Age Activity

Eisenhower’s running for presidency got off to a rough start. His VP running candidate Richard Nixon was accused of being dishonest. He had received over $18,000 from political supporters. Nixon gave a speech, which became known as the Checkers speech, in response to these allegations.Checkers speech Did he answer the accusations of being dishonest or did he simply use this to gain sympathy by using his daughter’s attachment to the dog?

Eisenhower’s presidency was filled with events happening during the Cold War. There were 3 main hot spots during his two terms as president. They were North Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. The Vietnamese peace talks between the French and Vietnamese happened in The agreement between them was to have an election in 1956, but Eisenhower had no plan to allow that to happen. Vietnam was also split along the 17 th parallel as you can see.

The rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954 was also of concern to Eisenhower. He wanted to unite and strengthen the Arab nations and was willing to seek support from the USSR. In response to this, the U.S. withdrew all financial support to Egypt. In 1956 Nasser took control of the Suez canal. This blocked Israel’s only outlet to the Red Sea and cut off British petroleum. Israel launched a military attack while Britain and France sent in troops to take over the canal. A few days later Eisenhower orders all of the invaders leave the area. This demonstrated the U.S. leadership over its European allies.Suez canal Meanwhile USSR was creating the Warsaw Pact with European countries

In 1955, Eisenhower proposed an “open skies” treaty to Britain, France, and Russia at the U.S.-Soviet summit. It stated that each country would be able to fly over each other’s territories to see what kind of military advances they were making. Russia declined to accept the treaty and the treaty later got rejected. In 1957, Eisenhower came up with a doctrine, titled Eisenhower Doctrine, to help aid any country wanting assistance in fighting off Communism aggression. He wanted to contain Communism to where it was already and not allow it to spread.

Everybody was impacted by atomic anxiety. The Duck and Cover method became widely known. Children were learning this in schools in case of a nuclear war with USSR prevailed. As you can see the kids would get under their desks and cover their heads. This was believed to be able to save them if a nuclear missile was to be launched at the U.S. Another worry was nuclear fallout which are streams of radioactive particles produced by nuclear explosions.

The Soviets were becoming an even bigger threat to America when in 1957 the USSR launched the first satellite into space. It’s name was Sputnik. The U.S. was embarrassed and enraged that the Soviets had beat them to the punch of launching a satellite and fears grew that the Soviets had long range missiles that they were planning on using against the U.S. The US began focusing more on Math and Science in schools and soon launched a satellite of their own later that year. The US also developed National Aeronautics and Space Administration or what we refer to as NASA in response to the space race that was created.

The 1950s were the age of the Television. There were so many technological and cultural advancements going on in the 1950s. The TV was one of the bigger advancements that has become more and more popular with time. The TVs aren’t the same as they are today. They weren’t even close to the size or resolution we have either. Most shows were in black and white and the TV screens were only about 12 inches! CBS and NBC begin to do color broadcasting in 1954.

Between 1945 and 1950 over 5 million television sets were sold in America. With TV becoming more popular, politicians began using it to advance their relationships with the public. They realized that they could use the TV to appear more approachable and personable with the viewers. We can all remember how the television impacted Nixon when he was running against Kennedy in Nixon appeared weak and pale while Kennedy was tan and charming. This debate is what many see as the reason that Kennedy ended up winning the election.

The television age also saw some cultural advancements as well. The polio vaccine was introduced to the public in 1955 by Jonas Salk. Before it was introduced to the public, Salk tested it on his entire family. When they didn’t develop polio, he knew he had found the cure. As you can see by the picture, it was pretty big and exciting news. This was also the era of the Sunbelt expansion and the building of Levittown. With the expansion of the highway system in the 50s people were able to travel easier. Many retirees began moving south for the warmer weather and along the west coast mainly in California. These areas became known as the sunbelt of the U.S. Levittown was also a big development. The builders took on the assembly line model much like Ford did. The houses were mainly for returning G.I.s and veterans of WWII.

What influenced Eisenhower’s presidency the most? aa. The “hot spots” bb. Suez canal crisis cc. U.S. Soviet summit and Warsaw Pact dd. All of the above

Move on to next question.

Try again

How did the atomic anxiety impact American lives? aa. It didn’t impact them at all bb. It impacted every day life including school cc. It impacted some people but not others

Move on to next question.

Try again

Which was not an advancement of the 1950s? aa. Polio vaccine bb. The radio cc. Popularization of the television dd. Sunbelt and Levittown expansion

Move on to next slide.

Try again

Eisenhower’s presidency was severely shaped by the Cold War and related conflicts. Atomic anxiety has had a lasting impact on American society. Schools still focus heavily on Math and Science. The 1950s brought on advancements such as the polio vaccine, the popularization of the TV, and expansion of sunbelt and the suburbs such as Levittown. STOP

Teacher QuizTeacherQuiz

This lesson is for diverse learners because it allows the students to work at their own pace. It also allows for them to review sections that they can’t remember information or that they didn’t understand completely. The students could also work with a buddy if allowed by the teacher.

vhY&feature=player_detailpage vhY&feature=player_detailpage