Chapter 19 Section 1 Postwar America The Baby Boom Years 1946-1964 Election of 1948 Harry Truman. president DEMOCRAT Elections 1952 and 1956 Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, vice-pres. REPUBLICAN Why they won: The country needed a change after two decades of Democrats.

Election of 1948 – a big upset!

Election of 1948 Truman insisted that the Democrats include a strong civil rights “plank” in their platform for the campaign The Dixiecrats = Southern Democrat delegates to the Democrat National Convention who walked OUT because they were AGAINST Truman’s emphasis on civil rights

Election of 1948 – Truman’s Campaign Truman criticized the Republican 80th Congress Called them in to a “special session” where he proposed minimum wage laws, Social Security extension, etc. The Republicans (who wanted to cut the budget) of course voted them down.

Election of 1948 Truman went on a speaking tour by train (a “whistle stop” tour) He denounced the “Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing 80th Congress”

The Fair Deal The Fair Deal = Harry Truman’s legislative program -an extension of FDR’s New Deal He proposed these items but Congress voted them down: -nationwide compulsory health insurance -crop-subsidy program to provide a steady income for farmers

1950-1959 Population: 151,684,000 Life expectancy: Women 71.1 Men 65.6 Car Sales: 6,665,800 Average Salary: $2,992 Labor Force male/female: 5/2 Cost of a loaf of bread: $0.14 Bomb shelter plans, like the government pamphlet You Can Survive, became widely available

GI Bill of Rights The Serviceman’s Readjustment Act Why- To help ease veterans’ return to civilian life Who- All military, men, women, minorities When passed- 1944 What benefits- 1 yrs unemployment Low-interest fed-guaranteed loans for homes, farms, business Paid part tuition for school Some results: Housing boom fueled by no down payments, low interest Poor could go to school (colleges) alongside wealthy Opportunities for all races

Levitt Towns

William Levitt A real-estate developer who saw the need for LOTS of affordable housing after the war. “Father of the Suburb” Built along idea of assembly line

Divorce Rate 1940 - 20% 1941 - 22% 1942 - 24% 1943 - 26% 1944 - 29% 1950 - 26% 1951 - 1953 - 25% 1954 - 24% 1953 - 25% 1955 - 1956 - 23% 1957 - 22% 1958 - 21% 1959 - 1963 - 22% 1964 - 24% 1965 - 1966 - 25% 1967 - 26% 1940 - 20% 1941 - 22% 1942 - 24% 1943 - 26% 1944 - 29% 1945 - 35% 1946 - 43% 1947 - 34% 1948 - 28% 1949 - 27%

Redefining the Family Why the divorce rate rose at end of WWII: -Women reluctant to give up their new-found independence worked and took over the decision-making role of the absentee husband/father

Economic Readjustment Unemployment – defense contracts cancelled right after Japan surrender – factory workers lost their jobs Returning veterans looked for jobs 2. Inflation -OPA (Office of Price Administration) lifted price controls June 1946 on consumer goods Result: prices shot up by 25% - Inflation lasted two years 3. Scarcity of some goods -beef, sugar, coffee, men’s suits, nylon stockings unavailable

Economic Recovery 1. Consumers had pent-up needs and wants -People lived through the Great Depression -Workers SAVED their money they earned during the war 2. After brief two-year period of adjustment, the economy BOOMED -then people started to buy houses, cars, goods and services 3. Cold War -lots of defense spending to protect ourselves from Soviets. 4. Marshall Plan -spending money in Western Europe created strong foreign markets for American exports

President Harry Truman “The buck stops here.”

Truman and Labor Strikes 1946 750,000 steelworkers – 80 day strike 400,000 Coal miners – right after steel strike Railroad workers –after coal miners strike Truman was generally a supporter of labor, but he refused to allow these strikes to cripple the nation.

Truman threatened To DRAFT the striking workers To order them (like soldiers) to stay on the job To have the federal government take control of the railroads Truman Had the federal government SEIZE the coal mines

Truman appeared before Congress Why – to ask for authority to draft the striking workers. Result – Before he finished his speech to Congress, the labor unions gave in

(“The Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing Congress”) 1946 Mid-Term Elections The 80th Congress (“The Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing Congress”) Republicans gained control of BOTH houses of Congress They will vote AGAINST Truman’s domestic proposals.

Taft-Hartley Act 1947 Anti-labor union Truman vetoed it, but the Republicans had enough votes now in Congress to override his veto.

Truman and Civil Rights Truman issued an executive order for the racial integration of the armed forces 1948 “Equality of treatment and opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin” 2. ALSO – an end to discrimination in the hiring of government employees

Election of 1952 Truman’s approval rating sank to 23% in 1951 - Korean war stalemate - McCarthyism (cast doubt that the US Government was infiltrated with Communist spies and sympathizers) Result: Democrats were unpopular

Dwight D. Eisenhower Richard M. Nixon Eisenhower took the lead against the Democrat candidate during the campaign UNTIL… Newspapers accused Richard Nixon from profiting from a secret fund set up by wealthy supporters. Eisenhower was about to dump Nixon from the ticket.

Nixon’s “Checkers Speech” Nixon replied to the accusations in an emotional speech on television (had not really been used before by political candidates). He denied any wrongdoing (except for when he accepted a little cocker spaniel dog named “Checkers” for his little six year old girl).