1. 1950’s
AP US History

2. The “Fabulous Fifties!”
What are the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the 1950’s?

3. Themes Political Dwight Eisenhower (Republican)
Domestic: “Dynamic Conservatism”
Balance budget
Get rid of illegal immigrants “Operation Wetback”
Assimilate Native Americans (Similar to Dawes)
Federal Highway Act
Foreign: “Massive Retaliation”
Build up bombing capabilities: strike fear into enemies
Eisenhower Doctrine: aid to ME nations at-risk to Communism

4. Themes Economic Growth and prosperity from post-war production
Science and Technology
Aerospace: commercial airliners
Economy shifts to service-based over manufacturing
White collar > blue collar
Job opportunities for women: “Pink collar” jobs
childcare, cleaning, nursing, secretarial work, teaching and waitressing
Mass production of goods
Standardization of products
Cookie-cutter homes
“Levittowns”
Plastic Credit card introduced

5. Themes Cultural “Cult of Domesticity” Rock & Roll
Wife as home maker, submissive to husband
Influences feminist reactionary movement in 1960’s
“Feminine Mystique” 1963 by Betty Friedan
Rock & Roll
New ideas/expectations of sexuality
Conformity
Expansion of middle class
McDonalds: 1950’s California
Disney Land: 1955 California
TV: 1946 (6 channels)

6. Themes Social Movements of the 1950’s “McCarthyism”
Anti-Communist crusader Joseph McCarthy
American domestic spy looking for communists within government and society (anyone could be a ‘red’)!
Civil Rights: Starts in the 50’s, gains ground in the 60’s
Segregation still at large (Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896) Jim Crow
Overturned by Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 Topeka, KS
Separate is NOT equal: schools, public facilities MUST desegregate
Causes “White-Flight” to suburbs, out of the cities

7. Themes Civil Rights continued… Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955
Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr.
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957
Fed. Vs. State govs.
Federal troops escort African-Americans to class
Sets the stage for Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s.

8. Themes Trouble Abroad Middle East Vietnam Europe
N. Viet attempting to spread Communism into S. Viet
17th parallel
American $ going to prevent spread of Communism
Europe
Soviets create “Warsaw Pact” in response to NATO formation
Western Germany rearmed
Middle East
OPEC created by Middle Eastern Nations to keep Soviets from overtaking

9. Themes Space Race Sputnik 1 Sputnik 2 Eisenhower develops NASA
October, 1957
Sputnik 2
November, 1957
Eisenhower develops NASA
Billions of $ on missile development

10. Themes Arms/Allies Race Soviets have capabilities to launch ICBM’s
Intercontinental ballistic missiles….
1959: Castro becomes dictator over pro-American govt.
Castro hates ‘Murica
Allies w/ the Soviets
Allows Soviets to place missiles in Cuba…(Cuban Missile Crisis)
Soviets threaten to send missiles at US if we attack Cuba

11. Themes Elections go televised Election of 1960 First televised debates
Dem: JFK vs. Rep: Richard Nixon
Image becomes a major importance in elections now
Kennedy wins, first Roman Catholic elected, and youngest