1. America During the Cold War Era
The 1950’s

2. National Security Act of 1947
Merged the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the newly created Department of Defense
Turned the US Army Air Force into a separate military branch (the US Air Force)
Created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to gather intelligence on foreign governments
Created the National Security Council, a centralized advisory body to the president on national security issues

3. Democrats Split in 1948
In the Democratic primary leading into the 1948 presidential elections, Southern Democrats became angered by Harry Truman’s support of civil rights and stated intentions of desegregating the military
Rather than support Truman, they created their own party

4. Dixiecrats The States’ Rights Democratic Party
Supported the right of Southern states to continue the practice of racial segregation without interference by the federal government
Although dissolved by 1950, the Dixiecrats permanently weakened the Democratic Party in the South, opening the door for Southern Republicans

5. Strom Thurmond 1902 – 2003 Gov. of SC (1947–51)
Dixiecrat nominee for President in 1948
Later served as Senator from SC from 1956 – 2003, despite his vocal support for segregation
Switched from Democratic to Republican Party in 1964

6. Truman Wins a Second Term
Nearly everyone expected Dewey to win easily, but were surprised when Truman pulled off a narrow victory, becoming President in his own right rather than by default (death of FDR)

7. Fear of Communist infiltration of the government grew
Fear soon escalated into a general fear of Communist subversion: the effort to weaken a society secretly and overthrow its government

8. The Loyalty Review Program
In early 1947, Truman established a loyalty review program to screen all federal employees to remove those who showed communist sympathies
Between 1947 and 1951, more than 6 million federal employees were screened
Might become suspect for reading certain books, belonging to certain groups, traveling overseas or seeing certain foreign films.
2000 employees quit, 212 fired for “questionable loyalty” although no real evidence was uncovered

9. HUAC House Un-American Activities Committee 1938 – 1975
Tasked with investigating “any suspected threats of subversion or propaganda that attack the form of government guaranteed by our Constitution.”
In 1947, at the urging of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, HUAC began holding public hearings aimed at rooting out high-profile communists
Became a permanent committee in 1945

10. Communism in Hollywood
One group refused, and came to be known as the “Hollywood Ten.” They were convicted of contempt and imprisoned, after which they were unable to find work in Hollywood
Hundreds of artists, including icons such as Charlie Chaplin, were “blacklisted” or deliberately denied employment as suspected communists
HUAC first began to investigate suspected communists within the entertainment industry, issuing hundreds of subpoenas to testify

11. Alger Hiss
1904 – 1996
High-ranking State Department official who was accused of being a Soviet spy
Could not be convicted of espionage, but was convicted of perjury (lying under oath) for his supposedly false testimony before HUAC in 1950
Spent nearly 4 years in prison, even though his case was extremely controversial and the evidence was suspect

12. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg
American couple accused of helping the Soviets acquire information on the American atomic bomb program
Convicted of treason in a highly controversial trial, both were sentenced to death and were executed simultaneously via electric chair
Evidence later surfaced showing that while Julius was most likely guilty, many historians still doubt Ethel’s involvement

13. McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950
Legislation which required all Communist Party members and organizations to register with the US Attorney General’s office
Banned communists from getting passports and traveling abroad
In cases of national emergency, it provided for the arrest and detention of communists
Vetoed by Truman, but Congress overrode his veto
Much of the Act has since been declared unconstitutional or repealed

14. Joseph McCarthy Senator from Wisconsin
Claimed to have a list of members of the state dept. who were Communists
Will continue to accuse high level officials of subversion, although never able to produce proof
Becomes chairman of Senate subcommittee on investigations, and will force government officials to testify about alleged communist influences
Became a witch-hunt. Tactic became known as McCarthyism

15. McCarthyism
McCarthy’s claims led to widespread hysteria over the supposed level of communist infiltration into the US government
Eventually, however, when McCarthy could not produce any valid evidence, he was censured by the Senate and died just 3 years later from complications from alcoholism

16. McCarthy Hearings Video
McCarthyism
1954- begins looking for Communists in US military
Holds weeks of televised hearings, where he harassed officers, accusing of misconduct
McCarthy Hearings Video

17. The H-Bomb
Nov. 1952: The US tested its newest weapon the Hydrogen Bomb, a weapon 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Within a year, however, the Soviets also had H-bombs

18. Life During the Early Cold War
Fear of Communism and nuclear war caused Americans to prepare to survive a nuclear attack
Duck and Cover Drill Video

19. Post War American Boom and the New American Dream in the 1950s

20. Truman’s “Fair Deal”
Truman began to pursue a series of social reform programs he called his “Fair Deal”
Included expansion of Social Security, increasing minimum wage, and funding low-income housing, among other things

21. The GI Bill
Passed in 1944
Designed to help GIs transition back to civilian life
Helped veterans by paying for college tuition, providing one year’s unemployment pay, and providing easy to get loans for purchasing housing or starting businesses

22. Growth of Middle Class
As hundreds of thousands of GIs became better educated and able to acquire better jobs, the middle-class in America grew significantly during the 1950s
This expanded middle-class increased the demand for consumer goods and single-family housing

23. The 1950s: Consumerism Consumerism returned in the 1950s
People rushed to buy new goods like TVs & hi-fi record players
Credit became available (The 1st credit card was created in 1950)
Advertisers used newspaper ads, radio, & new TV commercials to market goods to Americans
Franchises offered people across the country the same products
Expansion of business in the 1950s:
Corporations, Franchises (848)
Consumerism ( )

24. The “Affluent Society”

25. “Baby Boom”
Returning GIs were also anxious to marry and start families, leading to a dramatic surge in the birth rate from 1946 to 1964
This generation of children, the largest in US history, came to be known as the “baby boomers”

26. U.S. Birthrate,
The late 1940s & 1950s experienced the “baby boom”
In 1957, a baby was born every 7 seconds

27. Growth of Suburbs
Growth of middle-class families led to a dramatic spike in demand for housing
Since space was limited (and therefore expensive) in the cities, millions of Americans looked to the areas just outside of the cities to live and raise their families

28. William J. Levitt
Real estate developer who popularized building large developments of cheap “assembly line” style housing within commuting distance of major cities – “suburbs”
Affordable housing allowed many soldiers returning from WWII to marry and start families
First project was in Levittown, NY between , where Levitt built over 17,000 single-family homes

29. Levittown

30. The 1950s: Suburbs Suburbs changed American life:
Suburbs increased America’s need for cars & highways
Churches, schools, grocery stores, & shopping centers were build to service the suburbs
But, the migration to the suburbs was mostly by white families; “White flight” to the suburbs left African Americans in urban areas
Returning soldiers, housing shortage, baby boom
Levittville
Suburban shopping centers
GI Bill of Rights (?)

31. Automobile Culture Automania
Suburban living made owning a car a necessity
Interstate Highway System Act- Eisenhower signed in authorized the building of a nationwide highway network
What are negative effects of increase use of cars?
Positive?

32. Ford 1955

34. “Automania” transformed America
Americans were more mobile, took long-distance vacations, & lived further from their jobs

35. “Automania” transformed America
Cars led to drive-thru restaurants & drive-in movies

36. Television
Introduced just before WWII, by 1957, over 40 million televisions were in use in the US
TV quickly became Americans’ primary means of receiving information, whether it was the news, the latest fads and fashions, or what new products were available for purchase

37. “I Love Lucy”

38. “The Honeymooners”

39. Live Sporting Events

40. Variety Shows

41. Movies
Facing the stiff competition from television, Hollywood was forced to adapt
Introduced 3-D movies in the 1952
Introduced Cinemascope (a special projection system which required a large, curved screen) to make the movie-going experience “grander” than watching TV

42. The 1950s: Popular Culture Music changed in the 1950s:
“Doo-wop” music dominated the early 1950s, but, was challenged in popularity by rock n’ roll
Rock ‘n’ roll music was inspired by black artists, but Elvis Presley made it popular among the youth
Rock scared parents who thought the fast beats were immoral

43. This rock ‘n’ roll music is a SIN!

44. Elvis Presley 1935 – 1977 “The King of Rock and Roll”
Had his first major hit record, “Heartbreak Hotel,” and film “Love Me Tender” in 1956
Recorded over 100 Top 40 hits in his 20 year career before dying of drug-related heart failure

45. Rock ‘n’ Roll

46. Doo-Wop

47. Teenagers were an important force in the 1950s
Businesses targeted teenagers, selling billions of dollars of “cool” consumer goods
Music & movies were made specifically for teens
Suburban teens had leisure time & money to spend

48. Teenagers were an important force in the 1950s
Businesses targeted teenagers, selling billions of dollars of “cool” consumer goods

49. Hollywood movies targeted teens & made films about “juvenile delinquency”

50. The “ideal woman” was a housewife & mother
The 1950s: Conformity
TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950s promoted conformity & stereotypes
Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?
The “ideal woman” was a housewife & mother

51. The “ideal man” was provider & boss of the house
The 1950s: Conformity
TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950s promoted conformity & stereotypes
Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?
The “ideal man” was provider & boss of the house

52. Behavioral Rules of the 1950s:
The 1950s: Conformity
TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950s promoted conformity & stereotypes
Behavioral Rules of the 1950s:
Obey authority.
Control Your emotions.
Fit in with the crowd.
Don’t even think about sex!!!
But, stereotypes were not accurate of most Americans

53. The 1950s: Conformity The “beat movement” rejected conformity:
“Beatniks” were artists & writers who lived non-conformist lives
Rejected suburbs, consumer goods, & “regular jobs”
Led by Jack Kerouac, the beats inspired the “hippies” of the 1960s
Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?

54. And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
In boxes made of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes,
And they came out all the same.
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.