1. An Affluent Society
Chapter 24

2. Post-war economy grew as pent- up demand for luxury goods spurred more production
Serviceman’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill) – provided grants and loans for veterans to attend college, establish small businesses, and buy homes
High demand for goods caused inflation – which in turn caused strikes

3. Congress passed Taft-Hartley Act limiting power of unions
Labor unrest and high prices resulted in Republicans winning both houses in Congress
Congress passed Taft-Hartley Act limiting power of unions
Outlawed closed shop – forced businesses to hire only union workers
Allowed Right-to-Work – outlawed union shops requiring workers to join unions before being hired
Prohibited Featherbedding – practice of limiting work output in order to create more jobs

4. Truman’s Legislative Agenda
Wanted to expand Social Security
Raise minimum wage from .40 cents/hr to .75 cents/hr
Spend money on public housing
Establish national health system
Wanted civil rights laws to guarantee black right to vote, abolish poll taxes, and make lynching a federal crime
Issued executive order barring discrimination in federal employment and ending segregation in the military

5. Election of 1948
Democratic party split: one faction of Southern Democrats formed Dixiecrat Party, another faction formed a new Progressive Party
Republican nominee – popular NY governor Thomas Dewey
Dewey predicted to win
Truman traveled country attacking “Do-Nothing” Congress
Despite predictions, Truman won re- election
The Fair Deal – programs Truman wanted to put into place

6. “I Like Ike” Eisenhower handily won election of 1952
Vice President – Richard Nixon and “Checkers” speech
Eisenhower politically moderate
Cut regulations, and rent and price controls
Cut many federal programs that helped businesses
Passed the Federal Highway Act – established US Interstate Highway system
Truman Presidency

8. Odd Numbers go North and South
Even Number go East and West
Mile markers start from 1 West to East
And
from 1 South to North
Exit numbers are based on mile markers

16. “The Affluent Society” – term coined by economist John Kenneth Galbraith – new phenomenon where society had an economy of abundance
Average American income tripled between 1940 and 1960
Dramatic rise in home ownership
Farms and factories more efficient – more “white collar” jobs
White collar jobs outnumbered Blue Collar (physical labor) jobs

17. Business
Multinational Corporations – businesses expanding overseas often closer to resources and cheaper labor
Rise of Franchises – a person owns one or more stores of a chain operation – chains often have standard buildings, uniforms, products

19. New Consumerism Keeping up with Jones’
More disposable income = more luxury items such as washing machines, vacuums, refrigerators
Increase of labor-saving devices such as coffee makers, blenders, lawn trimmers
More sophisticated advertising targeted specific markets like breakfast cereals, toys, cars

20. The Growth of Suburbia The 1950s Family
Levittown – cheap mass-produced homes
85% of home construction in suburbs
GI Bill made homes affordable
The 1950s Family
Baby Boom – explosion of American birthrate
Wars had delayed marriage
Popular culture celebrated parenthood

21. Women in the 1950s Focus on traditional married homemaker
Despite cultural push towards stay-at-home mothers, more numbers of women working
By /3 of all married women worked

22. Technological Advances
Invention of the transistor allowed the making of miniature radios and calculators
Early computers: ENIAC and UNIVAC
Jonas Salk developed first Polio vaccine – Polio almost disappeared
1958 US launched its first satellite
New jet aircraft revolutionized air transportation

23. Television First broadcasts in early 1940s
Common in US homes by end of 1950s – by 1957 over 80% of US homes had TVs
Advertising grew (commercials)
Sporting events became popular
Popular programs included comedies, Westerns, police dramas, and variety shows like the Ed Sullivan Show
Prime Time shows moved to color broadcasts by mid-1960s

24. Television changed many eating habits
Many families ate dinner on TV trays while watching TV
A new kind of meal was sold – the TV Dinner

25. Television Versus Movies
Television caused a steep decline in movie attendance
Theaters began handing out door prizes and dishes
3D films and new cinematography like Cinemascope was used to lure viewers
Studios created the “Blockbuster” film
Movie studios sold movies to television broadcasters
Drive-in theaters were introduced

26. Radio Versus Television
Radio audiences also dropped due to television
Radio stations began to specialize in certain types of entertainment such as news, talk shows, weather, and pre-recorded music
Numbers of radio listeners grew due to these changes
Invention of transistor

27. Rock and Roll Rock and Roll emerged as the music of the new generation
Radio disc jockey Alan Freed noticed many white kids dancing to African-American rhythm and blues
He played it on his show and kids went nuts – white musicians began making music form its roots
First Rock and Roll star was Elvis Presley – many towns banned him and his records

28. Generation Gap – the cultural separation between children and their parents
The Beat Movement – artists, poets, writers, musicians who lived on the fringe of society (aka beatniks)
Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were two “beat” writers

30. African-American Entertainers
Not as accepted on national shows
Rock and Roll: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Drifters, Chiffons, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes
Black music had profound effect on white musicians such as Elvis and the Beatles

31. Despite prosperity of 1950s many still lived below the poverty line – government set minimum income required to support a family of four
In The Other America, Michael Harrington showed the lives of America’s poor: single mothers, elderly, minority immigrants, rural Americans, and inner-city residents
Among poorest regions in US were the Appalachians and Indian reservations

32. Decline of Inner Cities
“White Flight” – whites moving to suburbs leaving poorer minorities in decaying urban centers
Urban Renewal – programs to fight poverty by tearing down slums and building high rise apartments aka “The Projects”
Program failed – projects became rundown and crime- ridden

33. Many of those left behind in urban centers were blacks
Many blacks in Northern cities due to Great Migration of WWI
Blacks lost jobs as industries closed down in Rust-Belt cities
Hispanic population often poorer as well – many had stayed after end of Bracero program
Migrant workers often had no permanent homes and little money

34. Native-Americans Indians average income $1,000 less than blacks
US government wanted Indians to assimilate
Termination Policy – withdrew recognition of tribes and placed them under same laws as whites
Policy was disaster for Indians – extreme poverty and lower life expectancies resulted

35. Appalachia Mostly white
Extreme poverty – schools rated below those of inner cities; whole regions on welfare
Unemployment on rise due to closing of coal mines

36. Juvenile Delinquency – anti- social or criminal behavior of young people
Delinquency rate rose 45% between 1948 and 1953
Car theft was top crime
Liberals claimed it was caused by poverty but many delinquents were middle-class