2. Postwar America 1945 – 1960

3. I Love Lucy Clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbN cQlzV-4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbN cQlzV-4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AZK 2-Tfc84 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AZK 2-Tfc84

4. 2.13.2014 Warm up #105 Use the brown paper Pretend you are a teenager in the 1950s. Use the list of 1950’s slang words to write a Facebook post, poem, rap etc. Try to use as many words as you can. (* prize)

5. 1948 Election Appeared Truman would lose 1948 election –Made over 350 speeches Criticized a “Do-Nothing Congress” – because it had not enacted any of his legislative proposals

6. 1948 Election (cont) Truman narrowly won the election & the Democrats made a comeback in Congress

8. 1948 Election (cont) Fair Deal – Truman’s domestic agenda –Raised minimum wage –Improved Social Security –National Housing Act of 1949 –Did not pass national health care or civil rights legislation “Every segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from … government a fair deal.”

9. Election of 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower – republican, WWII general –Slogan: “It’s time for a change!” –Promised to end Korean War

11. Election of 1952 (cont) Eisenhower & running mate, Richard Nixon won in a landslide

12. Eisenhower “Dynamic Conservatism” – balancing economic conservatism (reduce spending) with some activism (helping the people)

13. The Affluent Society By 1958, America was an “economy of abundance” Improved technology created a standard of living never believed possible in the past

14. The Affluent Society (cont) G.I. Bill of Rights –Tuition for college or job training –Unemployment benefits –Low-interest home loans

15. The Affluent Society (cont) White-collar workers began to outnumber blue- collar workers –Blue-collar – physical labor –White-collar – professional Generally worked for big corporations Had to conform

16. The Affluent Society (cont) Baby Boom – period between 1945 to 1961, in which more than 65 million children were born in the U.S. The American family grew larger and women entered the workforce

18. The Affluent Society (cont) Rise in luxury products led to the growth of more sophisticated advertising Advertising industry became fastest- growing industry in the U.S.

19. The Affluent Society (cont) Suburbs, mass- produced residential communities –Built all over the U.S. –Symbol of the American Dream

20. The Affluent Society (cont) Eisenhower’s Federal Highway Act of 1956 created an interstate highway system –Contributed to suburban communities –Urban centers lost their importance Created an “Automobile Society” –Fast food chains –Motels

21. The Affluent Society (cont) 50s cars were big gas guzzlers Became symbols of escapism and freedom –Family trips –Disneyland opens in 1955 By 1956, Americans owned ¾ of all the cars in the world

22. Characteristics of 1950s Cars Extravagance Built to look like rocket ships Made out of chrome and steel Large engines Large tail fins Very colorful

23. Medical Breakthroughs Antibiotics New drugs for arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease Advances in surgical techniques Jonas Salk developed an injectable vaccine that prevented polio

25. “Cool Daddy-O” 1950’s Popular Culture

26. Television 8,000 TVs in 1946 By 1959, 80% of homes had a TV –40 million TVs in 1957 Television changed life forever

28. Television (cont) Used for news, sports & advertising Popular shows included: –Comedy (Bob Hope and Jack Benny) –Westerns (The Lone Ranger) –Variety Shows (Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen) –Quiz Shows (Twenty-one, $64,000 Question)

29. Popular Family Television

30. Effects of Television Depicted a narrow view of American life –Suburban, white, middle-class families –Minorities played stereotypical roles & were not allowed to star “Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”

31. Effects of Television - continued Less people went to the movies –Theaters had to adapt Door Prizes, 3-D movies, movies for TV, Cinemascope – Films shown on large panoramic screens. TV ended most radio programs Conformist views depicted on TV led to a backlash by the teenage youth

32. Rise of Rock n’ Roll Rock n’ Roll - the music of the new generation & strongly influenced all future music –Roots were in rhythm and blues –White artists were copying Black artists Themes of Cars, Romance, Dancing appealed to teens

33. Rock n’ Roll (cont) Rock n’ Roll pioneers included: –Chuck Berry –Little Richard –Fats Domino –Ray Charles –Bill Haley and the Comets –Buddy Holly –Elvis Presley

34. Pioneers of Rock n’ Roll Chuck Berry Little Richard

35. Rock n’ Roll (cont) “ There have been contenders, but there is only one King.” – Bruce Springsteen Elvis was a gifted performer and synthesizer of styles Did not write most of his music First to bring Rock n’ Roll to a wide audience

36. Rock n’ Roll (cont) Adults found Rock n’ Roll to be dangerous to society –Too loud –Disruptive –Mindless Added to the generation gap – cultural divide between children & their parents

37. Rock n’ Roll (cont) Rise in juvenile delinquency – antisocial or criminal behavior in youths

39. The Beatniks Beatniks – started a literary and social movement centered in San Francisco –Rejected conservative values of middle class America –“Beat” – to be robbed or cheated, “beat down,” a rhythm or different beat –Inspired the “hippie” movement of the 60s & artists such as Bob Dylan

40. Stereotypes of Beatniks –Hate to work –Dirty –Goatee –Black beret –Black jeans (men), black tights (women) –Bongo drums –Coffee houses –Drink Chianti –Smoke pot –Slang: “dig”, “cool”, “crazy”

41. 1950’s Men’s Fashion Dark suits All men wore hats Cardigan sweaters Pink shirts became popular Western shirts Coonskin Caps were popular with boys Jeans and leather jackets

42. 1950’s Women’s Fashion Poodle craze! –Hair, Skirts, etc. Jumpers Party dresses Pencil skirts Swing dresses Gloves Scarves Women did not often dress in pants or shorts

43. 1950’s Slang Go APE Baby Bash Bent eight Boss Bread Burn Rubber Cat Classy chassis Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ Cool Don’t have a cow Drag Fast Flick Get with it! Go for pinks Greaser Grody Hang out Haul ass Hep, Hip, Hipster Jellyroll Jets Knuckle Sandwich Later, Later Gator Make out Most Odd Ball Paper shaker Shot down Preppie