1. Fair Deal Truman – “The Buck stops here.”; had to deal with a Republican congress 1. Fair Deal: 21 point program  housing assistance, higher minimum wage, more employment compensation, national commitment to maintaining full employment  health insurance, atomic energy; wanted Keynesian policies put in place  Council of Economic advisers to make recommendations to president

2. Republicans gaining 2. Election of 1946: Republicans won both houses of Congress for first time since 1928; 3. Election of 1948:thought John Dewey won presidency, printed in papers a. Dixiecrats left Democratic convention because of the civil rights issue b. Nominated Strom Thurmond from SC

3. Truman after 48 4. Labor – Taft –Hartley Act – restricted power of unions by spelling out unfair labor practices and outlawed the closed shop - Truman vetoed, but Congress overrode his veto 5. Fair Deal – Minimum wage did increase, expanded social security, desegregated the military; AMA undermined the effort for health insurance 6. Cold War – increased military spending

4. Republicans gain the White House 1. Election of 1952: Adlai Stevenson v. Dwight D. Eisenhower -Eisenhower wins accused Democrats of being “soft on communism” 2. Modern Republicanism: dynamic conservatism: downsize government while keeping some of the social programs; conservative with money but liberal with human beings  Preferred private development over government; state control over federal control  3 recessions: 1953-4; 1957-8; 60-1

5. Social Conditions of the 50s 1. Poverty – 40 million people lived below the poverty line; family of four was $3000  Michael Harrington wrote “The Other America” in 1962 2. African- Americans –  Migration to northern cities; black ghettos  Truman called for a Committee on civil Rights – to investigate the problems of lynching  Sent Civil rights proposal to Congress  Issued an executive order barring discrimination in federal government

6. African American movement 1. Brown v. Board of Education- 1954 reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896  Brown v. Board II – with all deliberate speed 2. Emmett Till 3. Rosa Parks  MIA – 50,000 walked or car pooled  Supreme Court ruled bus segregation is like school segregation unconstitutional  MLK, Jr.  SCLC

7. African American movement 4. Little Rock 9  Eisenhower uses national guard to integrate 5. Civil Rights Act of 1957 – Johnson  Created a commission on Civil Rights  Gave courts power to bring charges when blacks were denied the right to vote  6. Civil Rights Act of 1960 – set stiffer penalties but ineffective

8. Latino Americans  braceros – helping hands to harvest crops  Agreement between U.S. and Mexico to allow farmers to come in to U.S. to help; 1942-1964 needed during WWII  Operation Wetback sent undocumented immigrants back to Mexico  Illegal immigrants worked for less; competed against the braceros  Began organizing

9. Native Americans 1. Assimilation as electricity was brought to the reservations  Alcohol use increased  Struggle for equality began  Indian Claims Commission – government could be sued for lands illegally taken; cash settlements 2. FDR tried to encourage tribal autonomy while Eisenhower reverted to termination  Settle outside claims and then eliminate reservations as legitimate political entities  Policy increase Indian activism

10. Asian Americans 1. McCarran-Walter Act 1952 eased immigration quotas  Removed longstanding ban on Japanese immigration and allowed for citizenship  Allowed 100 immigrants a year from each Asian country