1. CHAPTER 23
POSTWAR AMERICA
( )

2. 23.1 – TRUMAN, EISENHOWER & THE POSTWAR ECONOMY
Many Americans were worried about a return to a peacetime economy (why?)
Economy did continue to grow for the most part, but here were some problems
GI Bill – gave money to veterans for…
Businesses
Housing
education
Problems of the postwar economy?
Increased demand = increased prices
Cost of living goes up = labor unrest

3. 23.1 – PEACETIME ECONOMY Problems led to calls for a change…
Republicans decrease power of unions with
Taft-Hartley Act
Closed shops?
Right to work laws?
Union shops?
Truman vetoes the act, but Congress passed it anyway

4. 23.1 – TRUMAN’S PROGRAM His proposals during his first term included:
Expansion of Soc. Sec. benefits
Raising minimum wage
Civil Rights Bill
Election of 1948
Dixiecrats abandoned Truman and nominated Strom Thurmond (why?)
Republicans nominate Thomas Dewey
To the surprise of almost everybody, Truman won (did attacks on the “Do Nothing Congress” help him?
New Nat.
New Fr.
Gov’t Run

5. 23.1 – TRUMAN’S FAIR DEAL
His plan for the country, sets him apart from FDR’s New Deal
Minimum wage was raised
Social Security benefits were extended
National Housing Act of 1949

6. 23.1 – THE EISENHOWER YEARS He won the 1952 election in a landslide
Ike believed in:
Dynamic conservatism
Business growth was vital to the nation
New Nat.
New Fr.
Gov’t Run

7. 23.1 – THE EISENHOWER YEARS Ike’s actions included: Abolishing the RFC
Decreasing funding for the TVA
Federal Highway Act
Extending Soc. Security benefits
Extending Unemployment benefits
New Nat.
New Fr.
Gov’t Run

8. 23.2 – THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY
During the 1950s new technologies and forms of entertainment led to a time of affluence for many
Also led to a generational divide
During the 1950s
Avg. income tripled
Affluent Society – a new, postwar world of prosperity
Rising standard of living
More disposable income
More advertising, products, cars….

9. 23.2 – SUBURBIA Mass-produced, planned suburbs exploded in the 1950s
Ex. Levittown, NY (Bill Levitt)
Why were people moving to the suburbs?
Affordable homes
Quieter and safer than cities
Better life for their kids

10. 23.2 – BABY BOOM From 1945-1961 more than 65 million babies were born
These babies are known as the baby boom generation
Why did this happen?
WWII and Korea were over
Homes were affordable
Society and gov’t encouraged growth of families (exs. GI Bill, TV, magazine)

11. 23.2 – BABY BOOM From 1945-1961 more than 65 million babies were born
These babies are known as the baby boom generation
Why did this happen?
WWII and Korea were over
Homes were affordable
Society and gov’t encouraged growth of families (exs. GI Bill, TV, magazine)

12. HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE Which one is your favorite?
Which one is your least favorite?
What is the point of the article?
What is your overall opinion of the article?
How would people respond today if this article
appeared in a school textbook?

13. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER EPISODE
How is this show the same as current family based sitcoms? Provide at least one example
How does this differ from current family based sitcoms? Provide at least one example
Does this episode portray husband and wife roles similar to the way they are discussed in the “How to be a Good Wife article”? Provide one example to defend your answer
Do you think this show would be a success today? Why or why not?

14. 23.3 – THE OTHER SIDE OF AMERICAN LIFE
Poverty Line: figure the government sets to reflect the minimum income required to support a family
Urban Renewal Programs: replace slums with high-rise buildings for poor residents in an effort to remove poverty
Juvenile Delinquency: Antisocial and/or criminal behavior of young people
20% of America lived in poverty during the 1950s
Urban Renewal led to crowded housing with plenty of violence
Government removed poor once they earned higher income, putting them back into poverty
Juvenile delinquency up 45 percent between 1948 and 1953

15. 23.3 – DECLINE OF THE INNER CITY
Poverty was best seen in the city
Many middle class residents moved out the city
What economic problems does this cause for the city?
Urban renewal projects like high-rise developments did not help

16. 23.3 – THE OTHER SIDE OF AMERICAN LIFE
1950s saw a growth in the middle class
But…about 20% of Americans still lived below the poverty line
Chronicled by Michael Harrington in his book The Other America
Who were the poor?

17. WHAT IS POVERTY? White African-American Hispanic Native-American
Asian-American
Poverty line depends on the size of the family (levels?) (poverty by groups)

18. African Americans
Moved to cities for better economic opportunity in the past (think about everything we’ve discussed already in class)
Racial discrimination in schools, housing, hiring….. kept African-Americans poor and stuck in the cities
Generally averaged only 51% of what white workers earned and often did not receive other benefits

19. Hispanics
Bracero Program brought over 5 million workers to the U.S. to work on farms and ranches in the Southwest
350,000 stay in the US permanently but lived in extreme poverty
Worked long hours, received very little pay, housed in small shacks (easy to take advantage of?)
Largely invisible in society until they organized for greater rights

20. Native Americans
Poorest ethnic group in America; made up less than 1% of the population
Termination Policy intended to bring Native Americans into the mainstream and ended their classification as a separate legal group
Government attempted to have Native Americans move out of reservations and into cities with horrible results and life expectancy for Native Americans was far lower than other groups within cities

21. Appalachia Stretches from New York to Georgia
Unemployment soared and economy moved away from coal (roughly 1.5 million people without work)
Standard of living very low
example: fewer doctors per 1,000 people than anywhere in the U.S.; schools worse than inner-city schools of the time
High rates of infant mortality and nutritional deficiency

22. U.S. Census Bureau Poverty Thresholds, 2011
Size of Family Unit
Poverty Threshold
One person (unrelated individual)
$11,484
  Under age 65
11,702
  Age 65 or older
10,788
Two people
14,657
  Householder under age 65
15,139
  Householder age 65 or older
13,609
Three people
17,916
Four people
23,021
Five people
27,251
Six people
30,847
Seven people
35,085
Eight people
39,064
Nine people or more
46,572
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Weighted Average Poverty Thresholds, 2011, released in September 2012.