1. THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA

2. THE ELECTION OF 1948 What effect do third parties have on elections? They steal votes from the major party candidates! Harry Truman Democratic Party Thomas Dewey Republican Party Strom Thurmond States’ Rights Democratic Party/ Dixiecrats Henry Wallace Progressive Party Truman won in a close political upset. In fact, some newspapers had prematurely declared Dewey to be the winner!

3. 1948 ELECTION.

4. 1952 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

5. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER Ike won the 1952 election. He served 2 terms as President. General turned President, Dwight Eisenhower

6. POSTWAR AMERICA World War II finally brought us out of the Great Depression, but people couldn’t buy much - thanks to rationing & the conversion of factories to war production. Increased defense spending during the Cold War continued to help the economy, & by the 1950s, people were anxious to spend!

7. GI BILL OF RIGHTS SERVICEMEN’S READJUSTMENT ACT, 1944 Gave veterans a guaranteed year’s worth of unemployment benefits while job hunting. Encouraged them to get an education by paying part of their tuition. Offered low-interest loans for buying homes, farms, & starting businesses.

8. (White) People began moving to the Suburbs The Baby Boom! (Huge spike in the birthrate) The “ideal” woman was supremely happy doing housework & raising children Advertising boomed as consumerism became equated with success

9. BABY BOOM

10. POPULAR CULTURE OF THE 1950S Rock ‘n’ Roll music was born!

11. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THOSE KIDS Teenagers emerged as a distinct group, dating, dancing, “rebelling” & spending more money, than any previous generation.

12. WHAT’S ON THE TUBE Television became popular, especially game shows, westerns, & comedy.

13. AGAINST THE GRAIN Beatniks expressed social & literary nonconformit y (don’t do anything the rest of the country is doing)

14. ART CULTURE OF THE 1950S Abstract expressionist painting was made popular by artists like Jackson Pollock

15. SPORTS IN THE ‘50S The New York Yankees, Cleveland Browns, & Boxing led the way. Baseball became completely integrated.

16. FASHION OF THE TIMES Hemlines, waistlines, & hairlines grew shorter Colors became brighter

17. THE CAR CULTURE U.S. became the largest auto manufacturer in the world Cruising, hot rodding, & drag racing were “in” Drive-in restaurants & drive-in movies became popular

18. CARS OF THE 1950S

19. MILES & MILES OF ROADS The Interstate Highway Act was signed by President Eisenhower in 1956 Authorized the building of 41,000 miles of highways nationwide Contributed to a decline in the commercial use of railroads Helped unify the nation

21. THE “OTHER” SIDE OF AMERICA HUD (Housing and Urban Development) was created as a part of government attempts at urban renewal, but still, many were displaced as dilapidated areas were torn down In postwar America, millions of middle-class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs This meant they were no longer paying city school taxes, property taxes, etc. Poor whites and poor nonwhites in urban areas suffered because of this “white flight” At the same time, the rural poor began migrating to the inner cities City governments could not afford to maintain or improve schools, public transportation, police, or fire departments

22. POLIO Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that damages the nervous system (This is what FDR had) It was transmitted through not washing hands after using the bathroom &/ or coming in contact with contaminated objects. Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine & it was widely available by 1955. 1952—nearly 60,000 cases reported with about 3,000 deaths!

23. To boldly go where no man has gone before, but who will get there first? USA vs. USSR

24. SPACE: A NEW FRONTIER October 1957: USSR launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. America was shocked! How could they beat us? January 1958, USA launched its first satellite called Explorer I.