1950’s america prosperity family cold war civil rights
TRANSCRIPT
1950’s America1950’s America
ProsperityFamilyCold WarCivil Rights
Tension Between US & Tension Between US & USSRUSSRDemocracy:
Government by the people: supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by the people or their elected representatives
Capitalism:◦ an economic system where
INDIVIDUALS or CORPORATIONS control the means of production (materials, land, etc) and the exchange of wealth Free Market controlled by the people not the
govt
Tensions between US & Tensions between US & USSRUSSRCommunism:
◦Advocates one-party rule and the elimination of private property, and does not tolerate opposition
◦GOVERNMENT Controls all means of production and wealth
Iron CurtainIron CurtainUSSR wants to be
surrounded by Communist countries to protect its interests
Iron Curtain◦ Imaginary line that
separates Communist East Europe from the West
COLD WAR (1946-COLD WAR (1946-1990)1990)An era of confrontation and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union
Cold War PoliciesCold War Policies
Containment:◦Keeping Communism within it’s
existing territories through the use of diplomatic, economic, and military actions
Cold War PoliciesCold War PoliciesMarshall Plan:
◦America gives European nations aid to rebuild their economies Billions of $ in
supplies, machinery, and food
Iron Curtain nations refuse aid
Truman Doctrine:◦America will aid
“free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures” US pledge to fight
communism world wide
NATO vs WarsawNATO vs Warsaw
NATO Warsaw Pact
North Atlantic Treaty Organization◦ Mutual defense alliance
which agreed to come to the aid of any country attacked by the USSR
◦ ALL Western Nations
◦ US, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Iceland
Mutual defense alliance in Eastern Europe◦ Created in response to
NATO
◦ Yugoslavia only Communist country that does not join
Berlin AirliftBerlin Airlift
Berlin is located in SovietGermany (East Germany)
USSR cuts off all road and rail traffic to West Berlin (US, FR, GB run Germany)
American sends cargo planes to West Berlin for 11 months full of food, medicine, & coal
USSR lifts the blockade
Revolution in ChinaRevolution in ChinaCommunist rebels
are trying to take over the country
US sends $2 billion in aid to the Nationalist govt
USSR was backing the rebellion group
October 1949 –rebellion succeeds (People’s Republic of China)
Mao Tse Tung◦ Communist Leader
of China
Korean WarKorean War 1950-1950-19531953
Why was it fought?
1. Domino Effect – if one country falls to Communism others will follow
2. Undermine Communism – we should not just contain communism but roll it back and retake territory
3. Fighting Communism – the US could fight the USSR without directly attacking
Stage 1Stage 1
North Korea Invasion◦June 25, 1950◦Communist North
Korea invades South Korea South Korean and
American forces pushed into Port of Pusan
Stage 2Stage 2UN Offensive
◦UN agrees to send troops to help South Korea
◦September 15, 1950 MacArthur invades Port of
Inchon – takes North Korea by surprise
They don’t stop at 38th parallel, they keep pushing towards China
Stage 3Stage 3Chinese Offensive
◦China sends troops to North Korea because they see advancing UN troops as a threat
◦Push UN/SK/US below 38th parallel
Truman sv. MacArthurTruman sv. MacArthurTheir Issue:
◦MacArthur wants permission to blockade China’s ports, attack China, and use atomic weapons against China
Truman’s Response:◦Truman refuses to attack China◦MacArthur openly criticizes Truman for
focusing on limited war (containment)◦Truman fires MacArthur (Ridgeway)
Stage 4Stage 4Stalemate/
Armistice◦By Mid-1951 North
Korea is pushed back over 38th parallel
◦Battles die down – peace negotiations start
◦Peace treaty not signed until July 1953
Red ScareRed ScareFear in America
that there are Communist spies planning to overthrow the government
◦ Starts in 1945
◦ Lead by McCarthy
Senator Joe McCarthySenator Joe McCarthyWisconsin
Senator◦Starts Red Scare◦Accuses people of
being Communists
◦Often without evidence
Alcoholic
Whitaker Chambers & Alger Whitaker Chambers & Alger HissHiss
Whitaker Chambers Alger Hiss
Former Communist Party Member
Testifies HUAC that several people in the govt were Communist Spies◦ He knows this because he
was working with them to sell secrets to the Soviets
◦ Testifies against Alger Hiss
Convicted of Perjury based on Chambers testimony◦ Chambers produced
documents and microfilm Hiss had given him
“Pumpkin Papers” – he hid the papers in a hollow pumpkin on his farm in MD
The RosenbergsThe RosenbergsHusband and wife
both accused of selling Atomic Bomb secrets to Soviets◦ Executed by Electric
Chair (June 1953)◦ Not sure wife is
100% guilty but husband definitely was
Hollywood 10Hollywood 10
Screenwriters, Actors, directors, producers were told to name names of colleges who were Communists◦ Some plead the 5th
◦ 10 refused to sign loyalty oaths (Hollywood 10)
Cold War in AmericaCold War in AmericaSubversion – the effort to secretly
weaken a society and overthrow the government
Loyalty Oaths – many businesses and government agencies required employees to sign an oath stating they were loyal to America
LOYALTY OATHLOYALTY OATHTAKEN BY TEACHERS IN TAKEN BY TEACHERS IN
MASSACHUSETTSMASSACHUSETTS
I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of American and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States of America or of the Commonwealth by force or violence or any illegal or unconstitutional method: I am not a member of the Communist Party.
Prescribed by me under penalty of perjury, this __ day of _______, 1960.
Cold War in AmericaCold War in America“McCarthyism”:
◦ Damaging reputations with vague and unfounded charges
McCarthy’s Downfall:◦ McCarthy went after
members of the military and the trials were held on TV
◦ People were outraged at how he bullied witnesses
VENONA PROJECTVENONA PROJECT
- 1946 – US broke the USSR spy code
-Messages proved espionage (Rosenbergs)
- Project was not announced to the public until 1955
USSR Bomb DevelopmentUSSR Bomb Development
September 1949 – first atomic bomb successfully tested
1953 – USSR tests first H-bomb (Hydrogen)◦ Less than a year after
US
DUCK AND COVERDUCK AND COVER
Sputnik & NASASputnik & NASAUSSR puts fist
artificial satellite into space in October 1957
July 1958 NASA is created in the US to become more advanced in space technology so we can be better than the USSR
GI BillGI Bill
". . . had it not been for the GI Bill, I would not have been able to attend college."– Joe Sanford Hinshaw, Class of 1951
• After W.W. II 16million troops needed to be demobilized.
• The G.I. Bill was designed to ease the transition from Military to civilian life.
• It provided veterans with financial aid for college, buying a house, and or starting a small business,
It allowed many veterans to turn the productive energy into $
Suburbia= Residential Suburbia= Residential Areas outside major citiesAreas outside major cities
Why Levittown Life
• escape the crime and color of the city
• Believed to be a step up in life
• Homes became very affordable through the G.I. Bill and towns like Levittown
-Cookie cutter homes that were put together assembly line style.
- A new Levitt home was built every 15minutes
-First 2 Levitt communities were Long Island ,and suburban Philadelphia
Baby BoomBaby BoomBetween the years of 1940
and 1960 one baby was born every 7 seconds !!!!
A great economy + a good living
environment + better medical
technology = larger families
The nation population increased by:◦ 19 million in the 1940’s◦ 30 million in the 1950’s
The Beats/BeatniksThe Beats/Beatniks
1950’s Entertainment Who are they?
Television:◦ Family sitcoms: told viewers
exactly what family life should be
◦ Variety Shows: combine song, dance, comedy, acrobatics, and juggling – Ed Sullivan
Music:◦ Rock ‘n’ Roll – Elvis Presley
◦ Lead to Generation Gap Cultural separation between
children and parents
White artists that live unconventional lives, harshly criticize conformity to American life◦ Poets
◦ Authors
FEDERAL HIGHWAY FEDERAL HIGHWAY ACTACTPresident Eisenhower
1956 – largest public works project in American History
10 year effort to construct 40,000 miles of interstate highways
1950’s Civil Rights 1950’s Civil Rights MovementMovement
Civil Rights Civil Disobedience
rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. constitution
the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to blacks.
Non-violent resistance movement
Active refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of government
Booker T WashingtonBooker T WashingtonFocused on
education, hard work, economic progress and hard merit to prove to whites the value of African Americans
Accepted racial segregation socially but not economically
WEB DuboisWEB DuboisWhite discrimination
kept African Americans from good paying jobs
Advocated for African Americans to have all rights of American Citizens
Left US before the movement of the 50’s
Marcus GarveyMarcus GarveyUniversal Negro
Improvement Association (UNIA)
Racial Pride and Self-improvement
Called for separate self-development of African Americans
Advocated going back to Africa
Brown vs. Board of Brown vs. Board of EducationEducation1954 – Supreme Court ruled
segregation in public school violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment
Integration: Blacks/Whites coexisting
De Facto Segregation: segregation by custom and tradition
Plessy vs. FergusonPlessy vs. Ferguson1896 – Supreme Court ruled that
segregation was constitutional◦“Separate but Equal” – could
segregate African Americans as long as you provided equal facilities for them
Segregation: separating white Americans from African Americans
Little Little Rock 9Rock 9
September 1957 – 9 African American Students enroll in Little Rock High School
Governor calls in National Guard to block student entry into the school
President Eisenhower has to send in 1,000 troops to protect students so they can attend school (remain there for the rest of the year)
Emmett TillEmmett TillAugust 1955Emmett Till (Age: 14) visits his
uncle in MississippiSaid “Bye Baby” to a white woman
who owned a storeWas Kidnapped and beat to deathMen responsible walked free
because they had an all white jury
1955 Events1955 Events
Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus Boycott
December 1, 1955Parks refused to give up
her seat on a public bus for a white man
Arrested and charged with disorderly conduct
African American’s boycotted the bus on the day of the trial
So successful that they continued to boycott
December 1956 – Alabama Bus segregation is found unconstitutional
MLK Jr – 26 year old pastor who led boycott◦ Preached non-violence
Civil Rights Act of 1957Civil Rights Act of 1957Created Civil Rights division of
the Department of Justice◦Gave authority to seek court
injunctions against anyone who interfered with the right to vote
Created US Commission of Civil Rights◦Investigate allegations of denial of
voting rights