1950s. economic boom decade of prosperity average american income tripled spent on consumer goods...
TRANSCRIPT
Economic Boom
• Decade of prosperity• Average American income tripled• Spent on consumer goods like refrigerators,
televisions, air conditioners• Advertising became fastest growing industry in
US• More white-collar jobs
GI Bill
• Provided generous funds to veterans to help them buy homes, attend college, and create businesses
• Low Interest loans to veterans
Fair Deal
• Truman’s Program to promote his domestic agenda
• Raised minimum wage to 75 cents• Increased social security• Passed National Housing Act – provided
construction of low income housing
Eisenhower
• Won election in 1952• Conservative• Cut federal spending• Extended social security• Extended
unemployment compensation
Interstate Highway
• Federal Highway Act• Allowed people to move
to suburbs• Impact of car– Allowed vacationing– Drive-ins– Hotels
Levittown
• Earliest mass-produced suburbs
• Planned residential community
• Moved to suburbs to escape crime and congestion
• Thought it would be better life for children
• GI Bill made it affordable
Baby Boom
• Increase in American birthrate
• Young people who delayed marriage due to war could marry, buy home with GI bill, and start family
• Pop culture (TVs, mags, etc) celebrated pregnancy
Polio Vaccine
• Jonas Salk developed vaccine to prevent polio
• Threat of polio disappeared
• Other medical breakthroughs: radiation and chemotherapy, CPR, Tuberculosis antibiotics
Rock n Roll
• Alan Freed – Cleveland radio jockey– First to convince station to
play
• White artists began making music that stemmed from African American R&B sounds
• Elvis Presley – King of Rock n Roll
• Chuck Barry, Buddy Holly, Lionel Richie
• Created Generation Gap
Television
• More than 80% of families had a TV by 1957
• Comedy, action, adventure, variety
• I Love Lucy• Ed Sullivan show• Gunsmoke• Dragnet• Athletic events• Presidential debates
Beat Generation
• Mostly white writers and artists
• Beatniks• Criticized conformity of
American culture and emptiness of popular culture
• Created values gap• Laid foundations of youth
cultural rebellion of 1960s
Groups Left Out of the Prosperity• Other Problems: • Inner city Decline
– Middle class moved to the suburbs leaving behind poor
– City centers deteriorated due to no longer receiving taxes from middle class that moved out
• Juvenile Delinquency– Rise of caused people to
stereotype teens– Reasons: TV, Racism, Rebelling
against conformity? – Education – parents started
focusing on school to keep kids out of trouble• When Sputnik was launched
increased focus on education especially science and math
• African Americans– Racial discrimination in schools,
housing, hiring, and salaries kept them in poverty
• Hispanics– Hard laborers who lived in extreme
poverty
• Native Americans– Termination Policy- the gov’t
withdrew all recognition of Native American groups as legal entities
– Encouraged them to ‘blend in’ with mainstream society
• Appalachia– Few doctors– Unemployment due to
mechanization of mining– Poor education