Life in the 1950’s

The The 19501950ss

Rank Male namePercent oftotal males Female name

Percent oftotal females

1 James 4.7344% Linda 4.5725%2 Robert 4.5929% Mary 3.7216%3 John 4.3654% Patricia 2.7245%4 Michael 3.5820% Barbara 2.3633%5 David 3.3382% Susan 2.1615%6 William 3.3368% Nancy 1.6847%7 Richard 2.8025% Deborah 1.6533%8 Thomas 2.5073% Sandra 1.6428%9 Charles 2.1504% Carol 1.4873%

10 Gary 1.8551% Kathleen 1.4610%11 Larry 1.7291% Sharon 1.3994%12 Ronald 1.6454% Karen 1.3724%13 Joseph 1.4855% Donna 1.2298%14 Donald 1.4834% Brenda 1.1828%15 Kenneth 1.3093% Margaret 1.0300%16 Steven 1.2794% Diane 1.0017%17 Dennis 1.2556% Pamela 0.9212%18 Paul 1.1948% Janet 0.9207%

Postwar AmericaPostwar America• U.S. economy adjust to peacetimeU.S. economy adjust to peacetime

– switch from “producing guns to butter” switch from “producing guns to butter” again

• cuts in production + jobs = layoffscuts in production + jobs = layoffs• reduction in militaryreduction in military• early effects of the switch wasearly effects of the switch was

– increased unemploymentincreased unemployment– inflation inflation

• prices going up, salaries notprices going up, salaries not– salaries decreasingsalaries decreasing

Truman’s Fair Deal programTruman’s Fair Deal program

• increased minimum wage increased minimum wage – .40 up to .65 per hr.40 up to .65 per hr

• Social Security expandedSocial Security expanded• built public housingbuilt public housing• tried to create national health tried to create national health

insurance, but failedinsurance, but failed

1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill 1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”“Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”

• provides education, job provides education, job training, low interest loans training, low interest loans for veteransfor veterans

• Helped veterans re-adjust Helped veterans re-adjust to civilian lifeto civilian life

Space Race and Space Race and EducationEducation

•Increased focus on math and science in schools

1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color 1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier in Major League Baseballbarrier in Major League Baseball

Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948

• Executive Order Executive Order 99819981– Gallup polls in 1948 Gallup polls in 1948

showed 82 percent showed 82 percent of Americans of Americans disagreed with his disagreed with his civil rights programcivil rights program

– Truman faced an Truman faced an uphill battle uphill battle integrating the integrating the military. military.

Election of 1948 Election of 1948

• Democratic Party splits causing a very close election

• Dixiecrats – Southern Democrats

against Truman• Truman - 49.5%,

Dewey - 45% of the vote

1948 Election1948 Election

Boom yearsBoom years• Economy improves

– U.S. produced ½ of world’s goods– inflation brought under control

• People kept buying due to years of rationing– Consumerism returns– Increases Consumption

• more and more “white collar” jobs– sales/management positions

• franchises form

• conglomerates form – large corporation that owns a number of

smaller companies• Emphasize

– Loyalty– Sameness

• loss of individuality

Consumerism GrowsConsumerism Grows• buying of material goods came to be

equated with success• more money to spend and more

products to buy• new products created but designed to

become obsolete, planned obsolescence– keep America buying

• “buy now, pay later"“Keeping up with the Joneses"

Consumerism/ Consumption

Baby BoomBaby Boom

• burst in population growth 1946 – 1960 due to:– G.I.’s returning – Marrying, reuniting families– growing prosperity

• 1946-1952 – 25 million babies are born

Effects???

LevittownsLevittowns• William Levitt William Levitt

reduces housing reduces housing shortageshortage

• starts suburbs starts suburbs – LevittownsLevittowns– Housing area Housing area

outside the cityoutside the city

Medical AdvancesMedical AdvancesDr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine, 1955

Auto Industry BoomAuto Industry Boom• made possible by easy credit and cheap gas• car ownership, necessary in suburbs• Detroit 5th largest city in 50’s

010000002000000300000040000005000000600000070000008000000

1933 1940 1948 1950 1955

car sales

CAR SALES 1933-1955

The Culture of the Car

First McDonald’s First McDonald’s (1955)(1955)

Drive-Drive-In In

MoviesMovies

Howard Howard JohnsonJohnson

’s’s

Eisenhower’s Federal Highway Eisenhower’s Federal Highway ActAct

• Ike had been impressed by the autobahn in Germany.

• builds Interstate System – made traveling

distances easier– justified as a

National Defense issue

• Where is this?• I10 and DeZavala

in 1966

http://www.onthemoveblog.com/2010/04/my-days-at-the-txdot-photo-archive/

Revival of ReligionRevival of Religion

• 2/3 of population belonged to a Church– faith in American way of life– Thankful to have survived WW II– stress of Cold War and possible nuclear war

< Reverend Billy GrahamOne of first to use TV

Popular CulturePopular Culture• New Era of Mass Media

– means of communications that reach a large audience

• Golden Age of Television– Entertainment, information marvel

• 1956 - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created

10” screen in 2002 would cost

$3,758

12” screenin 2002 would cost $5,386

20” screen in 2002 would cost $19,336

1948 Television sizes and prices

1959 COLOR TV WOULD

COST $3291 IN 2002

Television transforms American life

• Movie Industry loses viewers– develops new technology to attract

audiences• Radio also changes

– expands• added in cars• more news, talk shows, sports, weather

reports

Effects ofEffects of TelevisionTelevision

Several Categories of ProgrammingSeveral Categories of Programming

Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families

The The Donna Donna Reed Reed ShowShow1958-1958-19661966

Leave It Leave It to Beaverto Beaver1957-19631957-1963

FatherFather Knows Knows BestBest

1954-19581954-1958

The Ozzie & Harriet The Ozzie & Harriet ShowShow

1952-19661952-1966

Variety ShowsVariety Shows

• Ed Sullivan Show

ComedyComedy””I Love Lucy”I Love Lucy”

The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners

Kid Shows• Mickey Mouse Club

• Howdy Doody

The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger

Davy CrockettDavy Crockett

Subculture EmergesSubculture Emerges• 1950’s teenagers rebel, reject traditional

values– looked to controversial styles of music, literature

• Generation gap – cultural separation between children/parents

• Juvenile Delinquency – antisocial, criminal behavior of youths– teens were stereotyped

Led by movie idols James Dean, Marlon Brando

Fear of Juvenile Delinquency1950’s

movies which reinforced the idea

there was an epidemic of

juvenile violence

19501951

1955

1956

1957 19581961

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DelinquencyCases

Juvenile Delinquency Cases per 1,000 population

• Discuss with a partner and list five reasons that kids get in trouble today

The “Beat” movementThe “Beat” movement• Beatniks

– another form of rebellion– centered in L.A./Greenwich Village (New

York City)• Social, literary nonconformity of artists,

poets, authors

Allen Ginsburg Jack Kerouac

““BeatniBeatnik”k”

““Clean” Clean” TeenTeen

19511951- Rock-N-Roll begins- Rock-N-Roll begins• music that blends rhythm and

blues/country/pop music– loud/rhythmic– adults called it “offensive”– would lead to immorality, delinquency

• T.V./Radio promoted it

Dick Clark’s Dick Clark’s ““American American BandstandBandstand””

Chuck Berry

Variety of ArtistsVariety of Artists

Little Richard

Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis

• Bill Haley & the Comets

Elvis-Elvis-“the King”“the King”

Elvis sold over 1 billion albums, singles, and music videos.

• YouTube - Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)

• Buddy Holly

The Everly Brothers

Sam CookeSam Cooke

• Richie Valens

• YouTube - La Bamba

Warm-up

• Has there ever been a time you felt left out of something?

• What if you barely had enough money to live on while others had more than

enough?

The “Other” AmericaThe “Other” America

• during the 1950’s 1 in 5 lived below poverty line – minimum income needed to support a

family• “white flight” middle-class white

America moves to suburbs

• rural poor moves to inner city• businesses move to suburbs

– inner cities lost jobs– inner cities decay

Taking a Deeper Look Reading

• 1949-1960’s urban renewal projects begin– rebuild inner-city to attract businesses/jobs

• tear down old buildings• build low-income housing

“Bracero” program – 5 million Mexican immigrants

came to help harvest crops

– hired hands– struggled with poverty, poor

working conditions

http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/small_exhibition.cfm?key=1267&exkey=770

Felix Longoria• Mexican-American Army Private

killed in WWII• When his body returned to Three

Rivers, TX, funeral home refused service

• Senator Lyndon B Johnson intervened, got him buried at Arlington Cemetery in DC

Bracero Reading

• 56 Left