1. Chapter 27:The Postwar Boom
Essential Question: How did Postwar America react to its new found wealth?
What are the defining societal characteristics of the late 1940s and 1950s?
Unit Schedule:
27.1- Postwar America
27.2- The American Dream in the Fifties
27.3- Popular Culture
27.4- The Other America
Unit Test- 10/7

2. How does prosperity effect American society?
27.1 Postwar America
Lesson Objective:
To understand the social, economic, and political readjustment of the United States following World War II
Essential Question:
How does prosperity effect American society?

3. Key Terms G.I. Bill of Rights Suburb Levittown Harry S. Truman
Dixiecrat
Fair Deal
Dwight D. Eisenhower

4. Key Dates June 1947- Taft-Hartley Act 1947-1951- Levittown NY built
Nov Truman Reelected
Nov Eisenhower Elected

5. Readjustment and Recovery
Recap
What did the G.I. Bill of Rights do?
What effect is that going to have on the economy?
Housing crisis
Problem: Not enough places for soldiers coming back to live
Solution: suburbs
Levittown
Developer William Levitt
Assembly line built houses
Cheap
Standardized
Quick
Limited to what you could do to your home
Economy was in trouble readjusting to postwar world
3 million unemployed
Wage and price controls removed- prices skyrocketed wages dropped

6. Levittown New York

7. Levittown New York

8. Recovery What had the American consumer just lived through?
Depression then War
Limited consumer options most of their last 15 years!
What did many do with money made working during the war?
Saved it
Americans had money and wanted to spend it
Houses, appliances, luxury items, cars
“The affluent society”
Mostly comes in 1950s and 1960s
What role did the Marshall plan play in this?
More nations were trading with the U.S.
Markets for American goods

9. Postwar Challenges Truman become president after FDR’s sudden death
“The Buck Stops Here”
Self-confident, humble, down-to-earth
Strikes
Workers are striking wage cuts by 1946
4.5 Million
Coal, steel, railroads
What is Truman’s reaction?
Threatens to draft them into the Army and order them back to work
Before he was done giving his speech the strikers gave up
“Had Enough?”
Lagging economy and unpopularity of Truman coupled with fatigue of Democratic leadership gives Republicans control of Congress for first time before Great Depression
Pass Taft-Hartely Bill over Truman’s Veto

10. Social Unrest Truman and Civil Rights- He proposed:
Anti-lynching law
Abolition of the poll tax
Gov. to ensure no racial discrimination in hiring
How many of these things are passed by Congress?
None
1948 Election
Democrats split
Dixiecrats- Strom Thurmond
Progressives- Wallace
Republicans- Dewey
Dewey is way ahead for most of the race
Truman campaigns across country constantly
“Give ’em hell, Harry”
Pulls off biggest upset in presidential history
Fair Deal- continuation of New Deal
Overall:
Do you think Truman was a effective president?

11. 1948 Election Dewey- (R) NY Harry S. Truman – (D) MO
Strom Thurmond- (States’ Rights Democrat) SC

14. Republicans Take Over What are the problems effecting Truman in 1952?
Economy
Korea
McCarthyism
In 1951 Truman has 23% approval rating
1952 Election
Republicans- Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Plunder at home; blunder abroad.”
Nixon accused of profiting from campaign funds
“Checkers Speech”
58 million TV audience
Stays on the ticket – Ike wins with 55% of the vote
“Dynamic Conservatism”
Fiscal conservative, socially liberal
Civil Rights (we will get into that later)
“I don’t believe you can change the hearts of men with laws or decisions”- Eisenhower on Brown v. Board
Peace, progress, prosperity

15. The “Checkers Speech”

16. Eisenhower
Stevenson

18. Quiz 27.1 9/26 L__________________ are examples of the first suburbs
2. T_________ defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election.
3. E_______________ was elected president in 1952.
4. N________________ gave the “checkers speech.”
5. In 1948 T__________________ ran as a States Rights Democrat.