1. Postwar America
Unit 12

2. Return to Peacetime Economy and the Eisenhower Years

3. Guiding Questions
What happened when the nation returned to a peacetime economy, and how did government try to ease the transition?
How did the Truman administration seek to continue New Deal Goals?
How did Eisenhower’s presidency signal a more conservative direction for the government?

4. Terms to Know Closed shop Right-to-work laws Union shop
Dynamic conservatism

5. Return to Peacetime Economy
Many Americans feared of a recession after the war
Military production stopped
Fear of unemployment as soldiers need work
Economy continued to grow
Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944
Provided funds to members of the armed services who returned for war to help them set up businesses, buy homes, and attend college

6. Economic Problems
Higher demand for goods led to inflation which caused labor unrest
Workers in mining, electrical, automobile, and steel industries went on strike
Wanted better pay to help of cost of living increase
Republicans used concern over labor unrest and high process to help win the both houses of Congress in 1946
Taft-Hartley Act (1947)
Outlawed the closed shop- Businesses were forced to hire only union members
Allowed states to pass right to work laws- outlawed union shops which forced workers to join unions after they started to work
Banned featherbedding- reducing work output in order to create more jobs
Banned use of union money to support political campaigns
Truman vetoed the bill, but Congress passed the bill over Truman’s veto

7. Truman’s Legislative Agenda
Truman wanted to continue the work of FDR’s New Deal Programs despite the Democratic Party losing both houses of Congress
Expand Social Security, raise minimum wage, create a program to ensure full employment
Wanted to expand federal spending and investment to create public housing
Proposed a system of national health insurance
Issued an executive order forbidding discrimination in federal jobs and ending segregation in the armed forces
Most of Truman’s policies failed because Congress voted against many of his proposals

8. Election of 1948
Democratic party split because they were frustrated with Truman’s policies
Truman ran for the Democrat Party
Southern Democrats formed the DixieCrat Party
Strom Thurmond (SC Governor)
Were upset with Truman’s support of civil rights
Liberal Democrats formed a new Progressive Party
Henry A. Wallace
Were critical of Truman’s anti-Soviet foreign policy
Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey
Governor of New York
Was frontrunner for presidency; Seemed unbeateable

9. Truman Wins Re-Election
In campaign stops, Truman attacked the majority Republican Congress as a “Do-Nothing” Congress
Refused to approve many of his plans
“Do-Nothing” Congress had passed many important bills
Gave aid to Greece and Turkey
Passed the Marshall Plan
Created the Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and set up Air Force as separate military branch
Passed the 22nd Amendment- limited president to two terms of office
People sided with Truman because Congressional actions were not directly affecting many Americans directly
Truman won by a narrow margin
Democratic Party took back control of both houses of Congress

10. The Fair Deal Successes Failures Minimum wage raised
Increased Social Security benefits and extended benefits to 10 million more people
National Housing Act- allowed construction of low-income housing with long-term rent subsidies
Did not pass national health insurance
Did not provide subsidies for farmers
Did not provide federal aid for schools
Did not pass any civil rights legislation

11. The Eisenhower Years
President Truman’s approval ratings began to drop after the Korean War became a stalemate
Decided not to run for reelection
Republicans nominated Dwight Eisenhower as president
Former commander of Allied Forces in Europe
“I like Ike”
Eisenhower won in landslide
Republican gained an eight-seat majority in House and Senate became evenly divided

12. Eisenhower’s Dynamic Conservatism
Balancing economic conservatism with activism that would be good for the country
Conservatism
Activism
Vetoed school construction bill
Limited aid to public housing
Ended the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Limited aid to the Tennessee Valley Authority
Federal Highway Act- largest public works program in history
* Provided for a $25 billion, 10 year
project to build more than 400,000
miles of interstate highways
Approved the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway
* Series of locks along the St. Lawrence
River that would allow ships to travel
from the Great lakes to the Atlantic
Ocean
Extended Social Security
Raised minimum wage

13. Discussion Questions
How did the experience of World War II veterans returning home from the war differ from that of World War I veterans?
What was the main difference between the economic policies of Truman and Eisenhower?

14. The Affluent Society

15. Guiding Questions
How did the lives of Americans change after World War II?
How did technological advances change society?
How did the new mass media reflect the characteristics of the time?
Why did young people in the 1950’s develop their own popular culture? How were the results different from previous generations?

16. Terms to Know Baby boom White-Collar jobs Blue-collar worker
Multinational corporation
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Suburb

17. American Abundance 1950’s were a decade of great wealth
Average family income almost tripled between
Economist John Galbraith published the Affluent Society in 1958
Claimed the nation’s postwar wealth was a new phenomenon
U.S. had created an “economy of abundance” by using new business method
New technology increased production, which raised the standard of living
Advertising became the fastest growing industry in the U.S.
Manufactures used marketing techniques to create consumer demand for their goods

18. American Lives Change Growth of Suburbia The Baby Boom
Changing Workplace
Suburban population doubled in the 1950’s
People wanted to escape crime and overcrowding of cities
Homes were less expensive
Suburbs offered a better life
GI Bill offered lower interest rates
Homeowners could reduce income taxes by taking deductions for paying mortgages and property taxes
More than 65 million children were born in the U.S. from
Child was born every 7 seconds during the height
Soldiers returning home from WWII and Korean War began families
Government encouraged the growth of families by offering GI benefits for home purchases
Society favored pregnancy, parenthood, and large families
White collar workers outnumbered blue collar workers for first time in 1956
Corporations became multinational corporations and expanded overseas to benefit from cheaper labor and resources
Franchises- businesses that person owns and runs that is part of a bigger chain- became popular

19. Scientific Advancements
Electronics and Aviation
Medical Breakthroughs
Transistors- tiny electric parts that make it possible to make radios very small- were created
Earliest computers were created to make military calculations and process business data
Aircraft designers began using plastics and light weight materials
Jet engine technology
CPR was developed
Doctors learned to replace damaged heart valves and implanted the first pacemakers
New medicines helped tuberculosis to become less deadly
Scientist Jonas Salk discovered a polio vaccine, which became available to the public in 1955
Alber Sabin developed a polio vaccine as well that could be taken orally

20. The New Mass Media Television Hollywood Radio
More than 80% of families owned at least one television by 1957
Variety shows featured comedy, music, dance, and acrobatics
Westerns and police shows became popular
Movie attendance fell by more than half by 1950
1/5 of nation’s movie theaters had closed by 1960
Invention of Cinemascope- process that showed movies on large, wide screens, and in color- helped to draw back huge audiences
Radios began to broadcast more recorded music, news, weather, sports, and talk shows
Many radio listeners were people driving automobiles from the suburbs
Number of radio stations more than doubled between 1948 and 1957

21. Teenage Culture in the 1950’s
Teens during the 1950’s were able to develop their own pop culture
Had money to spend on entertainment
Mass media allowed teens from across the country access to the same music and television shows
Entertainment and advertising industries began to target the youth culture

22. Rock ‘n’ Roll New style of music influence by African American sounds
Beats made it perfect for dancing
Lyrics were relatable to young people
Elvis Pressley became the first rock ‘n’ roll idol in 1956
Popular for singing and dancing
Dancing movements and performances shocked many adults
Rock ‘n’ Roll helped to create a generation gap between the parents and children
Adults felt it was mindless, dangerous, and loud
Teens were united by the songs in a world their parents did not shar

23. The Beat Movement
Group of mostly white writers and artists who criticized American culture for its emptiness and conformity during the 1950’s
Helped start the youth cultural revolution of the 1960’s

24. African American Entertainers
Nat King Cole, a popular African American singer, was given a 15-minute musical variety show on NBC in 1956
Cancelled after 2 years
African American rock ‘n’ roll singers became very popular
Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ray Charles
Helped influenced the Beatles who became hugely popular in the 1960’s
Female African American groups such as the Shirelles and Ronettes

25. Discussion Questions
In what ways were the suburbs of the 1950s a good place to raise children?
What disadvantages did suburban life present to families?
How did the television industry affect the U.S. economy?
How did rock ‘n’ roll help create the generation gap?

26. The Other Side of American Life

27. Guiding Questions
Are the people and regions most affected by poverty today the same as in the 1950’s?
What factors were blamed for the rise of juvenile deliquency?

28. Terms to Know Poverty line Urban renewal Termination policy
Juvenile deliquency

29. Poverty in America
1/5 Americans lived below the poverty line in the 1950’s
Single mothers
Elderly
Minoriites
Rural Americans
Inner-city residents

30. Inner-City Problems and Government Response
Poverty was most visible in urban centers
Middle class left for suburbs
Loss of tax revenue caused cities not to be able to afford to keep cities in good repair
Public transportation, housing, etc…
Federal government response often made problems worse
Urban renewal programs-government programs that attempt to eliminate poverty and revitalize urban areas
Tore down slums and built high-rises
Very crowded
Often sites of violence
Government evicted tenants who began earning more money

31. Minorities Struggle African Americans Hispanics Native Americans
Racial discrimination kept many poor
Average salary was only 51% of white workers
A Raisin in the Sun- play written by Lorraine Hansberry telling the story of a working-class African American family struggling against poverty and racism
5 million Mexicans had come to the U.S. through the Bracero program to work on farms and ranches in the Southwest
Often worked long hours for little pay in horrible conditions
Many returned home
About 350,000 stayed in the U.S.
U.S. government began the termination policy after WWII
Government would no longer recognize Native American groups as legal entities (independent)
Native Americans had to follow same laws as white citizens and were encouraged to move to cities
Native American hopes of improved lives after WWII were destroyed by termination policy

32. Juvenile Delinquency
U.S. saw a 45% rise in juvenile crime rates between
Juvenile delinquency- disruptive, harmful, or illegal behavior of young people
Disagreement on causes of rise in youth crime
Blamed TV, movies, racism, busy parents, increase in divorce rate, lack of religion, anxiety of military drafts
Failure to discipline children
Although most teens were not involved in gangs, drugs, or crimes, the public accepted stereotypes of young people as juvenile delinquents
Long hair
Using slang

33. Education As A Solution
Many parents focused on education as a possible solution to misbehaving children
Enrollments increased by 13 million during the 1950’s
Schools could not afford new buildings and teachers
More panic about education after USSR launch of Sputnik I and Sputnik II, the world’s first space satellites
Felt U.S. had fallen behind the USSR
Blamed on lack of technical education
U.S. began to improve math and science education

34. Discussion Questions
Why do you think inner-city neighborhoods became worse during the 1950s?
Why did a number of Native Americans wind up living in poverty following the termination policy?
In what ways could schools have helped curb the “epidemic” of juvenile delinquency?
Do you believe television, movies, and other entertainment media encourage antisocial behavior or rebellion among young people?