An Economic Boom Chapter 13, Section 1

The Nation Recovers From War ●demobilization: sending home members of the military ●GI Bill of Rights: eased the return of WWII veterans by providing education and employment aid ○ created a surge in home construction, which led to growth of suburbs

The Nation Recovers From War ●baby boom: increase in births between 1945 and 1964 ○many people married and started families ○ fewer children before the war due to the Great Depression ○ 1957: peak - an American baby born every 7 seconds ○ population grew 27%

●Prices soared with postwar rush to purchase goods o Restrictions during the war kept spending down  too much money to spend on too few goods ●US only developed nation untouched by the devastation of WWII o highest standard of living ●Technological advances allowed for better worker productivity (rate at which goods are produced or services performed) ●Government spending grows o Korean War and Marshall Plan

Truman Overcomes Huge Obstacles ●Trouble with a restless labor movement and a combative Republican Party ●Millions of steel, coal, railroad, and automotive workers went on strike o one of the largest in American history o Taft-Hartley Act: a law that restricted the power of labor unions ●Fought segregationists and worked towards civil rights reforms o desegregated the military

●Faced challenges within his own Democratic Party o Split during 1948 presidential election  Truman (Dem.)  Dewey (Rep.)  Thurmond (States’ Rights)  Wallace (Progressives) o Every poll predicted Dewey to win (HUGE upset) ●Fair Deal: Truman’s legislative program that strengthens the New Deal and new programs, such as national health insurance

Eisenhower Charts a Middle Path ●1952: Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower easily wins presidential election o Charming, military background (D- Day) ●Federal spending increased, created an interstate highway system and spent money on education, specifically to train more scientists ●Prosperous and peaceful presidency

A Society on the Move Chapter 13, Section 2

Americans Move to the Suburbs ● : flock to suburbs (shortage of urban housing) ●Levittowns: rows of homes built in mass production o Pay on installment plans o One in NY, PA, and NJ

●With the growth of suburbs, the number of automobiles increased o Came with the newest technology like automatic transmission and designed with chrome to make them look like jet planes

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System ●Interstate Highway Act: authorized funds to build 41,000 miles of highway to connect the nation’s major cities. o bigger than any New Deal project ●Boosted travel and vacation industries ●New forms of entertainment needed for families o Walt Disney built Disneyland (CA)

Migrating to the Sunbelt ●Sunbelt: region of states in the South and Southwest o Appealing climate and jobs in defense industries, as well as aerospace and electronic industries  Air conditioning made living in hotter states easier o Many Cubans escaped to America and lived in Miami, Florida ●Political power moved with this new migration

The American Economy Changes Focus ●More people working in the service sector (businesses that provide service, such as healthcare, law, retail, banking, etc.) o also known as white collar jobs ●use of computers in many industries like hotels and banks ●Women in the labor force continued to grow ●Farming declining o improvements in technology and irrigation systems

●Franchise businesses (“chain businesses”) grew o “growing lack of originality” ●multinational corporations: companies that produces and sold their goods and services all over the world and established branches abroad ●Unions lost momentum (white collar workers didn’t join)

Educational Opportunities Expand ●Higher education increased o more educated workforce boosted economic productivity ●Government funding for scientists and science teachers ●Tried to make education more accessible o easier to attend college o Brown v. Board of Education