Chapter 26 Questions Mr. Perry US 2

Demobilization Period of transition from war economy to peacetime economy Usually a period of high unemployment and low production

GI Bill Of Rights Year of unemployment for veterans Financial aid for veterans to attend college Low interest loans for vets to buy homes or start businesses

Baby Boom Birthrate had declined due to the depression and WW2 Following the war adults in there 20’s, 30’s and 40’s looked to start families 1940-1955 is the largest increase in population in history

US Production in 1950’s The US made up only 6% of worlds population but produced 50% of its goods

Taft-Harley Act Outlawed closed shops, placing where only union members could be hired Passed to slow the number of strikes occurring nationwide Law was vetoed by Truman but overrode by Congress

Election of 1948 Truman had become unpopular in his own party because Southerners disagreed with him on Civil Rights It seemed certain Thomas Dewey of NY would defeat Truman, but Truman campaigned across country and scored an upset win One of the few political upsets of the century

Fair Deal Truman’s plan to strengthen the New Deal Included national healthcare and civil rights reform Was not a success because Congress would not pass most of the legislation

Section 2 Suburban America Affordable homes, low-interest loans and a desire to return family life to normal led to suburban growth in the 1950’s With people moving from cities to suburbs highways were needed for people to travel to cities to work

Highway Act Federal government built 41,000 miles of highway connecting cities with wide open multi-lane highways It was the biggest expenditure on public works in the country's history Perhaps Eisenhower’s greatest accomplishment

Sunbelt Name given to Southern and Western states Large number of available jobs Appealing climate Air conditioners were now available for homes Large numbers of new immigrants also settled in these areas

Women from 1940-1960 Number of women in the workforce doubled Most did not pursue careers but for women played a vital role in helping middle class families

Labor Unions Unions tended to gravitate toward the Democratic Party Labor unions lost power in the 1950’s White-collar workers stopped joining unions and corruption hurt public opinion

National Defense Education Act $1 Billion program aimed at producing scientist and science teachers Authorized loans for high school and college age students to continue scientific education

Brown v Board of Education Declares school segregation unconstitutional Would take years before schools would be desegregated, 1st step in Civil Rights education

Section 3 Consumerism Purchasing materialistic things, sometimes on credit Occurs in postwar US thanks to new forms of advertising

Jonas Salk Develops a vaccine for polio, ordered to be given to all American children

TV in the 1950’s Beginnings of mass culture Americans from all regions saw same shows and advertising TV changed political campaigns

Rock and Roll Viewed as a cultural revolution Elvis Presley offended mainstream America with his music and dance moves Rock became the symbol of youth and some feared it would lead to rebellious youth

Section 4 Cities in the 1950’s Middle class Americans moved from cities to suburbs and were replaced by groups looking for jobs This created fewer tax dollars for cities which eventually led to dirty crime ridden cities Eventually cities became plagued with poor housing and education

New York City: 1950’s

Yankee Stadium: 1950

Urban Renewal Refers to the tearing down of old neighborhoods in favor of “revitalizing” bad areas Leads to large numbers of poor moving to already overcrowded areas Public housing led to poor neighborhoods and crime

Farmers in the 1950’s Corporations and large farmers dominated the industry Small farmers left and followed urban poor to the cities

Puerto Ricans Went to NYC in large numbers Most spoke no English and enjoyed no political power Most received poor services and education

Mexicans Braceros were setup for Mexican workers to temporarily come to the US to work on farms Many were mistreated and some called the program “legalized slavery”

Native Americans The termination policy would have ended tribal governments Was supposed to free Native Americans to assimilate into society Native Americans argued that it was an attempt to ruin their culture