AMERICA in the ’50s

The late 1940s and early 1950s were a period of astonishing economic growth in the U.S. Postwar Prosperity Its considered “the greatest prosperity the world has ever known.” A combination of political, economic and social factors contributed to this postwar prosperity.

THE G.I. BILL of Rights G.I. stood for “government issue” the term applied to military equipment: helmets and uniform President Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill in 1944

Provided special benefits to returning veterans (commonly referred to as GIs) THE G.I. BILL Millions of GIs bought homes, attended college, started business venture, or found jobs Provided unemployment compensation, mortgages at low rates, low interest loans and money to pursue further education.

Interstate Highways Built The Federal Highway Act was passed in 1956 This was the largest public works program in American history. Law called for the building of 40,000 miles of interstate. The network of highways that still unites our country today

I-95 Destroys Overtown Miami’s Overtown neighborhood was once known as “the Harlem of the South.” The construction of I-95 “shattered the world” of Overtown residents. A thriving black community, was cleared and replaced with a massive highway interchange Overtown never recovered

The Baby Boom From more than 65 million children were born Contributing factors: The end of wars led to more young couples getting married G.I. Bill encouraged growth of families by offering generous benefits for home purchases This period became known as the Baby Boom The American birthrate (the number of babies born per 1000 pp) exploded after World War II. Pop culture glorified pregnancy, parenthood and large families

Suburbia in America During the ’50s, many people began to move into the suburbs. Suburbs are places outside the city where many white- collar workers live The New York suburb of Levittown was the first modern suburb

Suburbs = The American Dream  Affordable single- family housing  Good schools  Friendly neighbors like themselves 13 million homes built in the 1950s – 85% were suburban  New highways, affordable automobiles, low gasoline prices  A safe, healthy environment for children

 Americans had the highest standard of living in the world.  Standard of living measures people’s quality of life.  Things that had once been luxuries items became commonplace.  Washers & dryers  Dishwashers  Freezers  Electric stoves  Gasoline powered lawn mowers The new rage: Televisions

Birth of television Shows like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners were the most popular TV shows of the ’50s By 1957, there were about 40 million television sets in use and TV became an important source of information

 Television became the most important form of mass media.  TV helped to spread rock’n’roll and the youth culture.  TV’s had small screens & broadcast only in black & white  Color TV was not broadcast until 1963  Many of the shows were family situation comedies.

Pop Culture of the 50s The Lone Ranger TopTVShows The Honeymooners Father Knows Best

Pop Culture of the 1950s Father Knows Best The Ozzie and Harriet Show Leave it to Beaver

Technological Breakthroughs

Jonas Salk and polio vaccine Medical advances of the 1950s: antibiotics to fight infections antibiotics to fight infections new drugs to fight cancer, diabetes and heart disease new drugs to fight cancer, diabetes and heart disease polio vaccine developed polio vaccine developed Jonas Salk developed the vaccine that prevented polio. Not long after, the threat of polio would almost completely disappear

Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954 Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954 Church membership: 1940  64,000,  114,000,000 Television Preachers: 1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen  “Life is Worth Living” 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale  The Power of Positive Thinking 3. Reverend Billy Graham  ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism.

Hollywood: apex of the biblical epics. It’s un-American to be un-religious! -- The Christian Century, 1954 The Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur The Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur Pop Culture of the 1950s

First McDonald’s (1955) America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile. Drive-In Movies Holiday Inn The Automobile Culture

The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. -- Life magazine, 1956 Marilyn Monroe The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine,  William H. Whyte, Jr.  The Organization Man A a middle-class, white suburban male is the ideal.

Birth of Rock ’n Roll In the 1950s, many teenagers rebelled against the middle-class suburban values, particularly conformity and wanted to be unique.  It was during this period that many youths turned to new and unconventional styles of music  Soon white artists began making music that was based on African American rhythm and blues  This form of music became known as rock ‘n’ roll and it became wildly popular with the nation’s teenagers

Elvis Presley The King of Rock ’n Roll Presley’s extraordinary popularity established rock ’n’ roll as an unprecedented mass-market phenomenon His reputation as a performer endured up to his death in 1977 at the age of Graceland, his home in Memphis, is now a public museum visited by upwards of 600,000 people annually.

The Generation Gap  Many parents viewed rock ’n’ roll as loud and dangerous.  The music was banned in some communities.  The music united teens in their own world and helped to create what became known as the generation gap.  The generation gap was the cultural separation between children and their parents.

Juvenile Delinquency Another problem facing the nation was juvenile delinquency, which was antisocial or criminal behavior by teenagers Juvenile crime rose 45% between 1948 and Car thefts by juveniles increased and more teenagers joined street gangs Many attributed this rise in teenage rebellion to movies such as “Rebel Without a Cause” and books like J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”

Good-bye 1950s

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