THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S THE POSTWAR BOOM THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S John Naisbitt

SECTION 4: THE OTHER AMERICA Amidst the prosperity of the 1950s, millions of Americans live in poverty.

Learning Objectives: Section 4 - The Other America 1. Explain how the white migration to the suburbs created an urban crisis. 2. Describe the efforts of minorities to gain equal rights and fight poverty.

SECTION 4: THE OTHER AMERICA In 1962, nearly one out of every four Americans was living below the poverty level Most of these poor were the elderly, single women and their children, and/or minorities

The Other America The Urban Poor White Flight 4 SECTION The Other America The Urban Poor White Flight 1962, 25% of Americans below poverty level Post WW II–1960, 5 million blacks go from rural South to urban North White flight results in loss of businesses, tax payers to cities Cities can no longer afford to maintain or improve: - schools, public transportation, police and fire departments Continued . . . NEXT

WHITE FLIGHT In the 1950s, millions of middle-class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs At the same time millions of African American rural poor migrated to the cities The so-called “White Flight” drained cities of valuable resources, money and taxes

GUIDED READING The Other America Decaying cities Causes: White flight; suburbanization; remaining city residents poorer than those that left; loss of property and income taxes; a decrease in the quality of services Solution Offered: URBAN RENEWAL Effects: Rundown neighborhoods torn down; cleared areas not always used for housing, which led to housing shortages

The Inner Cities 4 Poverty grows rapidly in decaying inner cities SECTION continued The Urban Poor The Inner Cities Poverty grows rapidly in decaying inner cities Poor economic conditions lead to illness and terrible conditions NEXT

4 SECTION continued The Urban Poor Urban Renewal • Urban renewal—replace rundown buildings with new low-income housing • Housing and Urban Development Dept. created to improve conditions • Not enough housing built for displaced people NEXT

Poverty Leads to Activism 4 SECTION Poverty Leads to Activism Mexicans Seek Employment Many Southwest Mexicans become U.S. citizens after Mexican War 1942–47, Mexican braceros, hired hands, allowed into U.S. to work After war, many remain illegally; many others enter to look for work Continued . . . NEXT

The Longoria Incident Undertaker refuses funeral services to Felix Longoria, WW II veteran Outraged Mexican-American veterans organize G.I. Forum Unity League of CA registers voters, promotes responsive candidates

Mexican-Americans Operation Wetback was an immigration law enforcement initiative created by Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service Joseph Swing. The program was implemented in May of 1954 by the U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell, and utilized special tactics to combat the problem of illegal border crossing and residence in the United States by Mexican nationals

Mexican-Americans Hernandez v. Texas, 347 U.S. 475 (1954),[1] was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that decided that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Social implications The ruling was yet another step forward in the American Civil Rights Movement and another hit to racial segregation in the USA. This time, racial minorities other than African Americans benefited from such a ruling. The ultimate impact of this ruling was that now all racial groups of the United States were protected under the 14th Amendment.

GUIDED READING The Other America Mexican Americans Causes: Solutions: Prejudice against Hispanics; Hard feelings toward braceros who stayed to work in the US after WWII; illegal aliens escaping poor conditions in Mexico Solutions: The creation of the American G.I. Forum, the Unity League of California, and voter registration groups in other states

Native Americans Continue their Struggle 4 SECTION continued Poverty Leads to Activism Native Americans Continue their Struggle During Depression, U.S. policy of Native American autonomy National Congress of American Indians: civil rights, maintain customs U.S. stops family allotments, wages; outsiders take tribal lands The Termination Policy • Termination policy cuts economic support, gives land to individuals • Bureau of Indian Affairs helps resettlement in cities • Termination policy is a failure; abandoned in 1963 NEXT

GUIDED READING The Other America Native Americans Causes: A termination policy adopted by the federal government Solutions: The Bureau of Indian Affairs began a voluntary relocation program to help Native Americans find a place to live and work and to pay for moving and living expenses. Effect: Only 35,000 Native Americans relocated in the program; many of them were unable to find jobs; the number of Native Americans on state welfare rolls soared