AFFLUENCE AND ANXIETY America: Past and Present Chapter 29

The Postwar Boom n rapid economic growth n fear of another depression wanes

Postwar Prosperity n Stimuli to consumer goods industry – Baby boom – Population shift to suburbia n Increased defense spending n Increase in capital investments n Employment expands

Birthrate,

Postwar Prosperity: Lingering Problems n Agricultural overproduction, low prices n Older industrial areas decline n recession slows decade’s economic growth

Life in the Suburbs n Suburbia inhabited by middle class n Characteristics of suburbs – Dependence on the automobile – Family togetherness n Traditional feminism discouraged n Entrance of more women into workplace stimulates new feminism

The Good Life? n Consumerism the dominant social theme of the 1950s n Quality of life leaves Americans anxious and dissatisfied

Areas of Greatest Growth n Church membership n School attendance n Television watching

Critics of the Consumer Society n Social critics of suburban culture – John Keats – William Whyte – David Riesman n C. Wright Mills criticizes corporations n Jack Kerouac, “Beat” artists promote counterculture

The Reaction to Sputnik n Russians launch Sputnik n American response – National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – National Defense Education Act--upgrade the teaching of science n Sense of failure, decline by 1960

Farewell to Reform n Spirit of reform wanes in postwar years n Reasons: –Growing affluence reduces sense of grievance –Americans eager to enjoy their new prosperity

Truman and the Fair Deal n Fair Deal attempts to expand New Deal n Limited achievement – Consolidates Roosevelt's reforms – Sets the agenda for future attempts

Eisenhower's Modern Republicanism n Eisenhower leaves New Deal intact n Democrats regain Congress n Highway Act creates interstate highway system – stimulates the economy – shapes metropolitan growth patterns

The Struggle Over Civil Rights n Cold War prompts quest for American moral superiority n Legal discrimination against African- Americans challenges U.S. self-image

Civil Rights as a Political Issue n Truman’s civil-rights legislation fails n Truman integrates the armed forces n Civil rights made part of the liberal Democratic agenda n African-American vote gives Truman his margin of victory

Desegregating the Schools n Brown v. Board of Education – Segregated schools unconstitutional – Desegregation "with all deliberate speed" n Massive resistance in Deep South n Eisenhower’s actions – Federal troops sent to Little Rock, Arkansas – Commission on Civil Rights established

The Beginnings of Black Activism n NAACP--press for civil rights in courts n Martin Luther King, Jr. leads Montgomery bus boycott n Southern Christian Leadership Conference directs anti-segregation n Sit-ins protest segregation laws n Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

Ambivalence at the Close of the Decade n American people more optimistic in 1960 than in 1950 n Fear of economic depression wanes n Fear of Cold War continues n Growing recognition of incompatibility of racial injustice with American ideals