1. Chapter 27

2. What are the stereotypes of the 1950s? Ch 23 Key Terms – Tues. 3-May Ch 23 Test – Tues. 3-May

4.  After WWII, the US laid off over a million workers – unemployment skyrocketed  OPA had prevented inflation form raising prices  Once the war was over, prices of everyday goods jumped by 25%  Congress imposed limits on how much people could be paid, and set controls on prices for goods and rent on properties

5. *HOWEVER*  People had not been able to spend money freely during WWII  After the war, people used whatever money they had earned to buy homes, cars and other goods  Consumer demand was so high, that it created more jobs  US fears about the Soviets kept defense spending high and kept people employed  Marshall Plan gave US a place to export goods

6.  1946 – 4.5 million steelworkers, coal miners and railroad workers went on strike  Higher prices for goods, and lower wages  Truman threatened the unions by promising to draft the workers who were on strike and gave permission for the federal government to take control of the mines and railroads  Unions gave in before any of these threats could go into effect

7.  After WWII, the US laid off over a million workers – unemployment skyrocketed  OPA had prevented inflation form raising prices  Once the war was over, prices of everyday goods jumped by 25%  Congress imposed limits on how much people could be paid, and set controls on prices for goods and rent on properties

8.  People had not been able to spend money freely during WWII  After the war, people used whatever money they had earned to buy homes, cars and other goods  Consumer demand was so high, that it created more jobs  US fears about the Soviets kept defense spending high and kept people employed  Marshall Plan gave US a place to export goods

9.  Truman wanted to continue the ideas of FDR’s New Deal  Expand social security benefits  Raise minimum wage  Public housing, elimination of “slums”  Full employment program through federal spending  National health insurance  Long-range environmental and public works planning  Civil rights bill Protect African-Americans right to vote Abolish poll taxes Lynching would be a federal crime End discrimination in hiring Integrate armed forces

10.  Seemed like Truman would be easily defeated, but he toured the country drumming up support for himself  Truman was easily re-elected

11.  Extension of the New Deal – included proposals for nationwide health insurance and crop-subsidy programs  Defeated by Republicans and Dixiecrats  Congress raised minimum wage to 75¢, included 10 million more in Social Security coverage, began flood control and irrigation projects, and provided financial support for low-income housing

13.  Truman’s approval rating dropped because of the Korean War and the rise of McCarthyism  Eisenhower was easily elected

14.  Described his political stance as “Middle of the Road” or “Dynamic conservatism”  Balance economic conservatism with activism that would benefit people  “Modern Republicanism”  Conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings  Encountered many civil rights issues  Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka  Rosa Parks  Tried to balance the federal budget and cut taxes  Raised minimum wage, extended Social Security and unemployment benefits, funded the creation of interstate highways, created the Departments of Health, Education and Welfare  Cut spending on public housing, got rid of RFC, cut support for TVA

16.  Between 1940 – 1955 average income tripled  New business techniques and technology were available  Caused increase in production of abundant goods and services  Americans spend more on consumer goods  Fueled by advertising  Companies used carefully planned marketing techniques to create demand

17.  More and more products were created to make life easier  Washing machines, dryers, freezers, dishwashers  Recreational products sold to fill time  TVs, tape recorders, record players, pools  Planned obsolescence - goods were purposefully designed to be outdated so consumers had to buy new  Rise of credit cards and loans

18.  Ads encouraged more spending  Convince people to buy what they don’t really need  Played to peoples’ desire to conform and to show status  TV commercials, on the radio, magazines, billboards

20.  Levittown – first mass-produced suburb  Hundreds of simple, similar-looking, inexpensive homes  People moved out of cities  Escape crime and congestion of cities  Thought suburbs offered a better life  More affordable  GI Bill and income tax deductions made buying a home easy

21.  Women were considered to be homemakers and housewives – not all were content with that role  People had more leisure time  Vacation days, 40 hr work week  Labor/time saving devices  Rise in recreational activities (hunting, fishing, bowling, professional sports, reading, cooking, religion, comics)  Recreational culture – clothes not intended for work, lawn decorations, games  Automobile culture – every family wanted to own car because most places were now too far to walk

22.  Between 1945-1961 more than 65 million children were born  At its highest point – one baby every 7 seconds  Couples who had put off marriage during WWII and Korean War got married  GI Bill made buying homes possible  Pop culture celebrated pregnancy, parenthood, and large families

23.  Most people held white collar jobs and worked in large corporations, conglomerates, or for the government  Change from blue-collar jobs – now majority were office jobs  Technology, introduction of computers  Franchises began spreading around the country  Multinational corporations came into existence  Find raw materials, benefit from cheap labor

24.  Society valued standardization and conformity  Same food, same clothes  Loss of individuality, companies did not want creative/rebellious thinkers

26.  Transistor – create small portable radios – could be put in cars  Radio stations increased despite the spread of TV (weather, news, sports, talk, music)  UNIVAC – Universal Automatic Computer  Aircraft designers used more plastics, light metals, change in wing design, and jet propulsion

27.  Radiation and chemotherapy  CPR  Heart-valve replacement surgery  Pacemakers  Research led to stop the spread of tuberculosis  Polio vaccine – Jonas Salk

29.  Governed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  Comedy was very popular (Texaco Star Theater, I Love Lucy)  Developed shows for younger fans as well  Quiz shows and game shows  TV Guide became the highest selling magazine  TV dinners were created so people can eat without missing a show

30.  Relied heavily on stereotypes for women and minorities  Would often idealize white middle class suburbia  Popularized westerns and the associated violence and stereotypes

31.  Needed to keep up with TV  3D movies  Smell-O-Vision  Some produced in color  Stereo sound  Began using “Cinemascope” - panoramic screens  Invested in special effects, costumes, movie stars, exciting story lines and locations, marketing campaigns

33.  Showed social and literary nonconformity  Followers – “beatniks” shunned regular work, tended to experiment with drugs, sought higher levels of consciousness  Rise of coffeehouses and poetry readings  Jack Kerouac – On the Road, Allen Ginsberg – Howl

34.  New style of music that became popular with teenagers and young adults  Influenced by gospel, country and blues  People feared possible rebellion and delinquency  Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley  Led to the “generation gap”- cultural separation between children and their parents

35.  African-American music inspired rock ‘n’ roll  Popularity of jazz  African-American radio stations were created to counter the mass culture  Nat “King” Cole, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie

37.  Despite the growth of the middle class, 1 in 5 Americans lived below the poverty line  Reflects the minimum income needed to support a family

38.  Millions of middle-class Americans left the cities in favor of the suburbs, isolated themselves from other races and classes  Rural poor moved to the inner cities

39.  Inner cities became more impoverished  City governments were unable to afford maintaining schools, public transportation, police and fire departments  Most minorities lived in dirty crowded slums with least access to the same amenities as those living in the suburbs

40.  National Housing Act of 1949 – provide a decent home and living environment for every American family  Created the Board of Housing and Urban Development – wanted to improve conditions in the inner city  Dilapidated areas were torn down for shopping centers, highways, parks, stadiums and factories  High rises for inner city residents were a double-edged sword  Provided housing for those who needed it  Once residents earned a higher income, they were removed from housing – does not encourage people to do so

41.  Many former braceros (migrant workers) were supposed to leave the country, but chose to stay in order to escape the economic conditions in Mexico  Native Americans continued to be seen as second-class citizens  New policies began to move from assimilation to autonomy  Wanted to give them the chance to improve their lives – same civil rights and be able to govern their own reservations

42.  African Americans experience long0tanding discrimination that tried to keep them poor  Earned on average 51% of what white Americans earned  Many Mexicans moved to the US as temporary contract workers, some settled permanently  Worked very long hours, for little pay, in terrible conditions

43.  wanted to eliminate federal economic support for Native American reservations and tribal lands  Bureau of Indian Affairs helped relocate Native Americans to cities  Often unable to find jobs because of lack of training and prejudice  Often had no access to medical care  Termination policy was abolished in 1963

44.  Stretched from New York to Georgia, former coal mining region  High unemployment  Little access to doctors  Poor education

45.  Antisocial or criminal behavior of young people  Experts blamed TelevisionMusicMovies Comic booksRacismBusy parents Divorce rateLack of religionPoverty Anxiety over military draft Boredom Rebelling against parents’ conformity Lack of discipline  Most teens stayed away from gangs  Stereotyped teenagers as delinquents (especially those with long hair or who used slang)

46.  Thought it would combat delinquency  Launch of Sputnik I and Sputnik II made people fear that we feel behind the Soviet Union  Wanted more science and technical education  Improved math education

47.  What is your community: urban/inner-city, suburban, rural?  Is there a lot of shipping in your area? What kinds of stores ship in the area?  Is there an airport that is used as a commercial hub?  Are there products made in your community that are exported to other parts of the country/world? What are they?  How many items in your room are imports? Where were they made?  Take a guess: What percentage of your city is composed of foreign-born Americans? What countries do you think these have immigrants come from?  What work opportunities are available in your community?  What kinds of transportation are necessary for this area? How can this be difficult for some?  Does the Allentown area match the urban poor idea from the 50s?

48. GI Bill Strike of 1946 Termination policy Conglomerate Franchise Move to suburbs Consumerism Planned obsolescence Television’s effects on society Beat Movement Popular TV programs Post-war economy 1952 Election “White Flight” Standardization and conformity Rock ’n’ Roll Baby Boom Jonas Salk Board of Housing and Urban Development

50. T.V. Econ- omy 1950s Cultur e Gov’t 1950s Busin ess Key Terms 100 200 300 400 500

51.  With a partner, choose a product that would have been available in the 1950s.  Create an ad that would have been in a newspaper or magazine  Must relate to concerns/fads during the 50s  Product name & Picture  Why do you need the product?  Why is it the best? included in ad, usually a paragraph used “science”, testimonials, and bandwagon strategies  How much?  Where can it be bought?