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Unit 7: Lecture 2 America in the 1950s:
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Lecture Focus Question
How did changes in post war America both positively and negatively affected Americans?
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How did the Cold War affect American culture?
1st & 2nd Red Scare Roots of American Communism 1930s Truman’s Loyalty Program HUAC Hollywood Ten
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Did the Soviets actually Infiltrate American Society?
Spies among us? Alger Hiss Julius & Ethel Rosenberg McCarthyism & its effects
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How did the Post War World lead to a boom in American’s economy?
Prosperity Post-War U.S. Dominates World Economy Converting War time economy Technology boost productivity GI Bill Defense/Govt. Spending supports growth of industry.
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How did the Post War World lead to a boom in American’s economy?
Service Sector Grows Consumerism More to spend M.F.I. Buying on credit returns Home appliances Business Changes Franchise Multinational Corporation
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How did American society expand (S.P.E.) in the 1950s?
Suburbia/Sunbelt Car Culture Interstate Highway Act Educational Opportunities Expand New public schools College Focus on science & technology Byproduct of the cold war
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Focus of Family Life in the 1950s
How did America create a conformist culture centered around family life? Conformity Focus of Family Life in the 1950s Nuclear Family & Children Baby Boom Dr. Benjamin Spock TV reinforced family culture Produced a mass culture
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How did the red scare create conservatives and rebels among Americans?
Religious Revival Organized Religion on the Rise More churches built in suburbia Strengthen community ties Additions to show contrast to commies “In God We Trust” “Under God” –Pledge of allegiance Rock-N-Roll & youth culture Clean teen squares v. teen rebels
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Was 1950s a utopian age for Americans? Why/Why Not?
Rejecting Conformity Beat Poets/Writers: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Beat Generation Urban Decline and Segregated Society Not everyone was white & Middle Class Cities left poor due to flight to suburbs Other Beat poets included Diane di Prima, Neal Cassady, Anne Waldman, and Michael McClure. Although William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac are often best remembered for works of fiction such as Naked Lunch and On the Road, respectively, they also wrote poetry and were very much part of the Beats as well; Kerouac is said to have coined the term “Beat generation," describing the down-and-out status of himself and his peers during the post-war years
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What sparked the early civil rights movement in the 1950s?
Civil Rights Movement Begins Movements starts from WWII vets Brown v. Board of Education Getting organized CORE & SCLC MLK & Rosa Parks
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Lecture Review Questions
How did the 2nd Red scare affect American culture? Identify & explain 4 reasons for the booming economy in the 1950s? What was the focus of family life in the 1950s? Why did artists & intellectuals criticize American culture during the 1950s? How did the federal government respond to the decline of American cities? What problems did minorities have to overcome in the postwar era?
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