2. AMERICA in the ’50s

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

4. THE G.I. BILL of Rights
Provided special benefits to returning veterans (Health care, education, unemployment compensation, low mortgages rate and low interest rate loans)
President Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill in 1944
Millions of GIs bought homes, attended college, started business venture, or found jobs

5. THE G.I. BILL Impact On the Economy
The G.I. Bill, which gave military veterans affordable access to a college education, added a productive pool of highly-educated employees; increase in consumer spending. It was a main reason for the 1950s prosperity.

6. Interstate Highways Built
The Federal Highway Act was passed in 1956
This was the largest public works program in American history.
It helped the military travel rapidly from coast to coast; it changed how people traveled and where they live (rise of suburb)

7. 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
Most of the people left and settled in Carol City

8. 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

9. 13 million homes built in the 1950s – 85% were suburban
Suburbs = The American Dream
Affordable single-family housing
Good schools
Friendly neighbors like themselves
New highways, affordable automobiles, low gasoline prices
A safe, healthy environment for children
13 million homes built in the 1950s – 85% were suburban

10. The Baby Boom
The American birthrate (the number of babies born per 1000 pp) exploded after World War II.
From more than 65 million children were born
This period became known as the Baby Boom
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
Pop culture glorified pregnancy, parenthood and large families

11. Standard of Living
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

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

13. Television Changes
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.

14. Pop Culture of the 50s Top TV Shows The Lone Ranger The Honeymooners
Father Knows Best

15. The Ozzie and Harriet Show 1952-1966
Pop Culture of the 1950s
Father Knows Best
The Ozzie and Harriet Show
Leave it to Beaver

16. Technological Breakthroughs

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

18. Religious Revival
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.

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

20. The Automobile Culture
1955  Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.)
First McDonald’s (1955)
Drive-In Movies
Holiday Inn

21. Well-Defined Gender Roles
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
The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector, and the boss of the house Life magazine, 1955
1956  William H. Whyte, Jr.  The Organization Man
a middle-class, white suburban male is the ideal.

22. 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

23. 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 42.
Graceland, his home in Memphis, is now a public museum visited by upwards of 600,000 people annually.

24. 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.

25. 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”

26. Good-bye 1950s
The postwar era witnessed tremendous economic growth and rising social contentment and conformity. Life was good for many Americans. More families owned homes than ever before. For many Americans; the 1950s were a quiet; prosperous time. This would change as the 1960s arrived.

27. https://www. youtube. com/watch