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

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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

11. Poverty Leads to Activism4
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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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

20. Native Americans Continue their Struggle4
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

23. 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