2. THE 1950s: “Anxiety, Alienation, and Social Unrest” ? “Conservatism, Complacency, and Contentment” OROR

3. President Dwight Eisenhower 1953 – 1961 –Popular WWII general (Republican), won presidency. Economic boom: 1950-1970 -- "The Affluent Society“ –National income nearly doubled in 1950s; almost doubled again in 1960s. Economy largely fueled by the growth of the defense industry. –Accounted for over 50% of the national budget by 1960. Cheap energy and increased supply of power facilitated growth. Rising productivity (due to increases in education and technology) increased the average Americans standard of living two-fold. The “Affluent Society” - America in post WWII era (1950 – 1970)

4. The “Affluent Society” Consumerism mushroomed as Americans had more disposable income –Americans bought cars, gadgets for their homes, vacations, etc. in unprecedented numbers Middle Class Growth –5.7 in 1947; over 12 million by early 1960s.

5. Consumerism 1950  Introduction of the Diner’s Card All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter. -- Life Magazine (May, 1958)

6. The “Affluent Society” GI Bill of Rights, 1944 –Passed in response to unemployment fears from 15 million returning GIs from WWII. –Provided loans $$ for returning WWII soldiers. –Used $$ to get an education or to buy houses - suburbs grew tremendously.

7. Suburban Living $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment. Levittown, Long Island: “The American Dream” 1949  William Levitt produced 150 houses per week. By 1960  1/3 of the U. S. population in the suburbs.

8. The “Affluent Society” “Baby Boom” –U.S. birthrate sky-rockets as soldiers return home from WWII. –1950s population grew by over 28 million; 97% in urban and suburban areas. –Between 1946 and 1961, 63.5 million babies were born –Between 1931 and 1946, only 41.5 million born –Proportional growth in population unprecedented in American history.

9. Baby Boom It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant. -- British visitor to America, 1958 1957  1 baby born every 7 seconds

10. The “Affluent Society” Cult of domesticity re-emerges –The concept of a woman’s place being in the home was widespread in magazines, TV, and society in general. TV shows: Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, –Dr. Benjamin Spock: Commonsense Book of Baby and Child Care Sold average of 1 million copies per year between 1946 and 1960. Message: Women’s primary responsibility was to stay home and nurture their children. Dr. Benjamin Spock and the Anderson Quintuplets

11. 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 Marilyn Monroe 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 a middle-class, white suburban male is the ideal.

12. Well-Defined Gender Roles Changing Sexual Behavior: Alfred Kinsey: 1948  Sexual Behavior in the Human Male 1953  Sexual Behavior in the Human Female v Premarital sex was common. v Extramarital affairs were frequent among married couples. Kinsey’s results are an assault on the family as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness. -- Life magazine, early 1950s

13. Ideal 1950s American Family Typical TV Suburban Families The Donna Reed Show 1958-1966 Leave It to Beaver 1957-1963 Father Knows Best 1954-1958 The Ozzie & Harriet Show 1952-1966

14. The “Affluent Society” Television –1946  7,000 TV sets in the U. S. –1950  50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S. –Mass Audience  TV celebrated traditional American values. The Culture of the Car –1956  Interstate Highway Act  largest public works project in American history –Cost $32 billion –41,000 miles of new highways built –Car registrations: 1945  25,000,000 1960  60,000,000 –America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile.

15. Television – The Western Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier The Lone Ranger (and his faithful sidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man?? Sheriff Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke

16. The Culture of the Car 1959 Chevy Corvette 1958 Pink Cadillac

17. The Culture of the Car First McDonald’s (1955) America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile. Drive-In Movies Howard Johnson’s

18. The Culture of the Car The U. S. population was on the move in the 1950s. NE & Mid-W  S & SW (“Sunbelt” states) 1955  Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.) Frontier Land Main Street Tomorrow Land

19. Teen Culture –In the 1950s the word “teenager” entered the American language. –By 1956  13 mil. teens with $7 billion to spend a year. –Strict Behavioral Rules for Teens in the 1950s: Obey Authority.Obey Authority. Control Your Emotions.Control Your Emotions. Don’t Make Waves  Fit in with the Group.Don’t Make Waves  Fit in with the Group. Don’t Even Think About Sex!!!Don’t Even Think About Sex!!! –Some movie stars became icons to the younger generation in 1950s: James Dean, Marilyn Monroe Dean portrayed the angst of American youthDean portrayed the angst of American youth James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953)

20. Teen Culture (cont) –Rock n’ Roll: derived from African American blues (before Elvis it was known as "race" music) Elvis Presley burst on the scene in 1956 and brought rock n' roll to the massesElvis Presley burst on the scene in 1956 and brought rock n' roll to the masses –Rock n’ Roll became the music of the younger generation & emphasized the increasing generation gap between youth &their parents.

21. Teen Culture (cont) –The Beat generation (Beatniks) -- late 1950s Group of young men alienated by 20th-century life. Rebelled against the conformity and conservatism of middle-class America –Jack Kerouac: On the Road became the "bible" for restless youth Other prominent figures included Allen Ginsburg ("Howl" – 1956) –Emphasized alcohol, drugs, sex, jazz, Buddhism, and a vagabond lifestyle. “Beatnik” “Clean” Teen

22. Religious Revival –Church membership increased: 1940  64,000,0001940  64,000,000 1960  114,000,0001960  114,000,000 –Television Preachers: 1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen  “Life is Worth Living”1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen  “Life is Worth Living” 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale  The Power of Positive Thinking2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale  The Power of Positive Thinking 3. Reverend Billy Graham  ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism.3. Reverend Billy Graham  ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism. Today in the U. S., the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954 Rev. Billy Graham

23. Religious Revival Hollywood: apex of the biblical epics. It’s un-American to be un-religious! -- The Christian Century, 1954 The Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur 1953 1956 1959 The Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur 1953 1956 1959

24. Progress Through Science 1951 -- First IBM Mainframe Computer1951 -- First IBM Mainframe Computer 1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test 1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered 1954 – Dr. Jonas Salk creates Polio Vaccine1954 – Dr. Jonas Salk creates Polio Vaccine 1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant 1958 -- NASA Created1958 -- NASA Created 1959 -- Press Conference of the First 7 American Astronauts1959 -- Press Conference of the First 7 American Astronauts

25. Progress Through Science UFO Sightings skyrocketed in the 1950s. War of the Worlds Hollywood used aliens as a metaphor for whom ??

26. Early Civil Rights Movement Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) –Thurgood Marshall (NAACP lawyer) argued that school segregation was unconstitutional. –Chief Justice Earl Warren persuaded the Court to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson - it violated 14 th amendment’s equal protection clause. –Public schools forced to desegregate and allow all children to attend. Thurgood Marshall (center)

27. Early Civil Rights Movement Resistance to School Desegregation –Many school districts across country began to desegregate classrooms for the first time. –1957, Problems arose at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas governor turned 9 black students (“Little Rock Nine”) away from entering. –President Eisenhower called in national guard to force Central High School to allow black students to attend.

28. Early Civil Rights Movement Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott (1955) –1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. –Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, became a leader of the boycott; emerged as leader of civil rights movement. –African-American citizens in Montgomery continued bus boycott for 381 days until 1956, when Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation.

29. Early Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King, Jr. & the Southern Christian Leadership Conference –Jan. 1957, King president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) –MLK drew on ideas from many sources. Inspired by teachings of Jesus (love one’s enemies). From writer Henry David Thoreau and Ghandi he took concept of civil disobedience – the nonviolent refusal to obey an unjust law.

30. Early Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights Movement Spreads –African Americans began to organize committees across country to protest segregation. –Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee created by SCLC staged sit-ins at segregated lunch counters until they were served. –Greensboro, NC – first sit-in at Woolworth’s lunch counter. –“Freedom rides” throughout the South tested ban on segregation of buses. Many riders were beaten on their journey and newspapers across nation picked up story. Public denounced beatings.

31. Cold War at Home 2 nd “Red Scare” – Cold War tensions led to wide-spread fear of communism & nuclear war. Sputnik (1957) – first spy satellite launched by Soviet Union. –U.S. spent more $$ on “space race” – founded NASA in 1958. –National Defense Education Act – increased funding for math, science, foreign language education.

32. Cold War at Home Atomic Anxieties:  “Duck-and-Cover Generation” Atomic Testing: à 1946-1962  U. S. exploded 217 nuclear weapons over the Pacific and in Nevada.

33. The postwar era witnessed tremendous economic growth and rising social contentment and conformity. Yet in the midst of such increasing affluence and comfortable domesticity, social critics expressed a growing sense of unease with American culture in the 1950s. The postwar era witnessed tremendous economic growth and rising social contentment and conformity. Yet in the midst of such increasing affluence and comfortable domesticity, social critics expressed a growing sense of unease with American culture in the 1950s. 1) List & Briefly describe examples of conformity in America during the 1950s…. 2) List & Briefly describe examples of resistance to conformity during the 1950s…. 2) List & Briefly describe examples of resistance to conformity during the 1950s…. Class Discussion Topic: