United States History

Chapter 29:Society After World War II

Demobilization With so many returning home from war, there were

many concerns with the American economy GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans

pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college

Employment Act of 1946: gov’t would help economy switch to peacetime production A depression never came, mostly because companies

began to make consumer goods again However, employers favored vets, so many women

and non-veterans lost their jobs Inflation rose sharply, especially after price controls

were lifted

Labor Strikes Unhappy with working conditions, many workers

went on strike after the war President Harry S. Truman feared strikes would

cripple the economy Threatened intervention, or even an army draft, to

those that went on strike in critical industries Taft-Hartley Act: allowed the gov’t to end some

strikes, limited political contributions of unions Although limited, unions began to gain strength

Began to include benefits like pensions and insurance into union contracts with employers

President Truman

Election of 1948 Even though approval was low, Truman took stands on tough

issues Committee on Civil Rights created in 1946 Designed to address racial issues that plagued the nation Suggested that the nation end segregation and discrimination Eventually, Truman issued orders to end segregation in the

military and companies with government contracts Democrats were split on civil rights

Nominated Truman for reelection The “Dixiecrats”, southern white Democrats nominated Strom

Thurmond Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey and was expected to

win Truman pulled off the upset, even with some newspapers

reporting his loss

The Fair Deal Truman wanted to expand New Deal programs

Higher minimum wage National health insurance Aid to the poor Employment aid

Republicans and some Democrats were against the program Some programs were passed Expansion of social security Minimum wage to $0.75/hr

Overall, people wanted a smaller government, peace and stability

Dwight D. Eisenhower

1950s Society After “Ike” was elected in 1952, he promised to

cut the government and reduce spending However, welfare programs, education, and

military spending cut into his promises of a balance budget

His attitude towards the government and its role in society were “conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings” This attitude became known as Modern

Republicanism The national debt increased to $291 billion

dollars under his administration

1950s Society Automation ruled industry, taking manufacturing jobs

away However, a need for white collar jobs skyrocketed during

the decade Unions grew in popularity

The AFL and CIO merged into one However, support dwindled in the late 1950s after charges

of corruption in unions Suburbs exploded outside of cities

People could afford cars to drive to work from farther away Planned communities, such as Levitttowns, were built,

looking almost exactly alike The Highway Act of 1956 built an interstate highway system

Suburban Life After the war, people moved to the suburbs

Marriage rates boomed Birthrates soared, creating a baby boom generation

An emphasis on child rearing and family became apparent Dr. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and

Child Care guided many parents Advertising continued to encourage people to buy Family activities, church, and other social activities

became common Television, the newest mass medium, made its debut in

many homes of the 1950s I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ed Sullivan Show, etc

entertained families every night of the week

Pop Culture of the 1950s Rebelling against the ideals of their parents, teenagers

expressed themselves openly MAD Magazine The Catcher in the Rye James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause)

The creation of rock ‘n’ roll was the definition of all that is 1950s Variation of rhythm and blues Plugged in guitars and used “obscene” lyrics Termed coined by Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ that marketed the

new “black” music to white suburban kids Rock stars traveled the nation, playing before screaming crowds

and producing hits still popular today Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to

name a few Adults despised rock for the obscenity of lyrics and stage

presence Also helped to break down color barriers

Civil Rights Stirrings…

In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson legalized segregation in the United States

In 1954, this was challenged in the court case Brown v. Board of Education Linda Brown, a young black girl in Topeka, KS,

challenged the school board She claimed that she should be able to attend the

neighboring white school, instead of going to a school farther away

Her lawyer was future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall

On May 17, the court struck down Plessy and ordered all American schools to desegregate

The struggle for equality would be long and hard, however

Civil Rights Stirrings…

Little Rock Central High School 9 black students volunteered to attend the all white school in

1957 Governor Orval Faubus ordered the AR National Guard to the

school to prevent the students from enrolling for 3 weeks President Eisenhower ordered the US Army to Little Rock to

force desegregation Known today as the Little Rock Nine

Montgomery Bus Boycott Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing her front

seat to a white man in 1955 Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, black residents of the city

boycotted the busses for over a year Led to the passage of desegregation of the busses and the

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Elizabeth Eckford, Little Rock Central, 1957

Rosa Parks

Beyond Black and White Discrimination affected other racial groups during

the 1950s as well Hispanics: most notable incident involved a Mexican

American veteran and a funeral home’s refusal to conduct a service for him League of United Latin American Citizens and the

American GI Forum Several court cases involving school segregation

Asians did not fit the profile of the “ideal American” Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, allowing for more

to immigrate Native Americans were pressured to abandon

reservations Relocation Act of 1956 encouraged Natives to move to

cities and cut funding for reservations However, gov’t backed down from the policy of

termination in 1958

Questioning Conformity and Society

Many felt that discrimination and conformity were signs of serious problems in America

Authors such as Ralph Ellison (The Invisible Man) depicted lives of those that lived in discrimination and poverty

The beats (and supporters called beatniks) challenged the lifestyle of the middle class Most famous was Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road

Original copy of On the Road was written in 3 weeks on one continuous piece of paper

Farmers and inner city dwellers continued to suffer from poverty Production increased on farms, but prices dropped due to

increased production in Europe and the use of new equipment like tractors

City poor often lived in substandard housing and discrimination prevented people from moving up into better housing The urban renewal program destroyed old dilapidated units and built

“projects” but those also fell into disrepair