Life in the 1950’s
The The 19501950ss
Rank Male namePercent oftotal males Female name
Percent oftotal females
1 James 4.7344% Linda 4.5725%2 Robert 4.5929% Mary 3.7216%3 John 4.3654% Patricia 2.7245%4 Michael 3.5820% Barbara 2.3633%5 David 3.3382% Susan 2.1615%6 William 3.3368% Nancy 1.6847%7 Richard 2.8025% Deborah 1.6533%8 Thomas 2.5073% Sandra 1.6428%9 Charles 2.1504% Carol 1.4873%
10 Gary 1.8551% Kathleen 1.4610%11 Larry 1.7291% Sharon 1.3994%12 Ronald 1.6454% Karen 1.3724%13 Joseph 1.4855% Donna 1.2298%14 Donald 1.4834% Brenda 1.1828%15 Kenneth 1.3093% Margaret 1.0300%16 Steven 1.2794% Diane 1.0017%17 Dennis 1.2556% Pamela 0.9212%18 Paul 1.1948% Janet 0.9207%
Postwar AmericaPostwar America• U.S. economy adjust to peacetimeU.S. economy adjust to peacetime
– switch from “producing guns to butter” switch from “producing guns to butter” again
• cuts in production + jobs = layoffscuts in production + jobs = layoffs• reduction in militaryreduction in military• early effects of the switch wasearly effects of the switch was
– increased unemploymentincreased unemployment– inflation inflation
• prices going up, salaries notprices going up, salaries not– salaries decreasingsalaries decreasing
Truman’s Fair Deal programTruman’s Fair Deal program
• increased minimum wage increased minimum wage – .40 up to .65 per hr.40 up to .65 per hr
• Social Security expandedSocial Security expanded• built public housingbuilt public housing• tried to create national health tried to create national health
insurance, but failedinsurance, but failed
1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill 1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”“Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”
• provides education, job provides education, job training, low interest loans training, low interest loans for veteransfor veterans
• Helped veterans re-adjust Helped veterans re-adjust to civilian lifeto civilian life
Space Race and Space Race and EducationEducation
•Increased focus on math and science in schools
1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color 1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier in Major League Baseballbarrier in Major League Baseball
Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948
• Executive Order Executive Order 99819981– Gallup polls in 1948 Gallup polls in 1948
showed 82 percent showed 82 percent of Americans of Americans disagreed with his disagreed with his civil rights programcivil rights program
– Truman faced an Truman faced an uphill battle uphill battle integrating the integrating the military. military.
Election of 1948 Election of 1948
• Democratic Party splits causing a very close election
• Dixiecrats – Southern Democrats
against Truman• Truman - 49.5%,
Dewey - 45% of the vote
1948 Election1948 Election
Boom yearsBoom years• Economy improves
– U.S. produced ½ of world’s goods– inflation brought under control
• People kept buying due to years of rationing– Consumerism returns– Increases Consumption
• more and more “white collar” jobs– sales/management positions
• franchises form
• conglomerates form – large corporation that owns a number of
smaller companies• Emphasize
– Loyalty– Sameness
• loss of individuality
Consumerism GrowsConsumerism Grows• buying of material goods came to be
equated with success• more money to spend and more
products to buy• new products created but designed to
become obsolete, planned obsolescence– keep America buying
• “buy now, pay later"“Keeping up with the Joneses"
Consumerism/ Consumption
Baby BoomBaby Boom
• burst in population growth 1946 – 1960 due to:– G.I.’s returning – Marrying, reuniting families– growing prosperity
• 1946-1952 – 25 million babies are born
Effects???
LevittownsLevittowns• William Levitt William Levitt
reduces housing reduces housing shortageshortage
• starts suburbs starts suburbs – LevittownsLevittowns– Housing area Housing area
outside the cityoutside the city
Medical AdvancesMedical AdvancesDr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine, 1955
Auto Industry BoomAuto Industry Boom• made possible by easy credit and cheap gas• car ownership, necessary in suburbs• Detroit 5th largest city in 50’s
010000002000000300000040000005000000600000070000008000000
1933 1940 1948 1950 1955
car sales
CAR SALES 1933-1955
The Culture of the Car
First McDonald’s First McDonald’s (1955)(1955)
Drive-Drive-In In
MoviesMovies
Howard Howard JohnsonJohnson
’s’s
Eisenhower’s Federal Highway Eisenhower’s Federal Highway ActAct
• Ike had been impressed by the autobahn in Germany.
• builds Interstate System – made traveling
distances easier– justified as a
National Defense issue
• Where is this?• I10 and DeZavala
in 1966
http://www.onthemoveblog.com/2010/04/my-days-at-the-txdot-photo-archive/
Revival of ReligionRevival of Religion
• 2/3 of population belonged to a Church– faith in American way of life– Thankful to have survived WW II– stress of Cold War and possible nuclear war
< Reverend Billy GrahamOne of first to use TV
Popular CulturePopular Culture• New Era of Mass Media
– means of communications that reach a large audience
• Golden Age of Television– Entertainment, information marvel
• 1956 - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created
10” screen in 2002 would cost
$3,758
12” screenin 2002 would cost $5,386
20” screen in 2002 would cost $19,336
1948 Television sizes and prices
1959 COLOR TV WOULD
COST $3291 IN 2002
Television transforms American life
• Movie Industry loses viewers– develops new technology to attract
audiences• Radio also changes
– expands• added in cars• more news, talk shows, sports, weather
reports
Effects ofEffects of TelevisionTelevision
Several Categories of ProgrammingSeveral Categories of Programming
Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban Families
The The Donna Donna Reed Reed ShowShow1958-1958-19661966
Leave It Leave It to Beaverto Beaver1957-19631957-1963
FatherFather Knows Knows BestBest
1954-19581954-1958
The Ozzie & Harriet The Ozzie & Harriet ShowShow
1952-19661952-1966
Variety ShowsVariety Shows
• Ed Sullivan Show
ComedyComedy””I Love Lucy”I Love Lucy”
The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners
Kid Shows• Mickey Mouse Club
• Howdy Doody
The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger
Davy CrockettDavy Crockett
Subculture EmergesSubculture Emerges• 1950’s teenagers rebel, reject traditional
values– looked to controversial styles of music, literature
• Generation gap – cultural separation between children/parents
• Juvenile Delinquency – antisocial, criminal behavior of youths– teens were stereotyped
Led by movie idols James Dean, Marlon Brando
Fear of Juvenile Delinquency1950’s
movies which reinforced the idea
there was an epidemic of
juvenile violence
19501951
1955
1956
1957 19581961
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
DelinquencyCases
Juvenile Delinquency Cases per 1,000 population
• Discuss with a partner and list five reasons that kids get in trouble today
The “Beat” movementThe “Beat” movement• Beatniks
– another form of rebellion– centered in L.A./Greenwich Village (New
York City)• Social, literary nonconformity of artists,
poets, authors
Allen Ginsburg Jack Kerouac
““BeatniBeatnik”k”
““Clean” Clean” TeenTeen
19511951- Rock-N-Roll begins- Rock-N-Roll begins• music that blends rhythm and
blues/country/pop music– loud/rhythmic– adults called it “offensive”– would lead to immorality, delinquency
• T.V./Radio promoted it
Dick Clark’s Dick Clark’s ““American American BandstandBandstand””
Chuck Berry
Variety of ArtistsVariety of Artists
Little Richard
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis
• Bill Haley & the Comets
Elvis-Elvis-“the King”“the King”
Elvis sold over 1 billion albums, singles, and music videos.
• YouTube - Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)
• Buddy Holly
The Everly Brothers
Sam CookeSam Cooke
• Richie Valens
• YouTube - La Bamba
Warm-up
• Has there ever been a time you felt left out of something?
• What if you barely had enough money to live on while others had more than
enough?
The “Other” AmericaThe “Other” America
• during the 1950’s 1 in 5 lived below poverty line – minimum income needed to support a
family• “white flight” middle-class white
America moves to suburbs
• rural poor moves to inner city• businesses move to suburbs
– inner cities lost jobs– inner cities decay
Taking a Deeper Look Reading
• 1949-1960’s urban renewal projects begin– rebuild inner-city to attract businesses/jobs
• tear down old buildings• build low-income housing
“Bracero” program – 5 million Mexican immigrants
came to help harvest crops
– hired hands– struggled with poverty, poor
working conditions
http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/small_exhibition.cfm?key=1267&exkey=770
Felix Longoria• Mexican-American Army Private
killed in WWII• When his body returned to Three
Rivers, TX, funeral home refused service
• Senator Lyndon B Johnson intervened, got him buried at Arlington Cemetery in DC
Bracero Reading
• 56 Left
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