Splash Screen. Chapter Menu Chapter Introduction Section 1:Section 1:Truman and Eisenhower Section 2:Section 2:The Affluent Society Section 3:Section.

Splash Screen

Chapter Menu

Chapter Introduction

Section 1:Truman and Eisenhower

Section 2:The Affluent Society

Section 3:The Other Side of American Life

Visual Summary

Chapter Intro

What Does It Mean to Be Prosperous?

After World War II, the United States experienced years of steady economic growth. Although not everyone benefited, the economic boom meant most Americans enjoyed more prosperity than earlier generations.

• How did Americans spend this new wealth?

• How does prosperity change the way people live?

Chapter Intro 1

Truman and Eisenhower

How did Truman and Eisenhower guide the nation after World War II?

Section 1

Return to a Peacetime Economy

Despite inflation and strikes, the nation was able to shift to a peacetime economy without a recession.

Section 1

• Despite worries of a recession, the economy continued to grow after the war as consumer spending increased.

• The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, or GI Bill, boosted the economy further. It provided

o grants for education, homes and small business start ups

Return to a Peacetime Economy (cont.)

The GI Bill of Rights

Section 1

• The postwar economy did have some problems.

− A greater demand for goods led to higher prices, causing inflation

− this triggered labor unrest and strikes

− The Republican controlled Congress limited the power of organized labor by passing the Taft-Hartley Act over Truman’s veto. This outlawed “closed shops.”

Return to a Peacetime Economy (cont.)

Section 1

Truman’s Program

Truman pushed for a “Fair Deal” for Americans, despite the legislative conflicts he had with Congress.

Section 1

• Truman’s liberal agenda conflicted with the conservative Congress

– Expansion of Social Security benefits

– Raising the minimum wage

– Public housing and slum clearance

– A system of national health insurance

– A broad civil rights bill

Truman’s Program (cont.)

Section 1

• However, most of his legislative efforts met with little success.

• Only successes:

• minimum wage increased

• Desegregating military and preventing discrimination in civil service jobs.

• As the presidential election of 1948 approached, most observers gave Truman little chance of winning.

Truman’s Program (cont.)

Section 1

• Truman however win a narrow victory over Republican Dewey, in what is considered the biggest upset victory in Presidential election history.

• Truman traveled more than 20,000 miles campaigning, attacking the “Do-Nothing Congress.”

Truman’s Program (cont.)

Presidential Election of 1948

Section 1

• After election he coined a name—the Fair Deal—to set his program apart from the New Deal.

• While Truman wins the election, the Republican controlled Congress prevented any major legislation being passed.

• Cold War also damage Truman’s ability to pass his domestic agenda.

Truman’s Program (cont.)

Section 1

The Eisenhower Years

President Eisenhower cut federal spending, supported business, funded the interstate highway system, and extended some New Deal programs.

Section 1

• After Eisenhower took office in 1952, he had two favorite phrases: “Middle of the Road and “dynamic conservatism.”

• The new president’s cabinet appointments included several business leaders, showing Eisenhower’s conservatism.

• He showed his conservatism in many other ways, such as vetoing a school construction bill and agreeing to slash government aid to public housing.

The Eisenhower Years (cont.)

Section 1

• He took an activist role in pushing for the Federal Highway Act creating the Interstate highway system.

• Eisenhower did agree to extend the Social Security system to an additional 10 million people.

The Eisenhower Years (cont.)

Interstate Highway System

Chapter Intro 2

The Affluent Society

What were the characteristics of affluent Americans in the 1950s?

Section 2

American Abundance

America entered a period of postwar abundance, with expanding suburbs, growing families, and more white-collar jobs.

Section 2

• The 1950s was a decade of incredible prosperity.

• Between 1940 and 1955, the average income of American families roughly tripled.

• Advertising became the fastest-growing industry in the United States, as manufacturers employed new marketing techniques to sell their products.

American Abundance (cont.)

Section 2

• Many of the consumers lived in the new suburbs that grew up around cities in the 1950s.

– People believed the suburbs would provide a better life by escaping the growing crime and congestion of cities.

– Affordability of homes and highway system was key to this changed.

• Levittown, New York, was one of the earliest of the new suburbs.

American Abundance (cont.)

Section 2

• From 1945 to 1961, a period known as the baby boom, more than 65 million children were born in the United States.

American Abundance (cont.)

Section 2

• Several factors contributed to the baby boom:

– Young couples who delayed marriage during World War II and the Korean War could now start families.

– The government encouraged growth of families by offering generous GI benefits for home purchases.

American Abundance (cont.)

The Baby Boom, 1940–1970

Section 2

• Dramatic changes in the workplace accompanied the country’s economic growth.

− In 1956, for the first time, white-collar workers outnumbered blue-collar workers.

− Many white-collar employees worked for multinational corporations.

− The 1950s also witnessed the rise of franchises.

American Abundance (cont.)

Section 2

Scientific Advances

Computers began a business revolution, and doctors discovered new ways to fight disease.

Section 2

• The electronics industry made rapid advances after World War II.

• The transistor and the nation’s earliest computers were developed.

• ENIAC: developed by military to do basic calculations.

• UNIVAC: first data processor; launched computer revolution

Scientific Advances (cont.)

Section 2

– Jonas Salk developed an injectable vaccine to prevent polio.

– Albert Sabin developed an oral vaccine for polio.

Scientific Advances (cont.)

Section 2

The New Mass Media

The rise of television led to changes in the movie and radio industries.

Section 2

• By 1957, more than 80% of families had at least one television.

• Some famous shows were

The New Mass Media (cont.)

– I Love Lucy

– Ozzie and Harriet

– The $64,000 Question

– The Lone Ranger

– Dragnet

Section 2

• As the popularity of television grew, movies lost viewers.

• Cinemascope finally gave Hollywood something television could not match.

The New Mass Media (cont.)

Section 2

• Radio stations survived and flourished during this time, broadcasting recorded music, news, weather, sports, and talk shows.

The New Mass Media (cont.)

Section 2

New Music and Poetry

Young people developed their own popular culture based largely on rock ‘n’ roll music and literature of the beat movement.

Section 2

• For the first time, teens had large amounts of disposable income that could be spent on entertainment designed specifically for them.

• In addition, new mass media meant that teens across the country could hear the same music broadcast or watch the same television shows.

New Music and Poetry (cont.)

Section 2

• White artists began making music that stemmed from African American rhythms and sounds, and a new form of music, rock ‘n’ roll, was born.

• Elvis Presley was the first rock ‘n’ roll hero.

New Music and Poetry (cont.)

Section 2

• While African American it difficult to find acceptance, African Americans found rock ‘n’ roll singers faced fewer obstacles.

• Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles were popular singers.

New Music and Poetry (cont.)

Section 2

• Rock ‘n’ roll created what became known as the generation gap.

• Beat poets, writers, and artists harshly criticized what they considered the sterility and conformity of American life, the meaninglessness of American politics, and the emptiness of popular culture.

• Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac are two beat writers.

New Music and Poetry (cont.)

Chapter Intro 3

The Other Side of American Life

What groups of Americans did not enjoy the affluence of the 1950s?

Section 3

Poverty Amidst Prosperity

Despite the growing affluence of much of the nation, many groups still lived in poverty.

Section 3

• At least one in five Americans, or about 30 million people, lived below the poverty line in the 1950s.

• The poverty of the 1950s was most apparent in the nation’s urban centers.

• Government often made matters worse when it tried to help.

• Urban renewal programs destroyed more housing space than they created.

Poverty Amidst Prosperity (cont.)

Section 3

• Long-standing patterns of racial discrimination in schools, housing, hiring, and salaries in the North kept many inner-city African Americans poor.

• Lorraine Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun in 1959 and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

Poverty Amidst Prosperity (cont.)

Major Cities With High Poverty Rates, 1960

Section 3

• During the 1950s and early 1960s, the Bracero Program brought nearly 5 million Mexicans to the United States.

• The workers that remained in America lived with extreme poverty and hardship.

Poverty Amidst Prosperity (cont.)

Section 3

• Native Americans—who made up less than 1% of the population—were the poorest ethnic group in the nation.

• The U.S. government launched a program to bring Native Americans into mainstream society—whether they wanted to assimilate or not.

• This plan became known as the termination policy, and only deepened their poverty.

Poverty Amidst Prosperity (cont.)

Section 3

• Residents of rural Appalachia also failed to share in the prosperity of the 1950s.

Poverty Amidst Prosperity (cont.)

Poverty in Appalachia

VS 1

The Prosperity of the 1950s

Economy and Society

• The GI Bill provided funds and loans to millions of war veterans.

• Consumer spending increased rapidly.

• More Americans owned homes than ever before.

VS 2

The Prosperity of the 1950s

Population Patterns

• The U.S. population experienced a “baby boom.”

• Millions of Americans moved out of cities to the suburbs.

Science, Technology, and Medicine

• Improvements in communication, transportation, and electronics allowed Americans to work more efficiently.

• Medical breakthroughs included the polio vaccine, antibiotics, and treatments for tuberculosis, cancer, and heart disease.

VS 4

The Problems of the 1950s

Economy and Society

• Workers went on strike for higher wages.

• Congress would not pass Truman’s civil rights legislation.

• Eisenhower cut back on New Deal programs.

VS 5

Population Patterns

• Financially able people moved from crowded cities to new suburbs.

• Poverty increased in the inner city and the poor faced ongoing social problems.

• Crime increased among young people.

Science, Technology, and Medicine

• Poor people in inner cities and rural areas had limited access to modern health care.

The Problems of the 1950s

VS 6

Popular Culture

• Not everyone could afford to buy the new consumer goods available, such as televisions.

• African Americans and other minorities were, for the most part, not depicted on television.

• Many television programs promoted stereotypical gender roles.

The Problems of the 1950s

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Figure 5

Figure 6

Vocab1

closed shop 

an agreement in which a company agrees to hire only union members

Vocab2

right-to-work law 

a law making it illegal to require employees to join a union

Vocab3

union shop 

a business that requires employees to join a union

Vocab4

dynamic conservatism 

policy of balancing economic conservatism with some activism

Vocab7

baby boom 

a marked rise in birthrate, such as occurred in the United States following World War II

Vocab8

white-collar jobs 

jobs in fields not requiring work clothes or protective clothing, such as sales

Vocab9

blue-collar workers  

workers in the manual labor field, particularly those requiring protective clothing

Vocab10

multinational corporation 

large corporations with overseas investments

Vocab11

franchise 

the right or license to market a company’s goods or services in an area, such as a store of a chain operation

Vocab12

rock ‘n’ roll 

popular music usually played on electronically amplified instruments and characterized by a persistent, heavily accented beat, much repetition of simple phrases, and often country, folk, and blues elements

Vocab13

generation gap 

a cultural separation between parents and their children

Vocab16

poverty line 

a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor by the federal government

Vocab17

urban renewal 

government programs that attempt to eliminate poverty and revitalize urban areas

Vocab18

termination policy 

a government policy to bring Native Americans into mainstream society by withdrawing recognition of Native American groups as legal entities

Vocab19

juvenile delinquency 

antisocial or criminal behavior of young people