Decades of Change
Very Useful Websites for The Decades of Change (you are expected to look at them):
1) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAevents3.htm (events from 1940-1980)
2) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/watergate.htm
3) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/vietnam.html
4) http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/module20/index.html
5) http://www.course-notes.org/US_History/Unit_Notes/Unit_Nine_1940_1960
6) http://www.course-notes.org/US_History/Unit_Notes/Unit_Ten_1960_1990
7) http://www.course-notes.org/Vocabulary/Chapter_40_The_Eisenhower_Era
- also check out the vocabulary for Chapters 41 through 43 at the same general site
8) http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/americans_rec05/book_home.htm?state=PA
- navigate from this page; find the “Review Center” link to the right and use it to study key concepts and to take practice quizzes
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that …
1. People’s values and actions are influenced by the culture that surrounds them.
2. Democracy is an ongoing process that involves struggle and requires cooperation.
3. Individuals and groups can actively participate to influence the government and reform society, but are often met with
opposition by those who want to protect the status quo.
4. Breaches of trust by leaders damage the public’s confidence in government.
Essential Questions:
1. How does suburban life shape the individual?
2. How can people change society?
3. How far should the government go to promote equality and opportunity?
4. What happens when the government loses the support of the public?
5. Did America move closer or further away from its founding ideals in the three decades after World War II?
Knowledge:
All Students will know …
1. How does suburban life shape the individual?
a. Effects of the GI Bill and the expansion of suburbanization, including Levittowns.
b. Influence of popular culture and the role of the mass media in promoting consumerism and homogenizing (making
the same throughout) American culture.
c. Rock and Roll music influenced teen culture.
d. Criticisms of conformity and the role of women in American society in the 1950’s.
2. How can people change society?
a. The economic, political and social status of African-Americans living in the North and South after WWII.
b. Leadership and ideology of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in the civil rights movement and their legacies.
c. Use of organizations, marches and civil disobedience to change public opinion and pressure government action.
d. Resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965.
e. Causes and effects of the modern feminism movement.
3. How far should the government go to promote equality and opportunity?
a. Role of the legislative, executive and judicial branches in advancing the civil rights movement.
b. Goals and effectiveness of the “Great Society” programs.
c. New immigration policies after 1965 and the push-pull factors that prompted a new wave of immigrants from Asia
and Latin America.
d. Effectiveness of government in addressing social and environmental issues.
4. What happens when the government loses the support of the public?
a. The Vietnam policy of the U.S. government, including the draft, and the shifts in public opinion about the war.
b. John F. Kennedy’s assassination contributed to the loss of idealism.
c. Nixon administration’s involvement in Watergate and the role of the media in exposing the scandal.
d. Constitutional issues raised by Watergate and the effects of Watergate on public opinion.
5. Did America move closer or further away from its founding ideals in the three decades after World War II?
a. How the ideals of liberty, equality, opportunity, rights and democracy were exemplified or contradicted during this
period.
Advanced students will know …
1. Impact of significant Warren Court decisions on personal rights.
2. Impact of Rachel Carson and Silent Spring.
District “Core” Checklist
____ effects of G.I. Bill of Rights on Americans after WWII (esp. on education & standard of living)
____ the “Baby Boom” (from 1946-1964), including its causes, effects, and symbolism of 1950’s
____ changes in the American economy after WWII (and lifestyle changes brought about by those
changes)
____ Brown v. Board of Education decision (overall issue of, historical cause(s) & importance/effects)
____ growth of middle class (causes, effects, growth of suburbs and their symbolism of conformity)
____ conformity v. non-conformity
____ civil disobedience (examples: Rosa Parks, Freedom Riders, lunch counter sit-ins, etc.)
____ philosophies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. (Similarities? Differences?)
____ society’s expectations of women (especially suburban) in the 1950’s (causes, effects,
limitations, and opportunities associated with, etc.)
____ changes in the roles of women (from the 1950’s to the 1960’s)
____ President LBJ’s “Great Society” (main ideas/philosophy, programs, role of government,
effects, etc.)
____ Vietnam War (its causes, main goal of the U.S., domino theory, outcome/effects)
____ effect of the military draft on the public’s support for the Vietnam War
____ beliefs of the “Hawks” and “Doves” during the Vietnam War (reasons/needs for -or against –
involvement)
____ effects of Vietnam and Watergate, especially regarding the public’s trust of the government
____ effects of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident (including debate over use of nuclear energy)
(Note: The chapter numbers correspond to the chapters of the old textbook, The Americans)
Chapter 19: The Postwar Boom
Source: The Americans Power Point Cd-Rom
Overview:
Many Americans enjoy new material comforts (products, luxuries, etc.) and new forms of entertainment during the post-war economic boom. Yet racial gaps remain, and millions continue to live in poverty.
I. Section 1: Postwar America
The Truman and Eisenhower administrations lead the nation to make social, economic, and political adjustments following World War II.
A. Readjustment and Recovery
1. *The Impact of the GI Bill
a. 1944 GI Bill of Rights eases veterans’ return to civilian life
b. Pays partial tuition for college (which allows millions of people to go to college and for
them and their families to have a better standard of living), gives unemployment
benefits and provides loans for housing and creating businesses
1. impact/effects:
“More than any other law passed by Congress, it shaped American society in the
postwar period. Millions of people whose parents or grandparents had never
dreamed of going to college saw they could go. It allowed millions of Americans
to achieve a better standard of living (quality of life) that was generally better
than that enjoyed by their parents.”
2. *Housing Crisis
a. 10 million returning veterans face housing shortage
b. Builders (like William Levitt’s “Levittown”) use assembly-line methods to mass-produce houses
c. Build suburbs—small residential communities around cities
1. growth of the suburbs comes to symbolize the growth of the middle class
2. the “cookie-cutter” similarity of the houses in the suburbs becomes a
symbol of conformity associated with the 1950’s middle-class suburbs
Geographic Distribution of the U.S. Population1950 / 1960 / 1970
Central Cities / 32.3 / 32.6 / 31.4
Suburbs / 23.8 / 30.7 / 37.6
Rural Areas / 43.9 / 36.7 / 31.0
Source: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/module_pop_resource.php?module_id=543&resource_id=1201
Questions to Think About
1. How did the geographic distribution of the U.S. population change after 1950?
2. What factors encouraged this shift?
The cartoon to the left :
- pokes fun at the housing developments of the 1950s that gave Americans the “cookie-cutter“ homes and
neighborhoods they craved.
Question: According to the cartoon, what was one negative aspect of postwar suburban developments?
The image to the right:
- shows a new suburban development of houses.
Question: What is conformity? Can you see why suburbs such as this one are referred to as “cookie-cutter” homes and how they
became symbolic of the conformity of the 1950’s?
Quote at the bottom (of the cartoon: “I’m Mrs. Edward M. Barnes. Where do I live?”
Source: The Americans EasyPlanner CD-ROM
3. Redefining the Family
a. Tensions from changed gender roles during war increase divorce rate
1. many women unhappy about being forced back into the “woman stays-at-home” role
4. Economic Readjustment
a. Over 1 million defense (military) industry workers laid off; wages drop for many workers
b. Price controls end; 25% increase in cost of scarce consumer goods (inflation)
c. Congress reestablishes price, wage, rent controls
5. Remarkable Recovery
a. People have savings, pay from being in the service, & war bonds; begin to buy large amounts
of goods and products that they were not able to have during the Great Depression and WWII
b. Cold War keeps defense spending up; foreign aid creates markets for American industries
c. *overall, the 1950’s has a stronger economy and greater prosperity in comparison
to the situation before World War II
B. Meeting Economic Challenges
1. Truman Faces Strikes
a. 1946, higher prices, lower wages lead 4.5 million to strike
b. Truman has govt. take control over mines, threatens to take over railroads
c. Threatens to draft workers into the military; unions give in
C. Social Unrest Persists
1. Truman Supports Civil Rights
a. African Americans, especially veterans, demand more civil rights as citizens
b. Congress rejects civil rights laws; Truman issues executive orders:
1. integrates armed forces (no more segregation in them); ends discrimination in
government hiring
2. The 1948 Election
a. Southern Democrats—Dixiecrats—protest civil rights, form own party
b. Truman calls special session; asks Congress for social legislation
c. Congress refuses; Truman fights back
1. shows how split the nation is becoming regarding the issue of civil rights (even
members of the same political party cannot agree)
3. Stunning Upset
a. Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey in close political upset
1. the photo below shows Truman holding a newspaper that had been printed and
distributed too early; it said that he had lost!
b. Democrats regain control of Congress, lose some Southern states
Source: http://deweydefeatstruman.com/
4. The Fair Deal
a. Truman’s Fair Deal is ambitious economic program, includes:
1. higher minimum wage, flood control projects, low-income housing
b. Congress passes parts of Fair Deal
D. Republicans Take the Middle Road
1. I Like Ike!
a. Truman’s approval rating drops over Korean War, McCarthyism
1. decides not to run for reelection
b. former WWII general Dwight D. Eisenhower wins; Republicans narrowly take over Congress
2. Walking the “Middle of the Road” (being “moderate” on the political spectrum)
a. Eisenhower conservative about money but liberal on social issues
b. Ike tries to avoid civil rights movement, which is gaining strength
c. On economy, he works for balanced budget (govt. spending = revenues) & tax cut
d. Pushes social legislation, new Dept. of Health, Education, Welfare
e. his popularity soars; is reelected in 1956
II. Section 2: The American Dream in the Fifties
During the 1950s, the economy booms, and many Americans enjoy material comfort.
A. The Organization and the Organization Man
1. Employment in the U.S.
a. By 1956, majority of Americans not in “blue-collar” (industrial) jobs
b. More in higher-paying, “white-collar” (office, professional) positions
c. Many in services, like sales, advertising, insurance, communications
2. Social Conformity
a. Many employees with well-paid, secure jobs lose individuality (feel like a “number”, not a
valued, individual worker/person)
b. Personality tests see if job candidates fit in company culture (conformity)
c. Companies reward teamwork, loyalty, encourage conformity
B. The Suburban Lifestyle
1. The Baby Boom
a. in 1950s, 85% of new homes built in suburbs
b. from 1945–1965 * “baby boom”—soaring birth rate after soldiers return
1. *was a massive increase in the number of children born
2. becomes symbolic of the 1950’s
Source: The Americans EasyPlanner CD-ROM
1. Just think of the impact that this generation will have on the nation’s economy, resources, etc.
2. This group is beginning to retire and that is putting a huge strain on Social Security (bankruptcy?).
2. *Women’s Roles
a. Magazines, TV, movies glorify role of homemaker, mother
b. Over 1/5 of suburban wives dissatisfied with their lives
c. 1960, 40% mothers work; society’s expectations limited opportunities for women
1. less pay than men
Visual: Stereotypical gender roles of the 1950’s.
http://kayleehardman.blogspot.com/2009/03/controversial-ads.htmlhttp://kayleehardman.blogspot.com/2009/03/controversial-ads.html
Source: http://kayleehardman.blogspot.com/2009/03/controversial-ads.html
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4. Leisure in the Fifties
a. Shorter work week, paid vacation, labor-saving devices free up time
b. People have time for recreational activities, spectator sports
c. Book, magazine, comic book sales climb rapidly
C. The Automobile Culture
1. Automania
a. Cheap, plentiful gas, easy credit, advertising increase car sales
b. No public transit in suburbs; cars are necessary
2. The Interstate Highway System
a. Local, state roads link cities, suburbs to schools, shops, work
b. Interstate Highway Act—nationwide highway network unites country
c. Highways enable long-haul trucking, new towns, family vacations
d. Towns near highways prosper; those near older, smaller roads decline
e. This network of roads helped our nation’s economy to grow even faster
1. linked workers, employers, natural resources, factories, consumers, producers, sellers,
etc. and allowed for faster movement of people and goods
Visual: The following map shows the interstate highway system design as of 1955.
3. Mobility Takes Its Toll
a. Auto boom stimulates new businesses—e.g. drive-in movies
b. Cars create social, environmental problems—e.g. accidents, pollution
c. Upper-, middle-class whites leave cities; jobs, businesses follow
d. Economic gulf (differences) widens between suburban and urban
1. also widens gap between middle class and the poor
D. Consumerism Unbound
1. New Products
a. 60% of Americans in middle class; twice as many as before WW II
b. Consumerism (buying material goods) equated with success (definitely exists today!)
c. Numerous new products appear on market in response to demand
2. Planned Obsolescence
a. Planned obsolescence—making products that get outdated, wear out
1. makes consumers buy or want to buy new ones (still exists today!)
a. How many versions of the I-Pad, I-Phone, and I-Pod have there already been?
b. just look at these cell phones
3. Buy Now, Pay Later
a. Credit purchases, credit cards, installments extend payment period
b. Private debt grows (still exists today); consumers confident of future prosperity