The 1950s saw postwar economic adjustment and consumerism in America. The economy shifted from wartime to peacetime production causing unemployment and inflation initially. Truman's policies helped expand social programs. The GI Bill helped millions of veterans attend college or receive job training. America entered a period of economic growth and suburban expansion fueled by consumerism. Television became a new mass media that transformed popular culture and family life. Despite overall prosperity, many lived in poverty, especially non-whites and inner city residents.

1. Life in the 1950’s

2. TheThe
19501950ss

3. Rank Male name
Percent of
total males Female name
Percent of
total 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%

4. 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
– inflationinflation
• prices going up, salaries notprices going up, salaries not
– salaries decreasingsalaries decreasing

5. Truman’s Fair Deal programTruman’s Fair Deal program
• increased minimum wageincreased 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 healthtried to create national health
insurance, but failedinsurance, but failed

6. 1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill1944 - Congress passes the G.I. Bill
“Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”“Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”
• provides education, jobprovides education, job
training, low interest loanstraining, low interest loans
for veteransfor veterans
• Helped veterans re-adjustHelped veterans re-adjust
to civilian lifeto civilian life

7. Space Race andSpace Race and
EducationEducation
•Increased focus on
math and science
in schools

8. 1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks color
barrier in Major League Baseballbarrier in Major League Baseball

9. Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948Integration of the U.S. Military - 1948
• Executive OrderExecutive Order
99819981
– Gallup polls in 1948Gallup polls in 1948
showed 82 percentshowed 82 percent
of Americansof Americans
disagreed with hisdisagreed with his
civil rights programcivil rights program
– Truman faced anTruman faced an
uphill battleuphill battle
integrating theintegrating the
military.military.

10. Election of 1948Election of 1948
• Democratic Party
splits causing a very
close election
• Dixiecrats
– Southern Democrats
against Truman
• Truman - 49.5%,
Dewey - 45% of the
vote

11. 1948 Election1948 Election

13. 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

14. • more and more “white collar” jobs
– sales/management positions
• franchises form

15. • conglomerates form
– large corporation that owns a number of
smaller companies
• Emphasize
– Loyalty
– Sameness
• loss of individuality

16. 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"

17. Consumerism/
Consumption

21. 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

28. Effects???

29. LevittownsLevittowns
• William LevittWilliam Levitt
reduces housingreduces housing
shortageshortage
• starts suburbsstarts suburbs
– LevittownsLevittowns
– Housing areaHousing area
outside the cityoutside the city

38. Medical AdvancesMedical Advances
Dr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine, 1955

40. 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

41. 0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
7000000
8000000
1933 1940 1948 1950 1955
car sales
CAR SALES 1933-1955

42. The Culture of the
Car
First McDonald’sFirst McDonald’s
(1955)(1955)
Drive-InDrive-In
MoviesMovies
HowardHoward
Johnson’sJohnson’s

44. Eisenhower’s Federal HighwayEisenhower’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

46. • Where is this?
• I10 and DeZavala
in 1966
http://www.onthemoveblog.com/2010/04/my-days-at-the-txdot-photo-archive/

50. 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 Graham
One of first to use TV

51. 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

53. 10” screen
in 2002 would cost
$3,758
12” screen
in 2002 would
cost $5,386
20” screen
in 2002 would
cost $19,336
1948 Television sizes and prices

55. 1959 COLOR
TV WOULD
COST $3291
IN 2002

56. Television transforms
American life

57. • 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

58. Several Categories of ProgrammingSeveral Categories of Programming

59. Suburban Living:
The Typical TV Suburban
Families
The DonnaThe Donna
Reed ShowReed Show
1958-19661958-1966
Leave ItLeave It
to Beaverto Beaver
1957-19631957-1963
FatherFather Knows BestKnows Best
1954-19581954-1958
The Ozzie & Harriet ShowThe Ozzie & Harriet Show
1952-19661952-1966

60. Variety ShowsVariety Shows
• Ed Sullivan
Show

61. ComedyComedy
””I Love Lucy”I Love Lucy”

62. The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners

64. Kid Shows
• Mickey Mouse Club

65. • Howdy Doody

66. The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger

67. Davy CrockettDavy Crockett

69. 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

70. Led by movie idols
James Dean, Marlon Brando

71. Fear of Juvenile Delinquency
1950’s
movies which
reinforced
the idea there
was an
epidemic of
juvenile
violence

72. 1950
1951
1955
1956
1957 19581961
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Delinquency
Cases
Juvenile Delinquency Cases per
1,000 population

73. • Discuss with a partner and list five
reasons that kids get in trouble today

75. 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

76. Allen Ginsburg Jack Kerouac

77. ““Beatnik”Beatnik”
““Clean” TeenClean” Teen

78. 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

79. Dick Clark’sDick Clark’s
““AmericanAmerican BandstandBandstand””

80. Chuck Berry
Variety of ArtistsVariety of Artists

81. Little Richard

82. Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis

83. • Bill Haley &
the Comets

84. Elvis-Elvis-“the King”“the King”

85. Elvis sold over 1 billion
albums, singles, and music
videos.

86. • YouTube - Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Mu

87. • Buddy
Holly

88. The Everly Brothers

89. Sam CookeSam Cooke

90. • Richie Valens

91. • YouTube - La Bamba

92. 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?

93. 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

94. • rural poor moves to inner city
• businesses move to suburbs
– inner cities lost jobs
– inner cities decay
Taking a Deeper Look
Reading

95. • 1949-1960’s urban renewal projects begin
– rebuild inner-city to attract businesses/jobs
• tear down old buildings
• build low-income housing

96. “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

97. 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

98. Bracero Reading
• 56 Left