Chapter 20Section 2The Affluent Society

The Eisenhower Era In 1952 America chose Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, to

be president Eisenhower cut billions of dollars form the federal budget in his

first year alone Social Security, minimum wage and unemployment benefits

were expanded He established the Department of Health, Education and

Welfare with Texan Oveta Culp Hobby.Oveta Culp Hobby. Eisenhower also supported the largest increase in educational

spending up to that time {This approach to politics that Eisenhower described as

“conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings” became known as Modern Modern Republicanism} Republicanism}

But funding for all of these programs did not fit into Eisenhower’s plan to balance the federal budget, during his years in office the federal debt grew by about 9% (went up to $291 billion)

Changes in the Workplace

For most Americans the 1950’s was a time of prosperity, about 60% of Americans were earning a middle class income

Factories were also responsible for changes for the American worker

{Companies began to introduce machines that could perform faster and more efficiently than humans. In a process called automation,automation, }productivity increased but the number of blue collar jobs decreased

But as the number of blue collar jobs decreased, professional and service jobs increased

Factories needed managers and clerical workers to run the factories, these workers became known as white collar workers

{More jobs opened in retail sales, secretarial work and teaching. These became known as pink collarpink collar workers because they were held mainly by women}

Suburban Migration

With all the newly prosperous Americans, a move from the hectic cities to the quiet suburbs ensued

Suburban growth also expanded because urban developers were able to keep costs low by using the same floor plan to build most of the houses in the community

{The Highway Act Highway Act of 1956 also helped by expanding the nations highway systems to allow suburbanites to commute to jobs in the city faster}

{Also, the people who postponed getting married or starting families because of WWII started making A LOT of babies.

This enormous increase of the birth rate became known as the baby boom}baby boom}

The Golden Age of Television One of the most popular family activities was watching TV

together {After WWII, the televisiontelevision came to have more influence over

advertising that the newspapers and radios combined.} Many times companies would sponsor entire shows in

exchange for the stars promoting their products Television grew in popularity but in was a poor reflection of

reality. Poverty, working women and ethnic minorities were rarely ever

seen (and by rarely they mean never) {When minorities were shown, it was usually in a way that

reinforced stereotypes, like in the show Amos and Andy.Amos and Andy. To many viewers the characters represented white stereotypes

of the African American community. After the NAACP started to protest the show, it was cancelled

and in 1966 all the reruns were banned from being shown}

Teenagers and Pop Culture

The youth of America found meaning in literature and films that featured disgruntled rebels that were disgusted with the hypocrisy of the adult world

Some adults found the language and the message of these forums offensive and demanded that they be banned

{Many parents believed that reading The Catcher in the Rye, or MAD magazine or watching the movie Rebel Without a Cause would turn their teens to a lifestyle of juvenile delinquencyjuvenile delinquency or antisocial behavior by the young}

{Teenagers also escaped from the conformity of suburbia through a new genre of music that reworked rhythm and blues called rock ‘n’ roll} rock ‘n’ roll}

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Elvis PresleyElvis Presley emerged as rock’s leading talents Many adults did not like rock music, they believed that it

promoted antisocial behavior and that is was immoral Rock ‘n’ Roll also upset some because it challenged racial

segregation African American artists such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry

and Fats Domino, as well as Hispanic performers like Ritchie Valens, influenced early rock ‘n’ roll

White “rockers” like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly shared the airways and often the stage with noted black artists

This breaking down of racial barriers was just a precognitive view of what was to come