Societal Issues in Postwar America

1945 – 1990

Ike and the Underpinnings of

Change• Ike elected 1952 Ike elected 1952

against Stevenson against Stevenson – Start of “solid south” Start of “solid south”

breakup breakup – Nixon VP Nixon VP

McCarthy: Red Chase• McCarthy really takes off

– Accuses 205 State Department employees of being Communists

• Gets rid of some of our top Asia employees, hurts us later

Jim Crow at 80• Through the early 1900’s Through the early 1900’s

Jim Crow still around Jim Crow still around • Only 20% of Blacks voted Only 20% of Blacks voted • Lynchings, other crimes Lynchings, other crimes

were unpunished were unpunished

Segregation Map

Brown• NAACP works through courts NAACP works through courts

to break down segregation to break down segregation

• Brown v. Board cBrown v. Board challenged hallenged schools ability to separate schools ability to separate racesraces

– 9 – 0 ruling over turns 9 – 0 ruling over turns Plessy, Plessy,

• ““Separate but Equal is Separate but Equal is Unequal”Unequal”

– SC able to reshape SC able to reshape SocietySociety

– Thurgood Marshall and Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Hill play role in Oliver Hill play role in getting case heardgetting case heard

White Flight

• As African As African Americans Americans started to started to move to move to cities, whites cities, whites moved from moved from the cities to the cities to the suburbsthe suburbs.

Reaction to Brown

• Nothing happened Nothing happened – With regard to immediate With regard to immediate

desegregation desegregation

• South refused to comply South refused to comply – Declaration of Constitutional Declaration of Constitutional

PrinciplesPrinciples– Massive Resistance Massive Resistance

• Front Royal, Fairfax Front Royal, Fairfax

Montgomery Bus Boycott: Reaction to Rosa

• 1955 - 1956

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Peaceful protests Peaceful protests • Works to get equal Works to get equal

treatment treatment • Starts Southern Starts Southern

Christian Christian Leadership Leadership ConferenceConference– Helps locally Helps locally

Little Rock 1957: Reaction to Brown

• Gov. Faubus blocks students Gov. Faubus blocks students from entering high school from entering high school

• Ike sends in troopsIke sends in troops

Reaction to Brown

• Civil Rights Act 1957Civil Rights Act 1957– Civil Rights Civil Rights

CommissionCommission– No teeth No teeth

• ““sit-in” movement sit-in” movement launched (1960)launched (1960)

• Student Non-Violent Student Non-Violent Coordinating Coordinating Committee (SNCC)Committee (SNCC)– Stokely Carmichael Stokely Carmichael – Focused on Black Focused on Black

Power Power

A Changing Nation

1948-1960

A Changing Nation • Ike cuts gov’t spending Ike cuts gov’t spending • Cuts back on illegal Mexican immigration Cuts back on illegal Mexican immigration • Keeps many New Deal programs Keeps many New Deal programs • Institutes Interstate Highway Act Institutes Interstate Highway Act

– Helps incur huge deficitsHelps incur huge deficits

Technology grows economy

• White collar jobs out # Blue collar

Transistor

Computers

$45,000 computer, required a month to assemble

IBM

Aerospace

Women TV/Reality Split

• More Women More Women are entering are entering the workplace the workplace

• About 33%About 33%• TV show TV show

women as women as house wives house wives

Betty Friedan’s – The Feminine Mystique

• Starts 2Starts 2ndnd wave of feminine movement wave of feminine movement

• Hypothesis: Women can gain life Hypothesis: Women can gain life meaning though work not just child meaning though work not just child bearing bearing

TV and Hollywood explodes in popularityTelevangelists

Sports

Marilyn Monroe

Grace Kelly: Said to have “sexual elegance”

Billy Graham

Breaking Norms

• Elvis – Rock and Elvis – Rock and Roll: shows shift in Roll: shows shift in sexuality, music sexuality, music – Traditionalists Traditionalists

shocked shocked

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6886637351013581096&q=Elvis+The+Milton+Berle+Show&total=16&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Religious RevivalReligious RevivalHollywoodHollywood: apex of the biblical epics.: apex of the biblical epics.

It’s un-American to be un-religious!It’s un-American to be un-religious!

-- -- The Christian CenturyThe Christian Century, 1954, 1954

The Robe The Ten Commandments Ben HurThe Robe The Ten Commandments Ben Hur 1953 1956 19591953 1956 1959

Teen CultureTeen CultureBehavioral Rules of the Behavioral Rules of the

1950s:1950s:• Obey AuthorityObey Authority

• Control EmotionsControl Emotions

• Conform Conform

• Don’t Think About SexDon’t Think About Sex

Teen CultureTeen Culture“Juvenile Delinquency” ???

Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando inin

The Wild OneThe Wild One (1953)(1953)

James Dean James Dean ininRRebel Without a ebel Without a

CauseCause (1955) (1955)

1951 1951 J. D. Salinger’s J. D. Salinger’s A Catcher in the RyeA Catcher in the Rye

Teen CultureTeen CultureThe “Beat” GenerationThe “Beat” Generation::

• Counter-Culture movement taking its Counter-Culture movement taking its cues from the 1920s cues from the 1920s

• See first cultural acceptance of Drugs, See first cultural acceptance of Drugs, and Homosexuality and Homosexuality

““BeatniBeatnik”k”

““Clean” Clean” TeenTeen

http://www.nndb.com/

The Heart of the Beats

• Jack Kerouac On The Road– "Because the only people for me are the

mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved." --Sal Paradise Narrator of “On the Road”

The Culture of the CarThe Culture of the Car Car registrations: 1945 Car registrations: 1945 25,000,000 25,000,000 1960 1960 60,000,000 60,000,000

2-family cars doubles from 1951-19582-family cars doubles from 1951-1958

1956 1956 Interstate Highway ActInterstate Highway Act largest largest public works project in American public works project in American history! history!

• Cost $32 billion.Cost $32 billion.

• 41,000 miles of new highways built.41,000 miles of new highways built.

1959 Chevy 1959 Chevy CorvetteCorvette

1958 Pink 1958 Pink CadillacCadillac

Consumer Culture

ConsumerismConsumerism1950 1950 Introduction of the Diner’s Card Introduction of the Diner’s Card

All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter. -- Life -- Life Magazine (May, 1958) Magazine (May, 1958)

Critics of Society

Galbraith questions relation between private wealth and public good

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Wilson searches for purpose in a world dominated by Business

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Riesman takes a sociological look at society and talks about different personality types

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Whyte discusses the conformist in a corporate organization

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Writing

• Hemingway and Steinbeck – Realism

• Joseph Heller – Suffering of War

• Authors exposed problems of US society – Updike, Cheever, Vidal

• Poetry reflects emotions of war – Lowell, Sexton, Berryman

• Searching for values – Williams, Miller

• Underside of middle class life – Albee and Hansberry

• Southern and Jewish – Faulkner and Salinger

Well-Defined Gender Roles Well-Defined Gender Roles

The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. -- Life magazine, 1956 MarilynMarilyn

MonroeMonroe

The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955

1956 William H. Whyte, Jr. The Organization Man

• a middle-class, white uburban male is the ideal.

Well-Defined Gender Roles

Well-Defined Gender RolesChanging Sexual BehaviorChanging Sexual Behavior::

Alfred Kinsey:Alfred Kinsey: 1948 1948 Sexual Behavior in the HumanSexual Behavior in the Human Male Male 1953 1953 Sexual Behavior in the Human Sexual Behavior in the Human Female Female

• Premarital sex was common.

• Extramarital affairs were frequent among married couples.

Kinsey’s results are an assault on the Kinsey’s results are an assault on the family family as a basic unit of society, a negation of as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness.licentiousness. -- -- LifeLife magazine, early 1950s magazine, early 1950s

Makes Makes Claims Claims like…like…

“Let the word go forth from this

time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans”

JFK – 1961

Kennedy and a New Kennedy and a New Spirit Spirit

• Sexual Revolution – starts with creation of “the Pill”

• Civil Rights • Youth Culture –

continues/grows • Feminist Revolution – Friedan • New Frontier

– Social Reforms • Medical and educational

programs– Maintain inflation keep

economy good– Cuts taxes – stimulates

economy – Project to land on Moon– Peace Corp

Civil Rights in High GearCivil Rights in High Gear• 1960’s marks high tide of

Rights Era – JFK urges Voter Education

Program– Desegregation continues

painfully •Meredith with troops

forcefully into Uni. of Miss.

March on Washington March on Washington • MLK jr. gives famous “I have a Dream”

speech

MLK jr. starts peaceful protests

• March on Washington 1963 Impacts – Non-violent protest works – Public opinion swayed– TV Impacts – Helps get Civil Rights and Voting

Rights Act Passed – Civil Rights movement provides a

model for other groups to gain rights.

Assassination of Kennedy Assassination of Kennedy • Nov. 22, 1963 – Kennedy killed Dallas, Texas

– Causes internal problems; protests, escalation of Vietnam

Johnson is Sworn in Johnson is Sworn in

Civil Rights Under Civil Rights Under Johnson Johnson

• Works to Civil and Voting Rights Acts – Civil Rights Act 1964

•Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and gender

•Desegregated public places– Voting Rights Act 1965

•Outlawed literacy tests•Federal registrars sent to South register voters

•Increases African-American Voters

Rise of the African Rise of the African American VoteAmerican Vote

Johnson Beats Barry Goldwater 1964

• Goldwater was…– Anti-New Deal – Militant Anti-Communist– Fiscal Conservative – Many Republicans consider him too

conservative – “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.

And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

The Great Society The Great Society • Plan to eliminate Poverty Plan to eliminate Poverty • Equal Employment Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission Opportunity Commission • Office of Economic Office of Economic

Opportunity Opportunity • Department of Department of

Transportation Transportation • H.U.D. H.U.D. • Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid • Immigration and Immigration and

Nationality ActNationality Act• Head Start Program Head Start Program • 2424thth Amendment - No Amendment - No

poll taxes poll taxes

Civil Rights Turns Civil Rights Turns ViolentViolent

• Black Panthers – Started by Huey

Newton and Bobby Seale

– Abandons peaceful protests

Black Power becomes the call:

Whites threaten retaliation

Leaders Killed Malcolm X 1965 - MLK jr.

1968

1960’s large number of youths rebel

Protest against values, beliefs

Poets echo this as do movies

Free Speech Movement starts at UC Berkeley

Demand for Free Political Speech on Campus

Helps begin Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Sex, Drugs, and Rock and RollRoll

Woodstock – August 1969

Reasons for Rebellion Reasons for Rebellion

• Attributed to the 3 P’s Attributed to the 3 P’s – Youthful Population (Boomers)Youthful Population (Boomers)– Protests against racism and war Protests against racism and war – Prosperity Prosperity

• Counterculture weakens Counterculture weakens Traditional American values, ideas, Traditional American values, ideas, and beliefs of the time and beliefs of the time

Roe vs. Wade (1973)

Supreme Court Supreme Court

• Court Protects peoples’ rights enumerated in the Constitution

• Court can invalidate Acts and Executive actions that exceed the Constitutions Authority

1970’s1970’s•Economy Stagnates Why?

Nixon Era of Change

• Expands Great Society– Increases Medicare,

Medicaid, SSI • Affirmative Action

– Preferential treatment for groups •SC Griggs vs. Duke

Power Co. (1971) supports this

•University of California Regents v. Bakke (1978)

EnvironmenEnvironmentt

• EPA – Helped by Rachel

Carson – Silent Spring

• Occupational Health and Safety Administration

• Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act

Love Canal

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Election Election 19721972

• Nixon wins re-election over McGovern

• However, 5 men working for CREEP caught breaking into Watergate building (Dem HQ)

WatergateWatergate• Illegal use of FBI,

CIA • Find taped

conversations• VP Agnew resigns –

tax evasion – Ford becomes VP

(25th)

Saturday Night Massacre

• Cox, the special prosecutor, issues subpoena for tapes, gets fired, attorney general and deputy general resign; won’t fire Cox

Watergate

• SC rules Nixon must turn over tapes

• House starts impeachment proceedings

• Nixon releases the tapes Aug. 5th 1974– Resigns the 8th – Ford becomes

president • Issues pardon for

Nixon – saves country

1970’s• As the decade goes on the country continues to

face many problems – Another oil crisis – Sky rocketing inflation– A president who blames US problems on the

American citizens

In the In the end…end…• Many have

equated the 1970s as the hangover from the 1960s

• But in the 30 years since the end of WWII the country has become a vastly different place.

1950’s ↑

1987 ↓