THE PARADOX OF THE AMERICAN CHARACTER Analyze the conflicting elements of consensus and dissent in America during the late 1940s-1950s Political consensus the election of 1950 Joe McCarthy He made sweeping accusations, employed guilt by association and documents out of context McCarthys Senate hearings created an atmosphere of conformity and fear Whittaker Chambers Alger Hiss HUAC created in 1945 to root out communism during the "Red Scare" after WWII that lasted into the mid-1950s Hiss denied being a Communist agent in the 1930s but was convicted of perjury in 1950 and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed for allegedly giving atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets. Both were avowed communists. The Red Scare American Fears -- Paranoia regarding communism and its sympathizers plus nuclear war. Culture reflected these fears: movies such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, and They Duck and Cover Social consensus Servicemens Readjustment Act Servicemens Readjustment Act of 1944 sent millions of veterans to school. The Baby Boom Between 1946 and 1961, 63.5 million babies were born Between 1931 and 1946, only 41.5 million born Suburbanization Grew 6X faster than cities in 1950s. Resulted from increased car production, white flight from urban areas due to black migration. The Cult of Domesticity The concept of a womans place being in the home was widespread in magazines, TV, and society in general. TV shows: Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver /watch?v=Sam9wP_uM EA Economic Abundance between Americans enjoyed about 40% of worlds wealth despite accounting for only 6% of population. Americans bought cars, gadgets for their homes, vacations, etc. in unprecedented numbers Economic Abundance between TV Sets owned 1 Million-42 Mil Automobile Registrations Million Home Ownership 24 Million-33 Million Enrollment in US School 5,000-10,000 high school 21,000-33,000 elementary Median Family Income 3,100-5,700$ per year Savings Accounts 2.5 Billion-24 Billion Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial times to 1970 Dissent in the 1950s Rebelliousness in film Angst of American youth reflected by movie stars Marlon Brando and James Dean Movie stars became icons for disaffected youth. Rebel Without a Cause om/watch?v=u7hZ9jKr wvo&feature=related Streetcar Named Desire om/watch?v=S1A0p0 F_iH8 Art: Abstract expressionism Artists attempted spontaneous expression of their subjectivity using splattered paint and color field painting. Jackson Pollock, Willem deKooning, and Mark Rothko. deos/249 The Beat generation (beatniks) - late 1950s Group of young men Rebelled against the conformity and conservatism of middleclass America alienated by 20th-century life. Jack Kerouac: On the Road became the "bible" for restless youth. Other prominent figures included Allen Ginsburg who wrote "Howl" in 1956. Jack Kerouac Allen Ginsberg ePoem.do?poemId=1548 Rock n Roll Rock n Roll became the music of the younger generation and emphasized the increasing generation gap between youth and their parents. Analyze the conflicting elements of consensus and dissent in America during the late 1940s-1950s Assessment: Analogy Creation To see the American Character repeat itself from era to era take 6 items of content from the presentation and find a similar aspect from a different era on American History. Choose 3 items describing consensus and 3 items for dissent. Each comparison should have a short write up describing the similarity.