THE 1950 s THE POSTWAR YEARS AT HOME

THE 1950’s THE POSTWAR YEARS AT HOME

Eisenhower and the 1950’s

The Postwar Economy • People were eager to get the things that they had been missing since the Depression • Per capita income: average income person doubled in the 1950’s • Conglomerates: large corporation that owns many smaller companies – Grew out of fear learned during the Depression – If one area of the economy failed, investments in another area would be safe

The Post War Economy • Conversion to peacetime economy – Prices soared 25% when restrictions were lifted. – Strikes affected nearly everyone. • Taft-Hawley Act: workers must return to work while government investigated strikes in major industries • Fair Deal: Truman’s proposals to improve conditions for all – Continuation of New Deal Programs – Most programs were rejected by the Congress

Business Changes • Franchise: right to open a restaurant using a parent company’s name and system – Mc. Donald’s was the first franchise – Allowed an individual to begin a business with a small cash investment and enjoy the support of a huge parent corporation • Television: raised money to broadcast by selling advertising time – Companies benefited by persuading viewers to buy their products – In 1955, the average American family watched 4 -5 hours per day

Highways Change Life • New services: drive-in restaurants and movies, hotels & more gas stations • Move to the suburbs – GI Bill provided low interest mortgages to soldiers – Levittown: pre-cut & pre-assembled houses that were almost identical • Interstate Highway Act: government built an interstate highway system – Provided a network of new roads for evacuation from a nuclear attack

Movie Time… Clip from Blast from the Past…life in a atomic bomb shelter https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=8 e 5 OFj. F 56 U

Minority Rights

Demands for Civil Rights • Brown v. Board of Education: ruled that separate but equal can never be equal. – Outlawed segregation in public schools – Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson • Montgomery Bus Boycott: African Americans refused to use the busses – Introduced nonviolent protest practices – Produced a new generation of leaders • Little Rock Integration: conflict erupted when Central High School was integrated in 1957 – State government refused to follow Court ruling – Eisenhower called in National Guard to carry out order