10 th American History Unit IV- A Champion of Democracy

1. 10th American HistoryUnit IV- A Champion of Democracy Chapter 15 – Section 2 Healing the Wounds of War Lecture Notes

2. Life in Post-World War II America (06:43)

3. Healing the Wounds of War • The Main Idea • Following the end of World War II, U.S. military forces—and the rest of the country—faced the challenge of returning to life during peacetime. • Reading Focus • What was life like in America after World War II? • What happened in politics in postwar America? • How did the United States and other countries try to build a better world after the war?

4. Life in America after World War II • Some experts worried • The nearly 12 million men and women who had been serving in the armed forces were returning to civilian life. • The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 • The demand for consumer goods. • Labor unions. • Racial minorities.

6. G.I. Bill- Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

7. Life in America after World War II • The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 was better known as the GI Bill. • The bill helped veterans transition to civilian life. The GI Bill • Demand for consumer goods rose sharply. • Returning vets built houses. • A baby boom. Increased Demand

8. Revolutionary War Veterans' benefits- life-long pensions for disabled veterans and dependents of soldiers killed in battle. War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Indian wars, and the Spanish-American War Benefits- common type was "mustering out" pay. Also land grants to vets. Rehabilitation Act of 1919 veterans disabled in World War I a monthly education assistance allowance June 22, 1944- "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944," or"GI Bill of Rights.” education and training loan guaranty for a home, farm, or business unemployment pay of $20 a week for up to 52 weeks job-finding assistance top priority for building materials for VA hospitals military review of dishonorable discharges World War II veteran had to serve 90 days or more after Sept. 16, 1940. Total cost of the World War II education program was $14.5 billion $500 a year for tuition, books, fees, and other training costs. 2,230,000 in college 3,480,000 in other schools 1,400,000 in on-job training 690,000 in farm training G.I. Bill of Rights

9. Korean Conflict GI Bill Public Law 550, the "Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952, " was approved by President Truman on July 16, 1952. To be eligible for Korean GI Bill benefits, a veteran had to: serve 90 days or more after June 27, 1950, enter service before Feb. 1, 1955, and receive an other than dishonorable discharge. Total cost of the Korean Conflict GI Bill education and training program was $4.5 billion. 1,213,000 in institutions of higher learning 860,000 in other schools 223,000 on the job 95,000 in institutional on-farm training Post-Korean - Vietnam Era GI Bill Home and farm loans, job counseling, and an employment placement service were other benefits provided to veterans, who served between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. Veterans had to serve more than 180 continuous days. By 1984 Veterans were receiving about $376/month for education- training, books and tuition. VA spent more than $42 billion during this time to provide educational assistance. 5.1 million in colleges 2.5 million in other schools 591,000 on the job 56,000 in on farm training G.I. Bill of Rights

10. Current Montgomery GI Bill--Active Duty (MGIB): To help the members of the Armed Forces adjust to civilian life after separation from service To give those who cannot afford a higher education the chance to get one To restore lost educational opportunities and vocational readjustment to service members who lost these opportunities as the result of their active military duty To promote and assist the All-Volunteer Force program of the Armed Forces To aid in the retention of personnel in the Armed Forces To enhance our Nation's competitiveness through the development of a more highly educated and productive work force The following briefly summarizes major MGIB provisions: Served on active duty after June 30, 1985. Must fulfill one's basic service obligation. Must have completed high school. Received an honorable discharge. Maximum entitlement is 36 months. Additional "kicker" as determined by DOD. Generally must use benefits within 10 years following discharge. G.I. Bill of Rights

11. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 "When we were young, we didn't trust anyone over 30. Now that we're over 30, we don't trust anyone at all."

12. Baby Boom • 1946 to 1964.

13. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 • First things first. Why is it called the Baby Boom? Simple, because of a boom in babies! Seventeen million extra babies, in fact. Husbands had just gotten back from World War II and wanted to settle into the old and safe routine that involved hearth, home and children, lots of children. • During the first year of the boom 3.4 million babies arrived — at the time a record number for one year. The rate was about 338,000 a month, 100,000 more a month than the previous year. In 1947 the number increased over 1945 by one million. From 1954 on, over four million little boomers appeared on the scene each year, peaking at 4.3 million in 1957 and finally exhausting itself in 1965, when births fell below four million, where they have stayed. • 1940 - 2,559,000 births per year • 1946 - 3,311,000 births per year • 1955 - 4,097,000 births per year • 1957 - 4,300,000 births per year • 1964 - 4,027,000 births per year • 1974 - 3,160,000 births per year • 38,503,000 women and 38,038,000 men. Sixty one million of us are white. Nine million black, and about six million Hispanic, Asian and Indian. • We account for 31% of the population, a figure that will drop to 20% in a few decades.

14. Baby Boom - 1946-1964 • Symbols of the Baby Boom in Suburbia - 1950 1960 Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs.) 750 1050 Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs.) 320 532 Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars) 53.6 145.2 Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars) 1.0 3.8 Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars) 0.24 1.0 Sales of Encyclopedia (millions of dollars) 72 300 Number of Children age 5-14 (in millions) 24.3 35.5 Number of baseball Little Leagues 776 5,700

15. Baby Boom Years – 2:17 min.

16. Life in America after World War II • During the war, the government prevented labor disputes. • After the war, unions began to seek the increases in wages that were limited during the war. • The number of strikes rose sharply. • In 1947, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act, which greatly reduced the power of labor unions. Labor Unions • Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which ended segregation in the U.S. armed forces. • Hispanic veterans joined together in the American GI Forum. • They worked to gain full access for Hispanic veterans to benefits earned by their service during the war. Racial Minorities

17. Executive Order 9981 • Executive Order No. 9981 issued by President Truman provided for "equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." • This was the first time that a president used an executive order to implement civil rights principles and was a major victory for civil rights advocates in the quest for full citizenship. • Despite these orders, full integration of African Americans in the armed services was carried out slowly. It was not until the end of the Korean conflict that full integration of the armed forces had been achieved.

18. Taft-Hartley Labor Act, 1947 • The act established control of labor disputes on a new basis by enlarging the National Labor Relations Board and providing that the union or the employer must, before terminating a collective-bargaining agreement, serve notice on the other party and on a government mediation service. • The government was empowered to obtain an 80-day injunction against any strike that it deemed a peril to national health or safety. • The act also prohibited jurisdictional strikes (dispute between two unions over which should act as the bargaining agent for the employees) and secondary boycotts (boycott against an already organized company doing business with another company that a union is trying to organize), declared that it did not extend protection to workers on wildcat strikes, • Outlawed the closed shop, and permitted the union shop only on a vote of a majority of the employees. • States were allowed to pass "right-to-work" laws that outlawed union shops.

19. Harry S. Truman: One of America's Most Effective Presidents (02:58)

20. Life in America after World War II • What was life like in America after World War II? • Recall – What was the effect of Executive Order 9981? • Identify Cause and Effect – Why did the U.S. economy boom after World War II? • Predict – What effects will the G.I. Bill’s educational benefits have on the American Economy?

21. 1946 Congressional Elections Many Democrats compared Truman unfavorably to Roosevelt. Republicans began to attack Truman before the 1946 congressional elections. Inflation was a big issue. Republicans gained a majority in Congress, which made it difficult for Truman to put his programs into place. 1948 Presidential Election Truman’s popularity was low and critics didn’t think he could win the election. Southern Democrats didn’t like Truman’s support of civil rights. Truman set off on a whirlwind campaign across the country. Truman won the election. Truman put forward his Fair Deal program. Postwar American Politics

22. President Harry S. Truman • 33rd President 1945-1953 Democrat • Who was Harry Truman? • United Nations • Decision to Drop the Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Controlling the Atom- Atomic Energy Act • Foreign Affairs • Truman Doctrine • European Recovery Plan- (Marshall Plan) • Point Four Program • Korean War • Demoblization and the G.I. Bill • What was the Fair Deal? • "The buck stops here"and "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

23. Election of 1948 and Thomas E. Dewey • Election of 1948-World Issues, shortages, strikes, • Democrat Candidate- Truman - Issues- Repeal Taft-Hartly, Act; Recognize Israel: Strong Civil Rights legislation needed (an issue that split the party); Anti-lynching; Fair employment and end segregation in military. • The upheaval at the July convention led to Democratic splinter-party presidential candidates: J. Strom Thurmond ran on the State's Rights ticket, known more familiarly as the "Dixiecrats," and Henry Wallace ran on the Progressive Ticket- (Convinced that liberals and Communists could work together. Repeal the draft; strong civil rights; cooperate with Russia; ban the bomb.) • Republican Candidate- Dewey - Issues- “Time for a change”; Approved some New Deal policies; and wanted bi-partisan foreign policy

25. Election of 1948 - Truman’s Whistle Stop Campaign July - October 1948 The polls, reporters, political writers - they all believed Dewey was going to win by a landslide. On September 9, 1948, Elmo Roper was so confident of a Dewey win that he announced there would be no further Roper Polls on this election. Roper said, "My whole inclination is to predict the election of Thomas E. Dewey by a heavy margin and devote my time and efforts to other things." Truman was undaunted. He believed that with a lot of hard work, he could get the votes. Though it is usually the contender and not the incumbent that works hard to win the race, Dewey and the Republicans were so confident they were going to win - barring any major faux pas - that they decided to make an extremely low-key campaign. Truman's campaign was based on getting out to the people. While Dewey was aloof and stuffy, Truman was open, friendly, and seemed one with the people. In order to talk to the people, Truman got in his special Pullman car, the Ferdinand Magellan, and traveled the country. In six weeks, Truman traveled approximately 32,000 miles and gave 355 speeches. Truman relentlessly accused the "do-nothing" Republican Congress of failing to meet the needs of the American people, a tirade that served him well with the common voter. "Give 'em hell, Harry" became a battle-cry for the hard-fought, uphill battle of the campaign.

27. The Election • By election day, the polls showed that Truman had managed to cut Dewey's lead, but all media sources still believed Dewey would win by a landslide. • As the reports filtered in that night, Truman was ahead in the popular votes, but the newscasters still believed Truman didn't have a chance. • By four the next morning, Truman's success seemed undeniable. At 10:14 a.m., Dewey conceded the election to Truman. The final results: • PopularStatesElectoral • Harry S. Truman: 24,105,812 28 303 • Thomas E. Dewey: 21,970,065 16 189 • Strom Thurmond: 1,169,021 4 39 • Henry A. Wallace: 1,157,172 0 0

29. Fair Deal • New civil rights legislation • Federal housing programs • Unemployment insurance benefits • New tax cuts for the poor • Federal funding for education • A federal health care and health insurance program • In the end, Truman's attempt to introduce his Fair Deal was largely a failure. Few of his initiatives became law. Congress refused to create a national health care program, did little to reform education (with the exception of the G. I. Bill), extended unemployment benefits only slightly, and put off new civil rights legislation.

30. Harry S. Truman: One of America's Most Effective Presidents (02:58)

31. Politics in Postwar America • What happened in politics in postwar America? • Recall – How did Harry Truman become president? • Explain – Why was Harry Truman unprepared to takeover as President?

32. Politics in Postwar America • Explain – What challenges did Harry Truman face upon becoming president? • Identify – What was the Fair Deal and what became of it? • Contrast – How did the way people in Washington, D.C. perceive Truman differ from the way he was perceived elsewhere?

33. Building a Better World • People had a strong desire to understand and prevent the causes of war after World Wars I and II. • One result was the establishment of the United Nations (UN). • 50 nations met in June 1945 to create the UN Charter. • The Charter committed its members to respect fundamental human rights, respect treaties and agreements, and to promote the progress and freedom of all people. • Member nations agreed to live in peace. • The Charter called for the use of international organizations to promote economic and social advancement.

34. Human Rights The UN established the Commission on Human Rights. In December 1948, the commission presented the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It declared that all human beings are born free and equal. It called for an end to slavery, torture, and inhumane punishment. It demanded a variety of civil rights, including the right to assembly and the right to access the courts. It stated that elementary education should be free and available to all. Trade and Economic Development At a conference in New Hampshire, leaders agreed to create the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The World Bank provided loans and grants to countries for the purpose of reducing poverty. The International Monetary Fund promoted orderly financial relationships between countries. It was designed to prevent economic crises and to encourage trade and economic growth. Another international organization, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade set rules and regulations for international trade. Trying to Build a Better World

36. Trying to Build a Better World • How did the United States and other countries try to build a better world after the war? • Recall – In what instances is force permissable under the United Nations charter? • Make Inferences – Why do you think former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was chosen to head the Commission on Human Rights?