Chapter 27

1. Chapter 27 America at Midcentury 1952-1960

2. 1.) Did President Eisenhower practice the “politics of moderation”? • 2.) Did Eisenhower essentially continue or modify Truman’s containment policy? • 3.) What were the objectives, successes, and failures of the 1950’s civil-rights movement? • 4.) What impact did television and suburbanization have on American life in the 1950’s? Introduction

3. 5.) Were the 1950s a decade of conservatism and conformity? • 6.) How did the discontent of some young people and minorities foreshadow the social ferment to come in the 1960s? Introduction

4. The Eisenhower Presidency • “Dynamic Conservatism” • WWII commander of Allied forces in Western Europe • 1953 became Pres. • Used executive authority with restraint • Seldom took a public role in lawmaking • Delegated responsibility • He could be an active and “ruthless” politician

5. “Dynamic conservatism” • “Modern Republicanism” • Staffed his administration with corporate executives • Business efficiency • Resisted right-wing pleas to dismantle the New and Fair Deals • Tried to restrain further growth of federal activities “Dynamic Conservatism”

6. He did increase federal spending to combat economic recessions in 1953 and 1957 • Interstate Highway Act of 1956 • National Atlas website • Raised the minimum wage • Extended social-security coverage • Created the Dept. Of Health, Education, and Welfare • 1956 he was reelected Dynamic Conservatism

7. Eisenhower did not speak out against McCarthy • 1954--McCarthy/Army hearings • Televised • He accused the army of protecting communist spies • Led to his downfall • Hearings video • The Senate censured him • Media and public ignored him The Downfall of Joseph McCarthy

8. Brown v. Board of Education • 1954 • Racially segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment • Overturned Plessey v. Ferguson • Eisenhower did not back the Brown decision Jim Crow in Court

10. Eisenhower regretted the appointment of Warren • This encouraged southern resistance • White Citizens Councils, KKK, Southern Manifesto all fought school integration • By 1956--no progress toward desegregation made in the South Jim Crown in Court

11. Little Rock, AR Central High School • Sept. 1957 • Gov. Faubus ordered the blockade of the all-white Central High School • Eisenhower ordered the U.S. Army into Little Rock to enforce the desegregation • http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement/videos/little-rock-nine-rev The Laws of the Land

12. By 1960--less than 1% of African-American students in the Deep South attended integrated schools • Eisenhower’s use of troops at Central High raised the hopes of African-Americans • 90% of northern whites approved The Laws of the Land

13. Introduction • July 1953, Korean War armistice was signed • Korea was still divided at the 38th parallel The Cold War Continues

14. Ike and Dulles • John Foster Dulles • Secretary of State • Advocated liberating the Eastern European countries from communism

15. Insisted the West should risk war rather than back down • Eisenhower ignored Dulles’ advise • Ike continued the containment policy Ike and Dulles

16. 1955 Geneva summit conference • Eisenhower tried to achieve “peaceful coexistence” with U.S.S.R. by meeting Soviet leaders • Produced no nuclear-arms control plan • But laid the ground work for future plans Ike and Dulles

17. The U.S. relied increasingly on its nuclear weapons to deter Soviet aggression • MASSIVE RETALIATION • Dulles committed the United States to defending many Third World countries Ike and Dulles

18. Eisenhower’s administration relied more and more on covert actions • Secure anticommunist regimes • Do so by: • Assassinations • Overthrow of govts. • Central Intelligence Agency was in charge of the covert actions CIA Covert Actions

19. The Vietnam Domino • The CIA carried on its most extensive secret operations in Vietnam • Vietnamese overthrow the French • CIA blocked elections to unify the country • Pushed into power the dictator Ngo Dinh Diem

20. Eisenhower claimed Diem had to remain in office to prevent Vietnam’s fall to the Communists • “domino theory” • If one country fell to Communism, then the surrounding countries would fall • Prevent this from happening in Asia The Vietnam Domino

21. Troubles in the Third World • Anti-U.S. demonstrations in Latin America and Japan • Because of Eisenhower’s support for pro-Western dictators • Fidel Castro became the leader in Cuba in 1959

22. Foreign Policy • Positives: • President Eisenhower ended the fighting in Korea • Initiated small steps toward relaxing Soviet-U.S. tensions • Negatives: • Sped up the nuclear-arms race • Expanded the Cold War • Gave the CIA the go-ahead to subvert foreign govts. that the U.S. disliked • Massive Retaliation The Eisenhower Legacy

23. Domestic Legacy • Middle-of-the-road course that pleased neither right-wingers nor liberals • Liberals: • criticized his failure to denounce McCarthy and racism • Conservatives: • Faulted him for not repealing the New and Fair Deals The Eisenhower Legacy

24. Eisenhower left office warning the nation about the growing influence of the “military-industrial complex” over American society The Eisenhower Legacy

25. Introduction • 1950’s the U.S. enjoyed an unprecedented level of prosperity • By 1960--60% of American families owned homes and 75% had cars • There were 3 slight recessions though • Worry developed over a mounting national debt The Affluent Society

26. Increased govt. expenditures accounted for the prosperity and the national debt • Some of the federal $$$ financed public works and other domestic programs • The majority about 10% of the GNP when into military buildup The New Industrial Society

27. The govt. and large corporations also increased spending on scientific research • New technology fueled the growth of the technology industry • Increased automation • Increase in consumer products • Western states profited the most from govt. -financed research and development The New Industrial Society

28. Little attention was paid to the environmental toll was taken by the expanded economic activity • Increase use of petroleum • “warming up the Earth” The New Industrial Society

29. Development of computers was a key aspect of the postwar technological revolution • Mark I calculator in 1944 • Became a billion-dollar business • Transformed the U.S. economy and way of life The Age of Computers

31. Most Americans ignored the dangers of these toxic substances to the environment • 1962 Rachel Carson wrote about the dangers in Silent Spring • In the late 1960s and 1970s states and federal govts. begin to ban the use of DDT The Costs of Bigness

32. Consumerism increased • Rising purchasing power • Expanding credit • Advertising • 1950’s==58 million cars were purchased • Improved mobility • Contributed to increased highway fatalities, air pollution, and the movement of whites to suburbs Prosperity and the Suburbs

33. Growth of suburbs • Govt. highway building • Loans • Tax credits • Allowed city dwellers to purchase homes in the suburbs • Construction industry built 2 million new home • 85% of them in suburbs • 20 million Americans moved to the suburbs • By 1960--suburban population of the U.S. equaled that of the central cities Prosperity and the Suburbs

34. Movement of people from Northeast to the Sun Belt states • 1963--CA became the state with the largest population • By 1980--more Americans lived in the South and West than in the North and East • This would boost the # of conservatives and help the Republicans Prosperity and the Suburbs

35. Togetherness and the Baby Boom • 1950s Americans married younger • Largest population growth in any decade • Increased birthrate • Medical advances cut infant mortality • By 1960, 1/3 of the population was under 14 years old • “Baby boomers” • Childcare became important • Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care • Dr. Benjamin Spock • Best seller • Women need to be stay-at-home moms Consensus and Conservatism

36. Women were most content when they fulfilled their “natural” roles of wife, mother, and homemaker • Fewer men attend college than men • Almost 2/3s dropped out before graduating • Numbers of working women began to grow • 1/3 of labor force • Low-paying, dead-end positions Domesticity

37. Renewed interest in religion • Popularity of films and books with religious themes • Growing church attendance • Inclusion of the “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance • Inclusion of “In God We Trust” on currency Religion and Education

38. The Culture of the Fifties • American fiction favored personal issues of alienated characters • Authors: • William Faulkner • Eudora Welty • James Baldwin • Philip Roth

39. Hollywood films showed Americans as white and middle class • Ignored minorities and the poor • Women were shown as “cute helpmates” and “dumb blondes” • Movie-going declined • Television watching increased The Culture of the Fifties

40. Television influenced the economy and culture • By 1960--90% of all households owned at least 1 TV • ABC, NBC, CBS monopolized the industry • $1.5 billion in advertising revenue • TV commercials influenced what people read, ate, and wore Television Culture

41. TV also impacted politics • A politician’s TV image became extremely important • McCarthy’s negative image led to his downfall in the Army hearings • John F. Kennedy’s “telegenic” image helped him win the presidency in 1960 • TV greatly escalated the cost of campaigning • Encouraged the “60 second” sound bite Television Culture

42. Poverty and Urban Blight • 1/5 of Americans lived below the poverty line • Elderly, migratory agricultural workers, Native Americans, Appalachian whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics • City slums • Low-cost public housing was needed • Housing Act of 1949 • Only built a small % of what it was supposed to build The Other America

43. African-Americans’Struggle for Justice • Southern African-Americans entered nonviolent, direct action • 1955 Montgomery bus boycott • Rosa Parks • Martin Luther King, Jr.

45. Southern Christian Leadership Conference • Organized by African-American ministers • Led by King • Campaign against discrimination African-Americans’ Struggle for Justice

46. Mostly poor and discriminated against • By 1960--almost 1 million Puerto Ricans lived in East Harlem • Struggled with low-paying jobs, poor housing, inadequate school, inability to speak English, and a new culture Latinos and Latinas

47. Poorest group in the U.S.A. • The govt. terminated all special federal services for Native Americans • Encouraged the breakup of the reservations • Transferred more than 500,000 acres of Native American land to white • Further impoverishment and demoralization of Native Americans Native Americans

48. Seeds of Disquiet • Sputnik • Russia launched Sputnik in 1957 • Shook American confidence and complacency

49. Sputnik • National Aeronautics and Space Administration • Created in 1961 • Launched missiles • Increased federal spending on education • Focus on engineering, science, and math

50. A Different Beat • Many teenagers expressed mild cultural rebellion • Dress enthusiasm for rock and roll • Elvis Presley