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1950s America. 19.1 Notes. GI Bill of Rights. Serviceman’s Readjustment Act Ease veteran’s return to everyday life Options… Partial loan for college Year’s salary while job-hunting Low-interest federal loans for homes, farms, businesses. Suburban Living. Answer to the housing shortage
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1950s America 19.1 Notes
GI Bill of Rights • Serviceman’s Readjustment Act • Ease veteran’s return to everyday life • Options… • Partial loan for college • Year’s salary while job-hunting • Low-interest federal loans for homes, farms, businesses
Suburban Living • Answer to the housing shortage • Levittowns by William Levitt • Mass produced housing in the suburbs • “One house per 16 minutes” • $7,000 or less • Cookie-cutter homes • Families loved openness and small town feel
Economic Readjustment • Wartime to peacetime conversion • 3 million laid off • OPA lifted price ceilings • prices rose %25 • People looking to buy scarce items • Eventually supply catches demand • Wages dipped • Congress reestablished controls
Economic Recovery • Americans had saved $135 Billion • Wanted to spend! • Went from readjustment to boom • Concern over Soviet Expansion • Kept people spending • Establish faith in capitalism • U.S. $ aid to foreign countries = foreign markets for American products
Truman’s Challenges • Rising threat of Communism • Restoring the American economy • Striking workers • Threatened them with the draft • Civil Rights • Asked for federal anti- lynching laws, no poll tax, civil rights commission (all rejected) • Integrated the armed forces • Ended discrimination in gov’t hiring
Jackie Robinson • First A.A. to integrate MLB - 1947 • Brooklyn Dodgers – 4 position player • Social experiment • Endured verbal and physical threats • Had to stay composed • 1949 NL MVP • 1st A.A. to be admitted to Hall of Fame
1948 Election • Democratic Nominee – Truman • Campaigned to the people about the “do-nothing congress” • Southern Democrats – J. Strom Thurmond of S.C. • “Dixiecrats” • Protesting Truman’s civil rights stance • Republican Nominee – Thomas Dewey • Polls favored him
The Fair Deal • Ambitious economic program • Extension of The New Deal • Failed proposals • Nationwide health insurance • Crop-subsidy system to help farmers • Successes • Minimum wage – 40 to 75 cents • Social Security extended • Flood control and irrigation projects, low-income housing
1952 Election • Democratic Nominee – Adlai Stevension (IL governor) • Republican Nominee – Dwight D. Eisenhower • “I Like Ike” campaign slogan • Jumped on anti- communism bandwagon • Criticized power of federal gov’t • Walked the “middle of the road” • Hit a snag with runningmate, Richard M. Nixon…
The Checkers Speech “You know what it was? It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate, that he’d sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl – Tricia, the 6 year old,- named it Checkers. And you know the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re going to keep it.