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Society

Society. and. Culture. of the 1950s. The 1950s was an era of conformity However, minority groups struggled to conform to white, mainstream culture And teenage rebellion could only conform for so long. Minorities in the 1950s. CHINESE AMERICANS.

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Society

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  1. Society and Culture of the 1950s

  2. The 1950s was an era of conformity However, minority groups struggled toconform to white, mainstream culture And teenage rebellion could only conform for so long

  3. Minorities in the 1950s CHINESE AMERICANS • many laws limiting the rights of Chinese Americans were gradually lifted • immigration increased, and a Chinese-American middle class emerged • Most Chinese-Americans chose to assimilate into American society NATIVE AMERICANS • the government stopped supporting Indian Reservations • led to a loss of land and relocation of many Native Americans • the standard of living for Native Americans dropped • Native Americans had a hard time adjusting to life in mainstream America

  4. JAPANESE AMERICANS • following internment most had to start their lives over • ongoing hostility/discrimination made it difficult to find homes and jobs • most took jobs in agriculture MEXICAN AMERICANS • During WWII U.S. government created the “bracero program” • Most Mexican Americans lived in barrios (enclave) • faced discrimination in education, housing, & employment • In mid 1950s, government began “Operation Wetback” • program that deported nearly 4 million Mexicans • aimed at illegal immigrants, but some were in U.S. legally – some even citizens

  5. AFRICAN AMERICANS • South • legal segregation of all public facilities • North • segregation was illegal, but still existed • Blacks faced discrimination in housing & job opportunities • White neighbors would not sell or rent to African Americans • Black unemployment was more than double white unemployment • Blacks earned half of what white workers earned • Civil Rights Movement Begins • Brown vs. Board of Education (banned segregation in public schools) • African American churches in the South become the central headquarters for organizing the Civil Rights Movement

  6. Women in the 1950s • media promoted the idea that a woman’s job was only in the home • women expected to only be wives & mothers • by late 1950s nearly 2/3 of young women in college dropped out before graduating • many women experienced high levels of depression (about 25% openly expressed dissatisfaction with staying at home) • in reality many married women worked (about 39% of women with school age children worked) • those who worked outside the home earned significantly less then men and primarily worked in schools or offices.

  7. Teenagers & Pop Culture • Teens as consumers had a major influence on pop culture • Many teens continued the trend of conformity (watched mainstream TV shows like American Bandstand and Ozzie & Harriet; listened to pop music like Frank Sinatra) • While others began to challenge conformity (began to listen to Rock & Roll and go to movies like Rebel Without A Cause) • The Beat Movement • a small subculture of youth emerged • supported non-conformity & individuality • inspired various art forms • ex: Jack Kerouac’s On the Road • became the foundations for the 1960s counterculture movements

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