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The 1950s

The 1950s. 1950s BROUGHT CHANGES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & MEDICINE. 1951 -- First IBM (commercial) Mainframe Computer 1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test 1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered 1954 -- Polio Vaccine Tested – Jonas Salk 1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant

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The 1950s

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  1. The 1950s

  2. 1950s BROUGHT CHANGES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & MEDICINE 1951 -- First IBM (commercial)Mainframe Computer 1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test 1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered 1954 -- Polio Vaccine Tested –JonasSalk 1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant 1958 -- NASA Created ENIAC, first mainframe computer, 1945 • Automation: 1947-1957 - factory workers decreased by 4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million blue-collar jobs.

  3. CONSENSUS AND CONFORMITY: Politics • Election of 1952: Dwight D. Eisenhower • “Modern Republicanism” • Fiscal Conservative: sound business principles, Reduce federal spending, balance budget and cut taxes • Social Moderate: maintain existing social and economic legislation • Federal Highway Act (1956) President Eisenhower(Courtesy Dwight D. Eisenhower Library) Ike with VP Nixon on the Links.

  4. AN AFFLUENT SOCIETY: Growth of Suburbs REASONS FOR THE GROWTH OF SUBURBS • Growth of families (“baby boom”) • Home-ownership became more affordable • Low-interest mortgage loans • gov’t-backed & interest tax-deductable • Mass-produced subdivisions • Levittown – 17,000 mass-produced, low-priced homes • William Levitt produced 150 houses per week. • $7,990 or $60/month with no down payment. • Expressways – facilitated commuting

  5. CONSENSUS AND CONFORMITY: Television • Television arrived in the 50s • 1946 - 7,000 TV sets in U.S.; 1960- 46,000,000 “vast wasteland” • Common mass culture • Suburban middle class

  6. Beginnings of Rock Music Alan Freed The Dominoes Elvis (Michael Barson Collection/Past Perfect) Bill Haley & the Comets

  7. U.S and Soviet aims around the world United States Encourage democracy in other countries to help prevent the rise of new totalitarian governments. Rebuild European governments to ensure stability and to create new markets for American goods. Reunite Germany, believing that Europe would be more secure if Germany were productive and less bitter about defeat. Soviet Union Encourage Communism in other countries as part of the worldwide struggle between workers and the wealthy. Control Eastern Europe to balance the US influence in Western Europe. Keep Germany divided and weak, since the Germans had waged war against Russia twice in 30 years and had caused most of the 20 million Soviet deaths in WWII.

  8. Cold War Tensions & Society Duck and Cover

  9. 1960s

  10. KENNEDY’S “NEW FRONTIER” • 1960 Election • John F. Kennedy defeats Richard Nixon • Strength was televised presidential debates • New Frontier Presidential Election of 1960

  11. Kennedy Assassination • November 22, 1963 • Dallas, Texas • Lee Harvey Oswald—communist sympathizer • Warren Commission Report—Oswald acted alone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEVfKKjODBg

  12. JOHNSON’S GREAT SOCIETY • Lyndon B. Johnson • With assassination of Kennedy, LBJ tries to carry out his New Frontier. • He passes two important pieces of legislation: • Civil Rights Act of 1964—end racial and gender discrimination in employment opportunities • Economic Opportunity Act—creates Job Corps—to end poverty • Johnson wins election in 1964 • Used theme GREAT SOCIETY • 4 straight Democratic Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson

  13. JOHNSON’S GREAT SOCIETY The Wilderness Protection Act saved 9.1 million acres of forestland from industrial development. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act The Voting Rights Act banned literacy tests and other discriminatory methods to deny African Americans the right to vote. Medicare was created to offset the costs of health care for the nation's elderly. The National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities used public money to fund artists and galleries. The Immigration Act ended discriminatory quotas based on ethnic origin. An Omnibus Housing Act provided funds to construct low-income housing. Congress tightened pollution controls. Standards were raised for safety in consumer products.

  14. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

  15. FOREIGN AFFAIRS in the 1960s:CONTAINMENT LEADS TO VIETNAM • Bay of Pigs • US plan to overthrow communist dictator Fidel Castro • Plan was to train and support Cuban immigrants • Total Failure • Made USA and Kennedy look weak

  16. FOREIGN AFFAIRS in the 1960s:CONTAINMENT LEADS TO VIETNAM • Nikita Khrushchev • Berlin Wall Soviet and American tanks face off. "Checkpoint Charlie," August 1961 Berlin Wall Goes Up, August 1961

  17. FOREIGN AFFAIRS in the 1960s:CONTAINMENT LEADS TO VIETNAM Cuban Missile Crisis As close to Nuclear War as we got with the USSR. A week long crisis where U2 spy plane takes pictures of Soviet missiles in Cuba Kennedy announces and says USSR must remove Soviet Ships sailing toward CUBA USA blockade…who will blink? Soviet ships turn around JFK redeems himself and USA looks strong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50RNAbmy3M

  18. Vietnam War United States entered the war to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia. American leaders feared that Communist forces would gain control of Vietnam. After that, nation after nation might fall.

  19. FOREIGN AFFAIRS:CONTAINMENT LEADS TO VIETNAM • LBJ • “quagmire” • Problem was N. Vietnamese did not engage in traditional warfare • Used guerilla war • Could not tell allies from enemies • Friends during day; attack at night • Move to air attacks • Can’t win with air attacks and no ground support

  20. My Lai Massacre, March 1968 My Lai Massacre was a mass murder of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. It was committed by the U.S. Army soldiers Victims included women, men, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated. Twenty six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses, but only Second Lieutenant William Calley Jr., a platoon leader in C Company, was convicted. Found guilty of killing 22 villagers, he was originally given a life sentence, but served only three and a half years under house arrest.

  21. The War at Home

  22. Costs of Vietnam By the end of the 1960s, U.S. was tired of the war and looking for a way to end this costly war --3,000,000 Vietnamese killed --58,000 U.S. soldiers killed + 300, 000 wounded --$150,000,000, 000 spent on the war—leads to under funded domestic program --US morale is down, trust in government is down, and people generally lack nationalism

  23. Space ProgramFirstman on Moon in 1969Achieves JFK goal

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