1950s Culture

1950s CultureThe 1950s America was a time of abundance and is often time referred to is The Affluent Society.What does that mean?

The Affluent SocietyIn 1958 economist John Kenneth Galbraith published The Affluent Society

ProsperityThe average income of the American family triple in the decade between 1950 and 1960.This sudden surge in wealth was the result of many advancements and lead to many changes.MechanizationElectronicsTelecommunications (TV and Radio)The labor forceDue to advancement in machinery in the factory and farm, less people were needed to do manual labor.White collar workers were those whose jobs were in sales and managementBlue collar worker were the manual laborers who did the physical workHuge corporations and multinational firms became more widespread.Urbanization- Where jobs are more available in cities and surrounding areas of major cities grew

FranchiseThe 1950s also had an increase in franchises, in which a person owns and operates one or several stores of a chain operation.

Baby BoomersThe American birth rate also exploded during the decade resulting in the era often times being referred to as the Baby Boom.The period between 1945 and 1961 is known as the baby boom, in which more than 65 million children were born in the United States.

The BurbsThe explosion in business and babies certainly allowed for the countries major cities to explode amainly because that is where the work was. The creation of the suburbs was the result.Levittown New York, one of the countrys earliest suburbs, was a mass-produced residential community spearheaded by Bill Levitt.

ENIACThe first computer ENIAC which stood for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was developed.

Medical BreakthroughsMany medical breakthroughs were the result of the 1950s era most notably the cure for the disease that plagued President Franklin Roosevelt.Polio- Vaccine created by Jonas SalkChemotherapy for cancer and insulin for diabetes were other medical advancements.

Space The Final FrontierSputnik- First space satellite in orbit by USSR in 1957 We had one up ourselves within 3 months.

New Mass MediaTV was becoming so popular that in 1951 the first color television was created and TV shows became very popular.Howdy Doody-Kid ShowGunsmoke-WesternLone Ranger-WesternDragnet-Police ShowI Love Lucy-ComedyEd Sullivan-Variety Show$64,000 Question-Game show

The TeliIn 1946 there were 7,000 to 8,000 television sets in the United States, by 1957 there were 40 million television sets.

Boob Tube was a term coined by the older generation as a result of the beatnik idea. A boob was a term used to describe a lazy unmotivated person which the older generation the technology created.Movie TheatreWith the sudden emergence of the television, movie theatre had to come up with an idea to get its customers back. People were staying home and watching their TV instead of the moviesTwo idea that resulted from this is Cinemascope or wide screen movies and the use of 3D glasses to give the appearance that images where coming out from the screen.

Radio and Rock and RollDue to the advancement of the TV, Radio had to change its way of thinking to keep up with the TV.Alan Freed of Ohio became one of the first DJs (Disk Jockey) when he decided to play records over his radio program.

Freed gained permission to play Rock and Roll and Jazz on his radio station and the youth went nuts over the music.

Rock and RollFreeds idea gave rise to such Rock and Roll legends as:Elvis Presley (King of Rock and Roll)Buddy HollyChuck BerryBill Haley

Black ArtistsThe entertainment boom was not just relegated to the white society many black artist rose to fame during the 50s.African Americans like Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, and Little Richard recorded hit songs. African American womens recording groups, including the Crystals, the Chiffons, and the Shirelles, paved the way for future womens groups.

Beat MovementThe popularity of Rock and Roll created a movement by the youth called the beat movement.A creation of a generation gap was created between adults and youth, with the youth saying the adults were trying to beat them down, cause they do not like Rock and Roll.These youths grew to be known as Beatniks.

Bob Denver and Dwayne HickmanMaynard Krebs and Dobie Gillis

Generation Gap

These varying opinions led to what became known as a generation gap, or cultural separation between children and parents.

Jack KerouacIn 1957 beat writer Jack Kerouac published On the Road, his book described freewheeling adventures with a car thief and a con artist.

Translation PleaseThis new culture also change the way our youth talked. Match the Word with its 50s meaning.

_______CoolA. dull person, outsider_______Hang LooseB. worthy of approval_______HairyC. formidable_______Yo-YoD. dont worry

b,d,c,aDespite the feeling of peace time the Cold War was still active.Many people dug their own bomb shelters and supplied them with many items, just in case.Air blower, radiation detector, face respirator, hand shovel, gas generator, full gas cans, chemical toilet, bunks, non-electric clock, first aid kit, sterno stove, canned water, canned food, paper products

Bomb ShelterBy the Numbers - 1957Postage stamp .03Loaf of bread.19Sports Illustrated.25Movie ticket.35Gallon of milk.50Hourly wage$2.05New car$2,845Average Income$5,235Home$19,50050s GovernmentGovernment became much more active in the daily lives of citizens in the 50s by passed many legislative issues that were intended to better American lives. A few of the most prominent examples of this are.

Servicemens Readjustment ActAlso known as the GI Bill. With WW 2 and Korea behind us but not far behind us, government passed the GI Bill by providing loans to veterans to attend college, set up businesses, and buy homes to better American economy.

Taft-Hartley ActCongress was also committed to cutting the power of organized labor (unions) by establishing the Taft-Hartley Act which limited the power of unions in American Industry.

The Taft-Hartley ActHelped American Business by making changes to benefit the average American citizen. A couple examples of this are:States could pass right-to-work laws outlawing union shops, or shops where new workers were required to join the union. The act also prohibited featherbedding, the limiting of work output in order to create more jobs.

Federal Highway ActPresident Eisenhower passed the Federal Highway act which allowed for the Interstate Highway infrastructure that we have today. This was establish not only for the purpose of better and easier transportation of people and goods but also to improve the output of industrial resources.The more you make and move. the more you sell.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence SeawayFollowing the Interstate system Eisenhower also focused on improving our system of water transportation by creating a short cut from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and eastern seaboard also intended to boost American economy.

Other side of the 1950sNot all was peachy in the 1950s some of the flip side to prosperity was:Inner city poverty and slumsMinority groups:Women-not equal yet, working towardsBlacks and Hispanics (to many for # of jobs, discriminated)Native Americans- terminations policy, forced to follow the laws of the restJuvenile delinquency - the rise of urban cities also gave rise to criminal behavior within out youthPovertyBy 1959, about 30 million Americans lived below the poverty line, a figure the government set to reflect the minimum income required to support a family. In the 1950s, the government tried to improve conditions with urban renewal programs, in which they tore down slums and built high-rise projects.

Termination PolicyThrough the termination policy, the federal government withdrew all official recognition of the Native American groups as legal entities and made them follow the same laws as white citizens.

EducationBecause the Soviet Union had launched the first space satellites, the nations educational institutions were criticized for a lack of technical education.