Outline/Summaries of ID’s

from the unit America at Midcentury

1945-1961

Jackie Robinson (p.823)

• First African American to play in the major leagues of baseball.

The Affluent Society (p.826)

• Book published after the 2nd world war that outlined the gap between the increasing wealthy private sector and the constant poor public sector.

Beats (p.840)

• Described the new wave of music the forever change the entertainment industry in the 40’s and 50’s included, Elvis Presley who brought a new funky tone to music so that it was more lively in stead of mellow like in the past.

Bracero Program (p.843)

• A series of laws and agreements that contracted the United States and Mexico to import laborers from Mexico.

• Later proved to be damaging toward the Mexicans due poor treatment and discrimination.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (p.845)

• Led to the desegration of schools that allows blacks to attend along side whites.

Earl Warren (p.845)

Served as the 14th chief justice of the United States.

President’s Committee on Civil Rights (p.845)

• Organized by the executive order 9808, it investigated the status of civil rights in the country and proposed measures to strengthen and protect them.

Southern Manifesto (p.846)

• A set of southern interpretation of the bill of rights that contradicted the original and opposed the idea of racial intergration.

Rosa Parks (p.848)

• Famous civil rights leader, gained notoriety after she was arrested for refusing to give up a seat to a white man on a bus and started the transportation boycott.

Freedom Rides (p.849)

• Events where civil rights activists rode interstate buses in to the segregated south to protest the South ignoring rulings of the Boyon v. Virginia which ruled the segragated public buses were unconstitutional.

GI Bill

• Refers to any department of veterans affairs earned by members of active duty, selected reserve, and National Guard armed forces and their families.

• Provides educational assistance to service-members, veterans, and their dependents.

• Formally known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act.

International Monetary Fund

• Stabilized currencies and provided a predictable monetary environment for trade.

• Created in 1944 by western allies.

• Created to encourage world trade by regulating currency exchange rates.

Silicon Valley

• Area in California that grew rapidly due to the new demand of technology.

• Named for the production material.

Sunbelt

• Region of the United States stretching across the south and southwest regions.

• Saw a large amount of population growth fueled by baby boomers that migrated domestically, along with an influx of immigrants.

Baby-boom generation

• A huge amount of individuals were born between the years 1946-1964.

• This was a time of relative peace and prosperity due to it being just after the end of the cold war.

• During this period there was opportunities for better education and jobs, which encouraged the high rates of baby’s being born.

Dr. Benjamin Spock

• Published a manual called “Baby and Child Care”

• Criticized by many for his spoiling methods and his opposing views toward harsh discipline.

NASA

• Founded in 1958 to compete with Russia’s space program.

• Gained support behind president Kennedy and pushed to reach the moon by the end of the 1960’s.

Elvis Presley

• Born in Mississippi and beloved among teenagers in the 1950’s

• Became known as the king of Rock ‘n’ Roll

• Greatly influenced American popular music.

Sputnik

• The world’s first space satellite.

• Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, which challenged the US leadership in technological advances.

• Led to NASA and the space race.

Billy Graham

• United States evangelical preacher born in 1918.

• Outspoken opponent of homosexuality, communism, and working wives.