1950s American Economy and Society

Study Notes

The 1950s was a period of consensus, particularly for white males, who had a high standard of living and enjoyed economic prosperity.

Between 1946 and 1960, Americans experienced a period of economic expansion, with gross national product more than doubling.
Standards of living rose, and many Americans enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, with access to consumer goods and services.
By 1960, an estimated 60% of Americans had a middle-class standard of living.

The 1950s saw the rise of suburbanization, with the number of homes in the United States doubling during the decade.
Levittown in New York was a classic example of suburbanization, with 10,000 almost identical homes built and 40,000 people moving in.
Car culture became prominent, with 80% of Americans owning at least one car by 1960 and 14% owning two or more.

Some critics, such as C. Wright Mills, David Riesman, and John Kenneth Galbraith, argued that the emphasis on consumerism and conformity was problematic.
They believed that the celebration of the middle-class lifestyle was displacing other conceptions of citizenship.

Rigid segregation was the norm throughout the country, especially in housing, jobs, and employment.
African Americans faced significant barriers to education, with sub-standard segregated schools and limited opportunities.
The Civil Rights Movement began to take shape in the 1950s, with efforts to desegregate schools and challenge segregation.

A. Philip Randolph and the Double-V crusade during WW2
Mendez v. Westminster (1946): California Supreme Court ruled that Orange County had to desegregate its schools.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): Parks' refusal to move to the back of a bus sparked a 381-day boycott.
Martin Luther King Jr.: Emerged as a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, playing a crucial role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and later forming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The Brown v. Board of Education ruling was met with "Massive Resistance" in the South, with some counties closing their schools rather than integrating.
Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce integration in 1957.
By the end of the 1950s, fewer than 2% of black students attended integrated schools in the South.

Americans experienced economic expansion between 1946 and 1960, with gross national product more than doubling.
Standards of living rose, and many Americans enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, with access to consumer goods and services.
By 1960, an estimated 60% of Americans had a middle-class standard of living.

The number of homes in the United States doubled during the 1950s.
Levittown in New York was a classic example of suburbanization, with 10,000 almost identical homes built and 40,000 people moving in.
By 1960, 80% of Americans owned at least one car, and 14% owned two or more.

Critics like C.Wright Mills, David Riesman, and John Kenneth Galbraith argued that the emphasis on consumerism and conformity was problematic.
They believed that the celebration of the middle-class lifestyle was displacing other conceptions of citizenship.

Rigid segregation was the norm throughout the country, especially in housing, jobs, and education.
African Americans faced significant barriers to education, with sub-standard segregated schools and limited opportunities.
Efforts to desegregate schools and challenge segregation emerged in the 1950s.

A. Philip Randolph led the Double-V crusade during World War II.
The California Supreme Court ruled that Orange County had to desegregate its schools in the 1946 Mendez v. Westminster case.
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of a bus in 1955 sparked the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, playing a crucial role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and later forming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The Brown v. Board of Education ruling was met with "Massive Resistance" in the South, with some counties closing their schools rather than integrating.
Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce integration in 1957.
By the end of the 1950s, fewer than 2% of black students attended integrated schools in the South.