Ch.15-16 (Quiz 1) America's Story 3

The Golden Age of America: Chapter 15

• Most Americans were ready to move on after World War II ended.
• Men returned to factory work, while women went back home.
• Factories switched back to producing normal products like cars and playground equipment.
• Post World War II ended the Great Depression, and people began to spend money again.
• The 1950s was a period of new beginnings and prosperity.
• The "baby boom" occurred as many soldiers returned home and started families.
• The need for more housing led to the rapid construction of new neighborhoods.
• Suburbs became a popular place for thousands of families to reside.

Car Culture

• The car industry rebounded after slowing during the war.
• Factories produced thousands of new, modern cars.
• Owning a car became a status symbol.
• American culture became highly centered around the automobile industry, exemplified by drive-in movies and drive-thru diners.
• Road trip vacations became increasingly popular.
• Road systems were improved and expanded to accommodate the growing number of motorists.
• US Route 66 opened in 1926 stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California.
• Route 66 was a path used by many migrants during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Shifts in Music, Media, and Entertainment

• "Rock and roll" music emerged, replacing big band music.
• Elvis Presley gained a large following and fan base.
• Popular songs like "Hound Dog" and "All Shook Up" resonated with young people.
• The television made its debut in the late 1940s and became increasingly popular during the 1950s.
• Became more popular than the radio in previous decades.
• Families would watch their favorite shows together.
• Popular television shows from this time include "Leave it to Beaver," "Davy Crockett," "I Love Lucy," "Gunsmoke," and "The Lone Ranger".
• Roy Rogers and Dale Evans co-starred in over 100 movies.
• The 1950's marked a Golden Age for television and the entire country.
• Family life was valued, many were prosperous, and moral standards were generally strong during this time. Cinematic Movies:
• Large crowds came to see huge epics like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments which both starred Charlton Heston.
• Musicals such as Singing in the Rain and Oklahoma became widely popular, with their songs being sung everywhere.
• The clothing styles reflected the culture of the 1950s.
• Fashion was generally modest and fun.
• Teenage girls wore blue jeans rolled up revealing bobby socks and saddle shoes.
• "Poodle" skirts were also a popular fashion.
• These skirts included a poodle appliqué, crinoline slips, and fitted top, coupled with a curled ponytail, bobby socks, and saddle shoes.

Kids in the 50's

• Children played stickball in the streets and spent summers playing with toy guns and Radio Flyer wagons.
• Little boys wore coonskin hats emulating Davy Crockett.
• Little girls played with hula hoops and new Barbie Dolls.
• Children spent their summers outdoors due to very little recorded videos.

Issues during The Golden Age

• Despite the prosperity and happiness of the 1950s, the Cold War, political tensions, and ongoing problems needed addressing.
• The tensions of the Cold War was unsettling and frightening for many.
• The rise of communism in other countries led Americans to worry about communist infiltration in the US.
• People became suspicious that even relations, friends, coworkers, and neighbor could be communist sympathizers.
• The Soviet Union's development of an atomic bomb heightened these fears.
• Americans assumed that spies gave the Soviets the plans and information needed to build the atomic bomb, resulting in the Red Scare.
• Some Americans were indeed communist sympathizers, and thousands were registered members of the communist party.
• People became communists during The Great Depression.
• Many US communists lost interest or opposed the party as the Depression ended and World War II started.

Red Scare and McCarthyism

• The Red Scare led to investigations into entertainment professionals.
• Those accused of communism were "blacklisted," preventing them from working in movies or television.
• Senator Joseph McCarthy fueled the Red Scare.
• Anyone who angered McCarthy could be accused of being a communist, whether the charge was true or not.
• Sympathizer: a person who supports an idea or government.
• McCarthy accused the military of being full of communists.
• This marked the decline of the Red Scare.
• The televised investigation of the military horrified Americans at McCarthy's behavior.
• McCarthy was discredited by the mid-1950s, and people became tired of the Red Scare.
• Concerns about communist plots and spying decreased.

Social Issues

• The issue of African Americans not having the same rights as White Americans needed attention.
• African Americans experienced segregation, and they were not allowed common privileges like attending different schools drinking from separate water fountains, and even sitting in the most unwanted seats at a theater.
• Many Americans (black and white) grew tired of segregation.

Final Thoughts

• Despite the prosperity and happiness of the 1950s, many problems such as the Cold War, and the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare existed during the time.

Tumultuous Times: Chapter 16

• The 1950s had been a time of peace and prosperity despite civil unrest.
• The 1960s were a tumultuous time in American history.
• Where strong family ties and moral values had been the norms of the 50's, there was a need for experimentation in the United States.

Economy in the 1960's

• The economy boomed with a higher standard of living.

The Kennedy Administration

• The 35th President, John F. Kennedy, took office in 1961 and brought a youthfulness to the White House.
• Kennedy was a WWII sailor, and was elected to the House and the Senate after the War.
• He brought many changes into the government, and wanted to fight tyranny, poverty, disease, and war.
• JFK created the Peace Corps in 1961 to work toward progress and peace in developing countries.
• The Peace Corps would send volunteers to work in agriculture, healthcare, education, and more.
• President kennedy saw the Peace Corps a way to prevent the Soviet Union from gaining footing in poor countries.

Conflict in Cuba

• Dealing with Cuba was one of Kennedy's biggest challenges.
• The US. helped cuba gain independence from Spain in 1898.
• Fidel Castro, a communist, gained control of Cuba in 1959.
• The rise of communism in Cuba worried many Americans.

Bay of Pigs

• The CIA secretly backed an attempt to overthrow Castro in April 1961.
• Planning for this invasion began under Eisenhower's presidency.
• President Kennedy agreed to continue the plan but wanted to keep the United State's involvement a secret.
• The CIA trained and equipped 1,400 Cubans, that were not enough.
• The invasion at the Bay of Pigs was disastorous, and the CIA-backed Cubans were captured or killed.
• America's involvement was recognized right away, straining Cuban-American relations.
• Outcome led to strengthened control, and caused Cuba to become an ally of the Soviet Union instead of overthrowing its communist leader.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• In 1962, Cuba imported nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union.
• These missiles would have easily been able to reach the United States if detonated.
• The US demanded that Cuba remove the missiles.
• After thirteen anxious days, the Soviets agreed to remove them.

JFK Assassination

• President Kennedy served two years, ten months, and two days
• President Kennedy's assassination took place on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
• As President Kennedy rode in a convertible in the presidential procession with Jacqueline Kennedy, a shot rang out.
• The President slumped forward, fatally wounded from the gunshot.

Aftermath of JFK assassination

• Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested shortly after, and was a US Communist, who was living in the soviet union.
• Two days later, another man killed him
• The death of President Kennedy left America shaken
• Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office after JFK's death.

Involvement in Vietnam

• Due to peacekeeping attempts in other countries, there was rising unrest at home.
• The Vietnam war became one of the most significant issues of the 1960's
• The French controlled Vietnam and called it French Indochina.
• The French Indochina included modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
• The Japanese occupied during WWII
• Once the war stopped, the French wanted to resume control, but the Vietnamese wanted their independence.
• What resulted was a nine-year war ending with the French defeated in 1954.
• The war was divided like Korea: A Communist north, versus a non-communist south.
• The communist and anti-communist forces began battling for control of Vietnam.

US Involvement In Vietnam

• In 1955, president Eisenhower allowed several hundred military advisors to work in Vietnam as part of the American policy if containment.
• By 1963, there were about 15,000 American soldiers in Vietnam,
• By 1965, 130,000 American soldiers were in Vietnam, and by 1968. there were half million American militaries as a result of the succession of Kennedy's assassination.
• The US supported a mission to stop the spread of communism like in Korea.
• Many Vietnamese people would have found communism appealing due to people being oppressed by foreign powers and battling poverty.
• The view was not correct, communism claims to eliminate social classes and oppression, when it empowers dictators to oppress people.
• "A government big enough to give you everything you want is also strong enough to take away everything you have.” - Thomas Jefferson.
• Many thought that a victory in Vietnam would symbolize who was boss and whose government would spread worldwide.
• The Vietnam War had begun before Americans became involved, and it lasted another 20 years even after the US decided to stop participating.
• The US tried to overthrow the communist government with the disastrous Bay of Pigs in 1961.
• To counter the communist movement, the US supported a mission to stop Vietnam from becoming a communist country.