Politics
Who were the two Presidents in office during the 1950s?
Truman (1945-1953) and Eisenhower (1954-1961).
These were constructed outside of cities to deal with the increasing housing crisis.
Suburbs
What popular medium of communication became widespread during the 1950s?
Television
Rosa Parks was famously involved in this event where she refused to give up her seat on a bus.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After WWII, did America's population increase or decrease?
Increase
How did Truman break up the 1946 strikes?
By threatening to draft the strikers into the military if they did not return to work.
This involved massive amounts of people leaving the cities for new suburbs, leaving many cities economically devastated.
White flight
True
After being unable to get Congress to pass anti-discrimination laws, what landmark action did Truman take to support civil rights?
Desegregate the military
What was the name of Richard Nixon's famous speech addressing accusations of political corruption during the 1950s?
The "Checker's Speech"
Name two of Truman's accomplishments as President during the 1950s.
Fair Deal - increased the minimum wage, expanded social security, created floor control and irrigation projects, and created over 800,000 low-income housing units.
Desegregated the military
Won a major upset election in 1948
What were two reasons for the post-war economic boom?
- Investment in bonds during the war
- Policies for saving income during the war
- Rationing during the war
- Congress placed controls on prices, wages, and rents.
- Accessibility of a more-regulated credit system, allowing people to buy now and pay later.
Responsible for records such as Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, All Shook Up, and Burning Love, this popular 50s icon whose rebellious style captivated young audiences is often called the "King of Rock 'n' Roll."
Elvis Presley
What did the case of Brown v. Board of Education decide?
That racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional / struck down the idea of "separate but equal."
The 1950s saw a massive spike in population as people returned home from WWII and quickly got married. What was this event called?
The Baby Boom
Name two of Eisenhower's accomplishments as President during the 1950s.
Raised the minimum wage, increased funding for public housing, extended social security and unemployment benefits, created the interstate highway system, created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, ended the Korean War.
The 50s saw the rise of car culture in America, also known during this time as "Automania." What are two factors that led to this rise in car culture?
- Growth of the credit system
- Increase in disposal income
- Growth of the suburbs, meaning more people had to frequently travel further for work, school shopping, etc, as these were not usually within walking distance of suburbs.
- Development of highways and other roads made it easier to travel from place to place.
During the 50s, Rock and Roll rose to prominence. It was especially popular with what group of Americans?
Teenagers
What is the name of the policy that eliminated federal economic support for Native Americans, discontinued the reservation system, and distributed tribal lands among individual people?
Termination Policy
During the 1950s, a vaccine was developed for this disease that FDR famously had.
Polio
Eisenhower's approach to government involved being conservative with money and liberal with people. What is this approach called?
Dynamic Conservatism / Modern Republicanism
This new business strategy involved companies offering similar products or services in many locations.
Franchising
Followers of this movement expressed social and literary nonconformity of artists and lived nonconformist lives. They typically put as little structure on their artistic works as possible, instead keeping them free-form.
Beat Movement
Despite employment rising for women during the 50s, many were dissatisfied with their work conditions. What is at least one reason for this?
- Women's career opportunities tended to be limited to fields such as nursing, teaching, and office support.
- Women's jobs paid less than other positions.
- Women earned less than men for comparable work.
- While college attendance for women increased, they typically received little financial, academic, or psychological encouragement to pursue their professional goals.
This program involved tearing down rundown neighborhoods and low-income housing. These areas would then typically be replaced with either new housing or areas such as parking lots, stadiums, highways, etc.
Urban Renewal / National Housing Act of 1949