History HW - nEED IN 24 HOURS - Analyze the conflicting elements of consensus and dissent in America during the late 1940’s-1950’s
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the_paradox_of_the_american_character_1950s.pptxThe Paradox of the American Character
Analyze the conflicting elements of consensus and dissent in America during the late 1940’s-1950’s
Political consensus the election of 1950
Joe McCarthy
He made sweeping accusations, employed guilt by association
and documents out of context
McCarthy’s Senate hearings created an atmosphere of conformity and fear
Whittaker Chambers –Alger Hiss
Whittaker Chambers –Alger Hiss
HUAC created in 1945 to root out communism during the "Red Scare" after WWII that lasted into the mid-1950s
Hiss denied being a Communist agent in the 1930s but was convicted of perjury in 1950 and sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed for allegedly giving atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets.
Both were avowed communists.
The “Red Scare”
The “Red Scare”
American Fears -- Paranoia regarding communism and its sympathizers plus nuclear war.
Culture reflected these fears: movies such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, and They
“Duck and Cover”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
Social consensus
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 sent millions of veterans to school.
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
Between 1946 and 1961, 63.5 million babies were born
Between 1931 and 1946, only 41.5 million born
Suburbanization
Suburbanization
Grew 6X faster than cities in 1950s.
Resulted from increased car production, white flight from urban areas due to black migration.
The Cult of Domesticity
The concept of a woman’s place being in the home was widespread in magazines, TV, and society in general.
TV shows: Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sam9wP_uMEA
Economic Abundance between 1950-60
Americans enjoyed about 40% of world’s wealth despite accounting for only 6% of population.
Americans bought cars, gadgets for their homes, vacations, etc. in unprecedented numbers
Economic Abundance between 1950-60
TV Sets owned
1 Million-42 Mil
Automobile Registrations
40 -62 Million
Home Ownership
24 Million-33 Million
Enrollment in US School
5,000-10,000 high school
21,000-33,000 elementary
Median Family Income
3,100-5,700$ per year
Savings Accounts
2.5 Billion-24 Billion
Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial times to 1970
Dissent in the 1950’s
Rebelliousness in film
Angst of American youth reflected by movie stars Marlon Brando and James Dean
Movie stars became icons for disaffected youth.
Rebel Without a Cause
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hZ9jKrwvo&feature=related
Streetcar Named Desire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1A0p0F_iH8
Art: Abstract expressionism
Artists attempted spontaneous expression of their subjectivity using splattered paint and color field painting.
Jackson Pollock, Willem deKooning, and Mark Rothko.
http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/249
The Beat generation (beatniks) - late 1950s
Group of young men Rebelled against the conformity and conservatism of middleclass America alienated by 20th-century life.
Jack Kerouac: On the Road became the "bible" for restless youth.
Other prominent figures included Allen Ginsburg who wrote "Howl" in 1956.
Jack Kerouac
Allen Ginsberg
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=1548
Rock n Roll
Rock n’ Roll became the music of the younger generation and emphasized the increasing generation gap between youth and their parents.
Analyze the conflicting elements of consensus and dissent in America during the late 1940’s-1950’s
Assessment: Analogy Creation
To see the American Character repeat itself from era to era take 6 items of content from the presentation and find a similar aspect from a different era on American History.
Choose 3 items describing consensus and 3 items for dissent.
Each comparison should have a short write up describing the similarity.
