Chapter 19 & 20 - the Postwar Boom &

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CHAPTER 19 & 20 - THE POSTWAR BOOM & THE NEW FRONTIER AND THE GREAT SOCIETY 1. After World War II, millions of returning veterans used the to get an and to buy . At first, there was a terrible housing shortage. Then developers such as built thousands of homes in the , small residential communities near the cities. Many veterans and their families moved in. The United States changed from a wartime to a peacetime economy.

2. President Harry S. faced a number of problems immediately after the war. One was labor unrest. Truman was - . But he would not let cripple the nation. He threatened to striking workers into the and then order them to work. The unions gave in. - veterans demanded their rights as citizens. They asked for a federal - , an end to the poll tax, and a commission to prevent in hiring. would not pass any of his rights measures. Truman acted on his own. In 1948, he issued an order to the armed forces. He also ordered an end to discrimination in hiring employees. 3. Truman was nominated for president in 1948. He insisted on a strong rights plank in the Democratic Party platform. This the party. Many Southern Democrats left the Democratic Party. These were civil rights. They wanted to preserve the “Southern way of life.” Truman tried to pass economic and social reforms. He called his program the . Congress passed an increase in the minimum , extension of Social , and financial for cities. 4. Truman did not run for reelection in 1952. The big of that campaign were (1) the stalemate in the , (2) anti- Communist hysteria and , (3) the power of the federal government, (4) strikes, and (5) inflation. Voters wanted a change. The Republicans nominated war hero General Dwight D. . He easily beat Democrat Adlai Stevenson. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in that public schools could not be . Eisenhower believed that the federal government should not be involved in . But he upheld the law. When the governor of Arkansas tried to keep African-American students out of a high school, Eisenhower sent federal to integrate the school.

5. Many Americans enjoyed the benefits of the booming economy. Many worked in cities but lived in . They had the American dream of a single family , good schools, and a safe neighborhood with people just like themselves. There was an increase in births called the It was caused by the reuniting of families after the war and growing . Medical advances also wiped out childhood diseases. developed a vaccine to prevent . Polio had killed or crippled 58,000 children a year.

6. By the mid-1950s, nearly 60 percent of Americans were in the class. They had the money to buy more and more products. They measured by their , or the amount of material goods they bought. They bought household appliances like washing machines, dryers, and , and recreational items such as sets, barbecue grills, and swimming pools. Manufacturers also tried a new marketing strategy called . They purposely made to become outdated or to out quickly. Americans began to away items in order to buy “ models.” Easy , including the introduction of credit cards, encouraged people to buy. Private debt grew. The 1950s were “the advertising age.” were everywhere even on the new medium of . They tried to persuade Americans to buy things they didn’t .

7. - the means of communication that reach large audiences—include , television, , and magazines. became the most important means of communication in the 1950s. It both showed and influenced popular culture of the time. The number of homes with television jumped. It went from 9 percent of all homes in 1950 to 90 percent in 1960. At first, the number of television stations was limited by the Federal Communications Commission ( ). The FCC is the government agency that regulates the industry.

8. Television showed the suburban way of life. But two subcultures presented other points of view. One was the in literature. These writers made fun of the conformity and of mainstream American . Their followers were called . They rebelled against consumerism and the lifestyle. They did not hold steady and lived inexpensively. They read their poetry in houses. Their art and poetry had a free, open form.

9. Some musicians also took a new direction. They added instruments to the African-American music called rhythm and . The result was . The new music had a strong . Its lyrics focused on the interests of , including alienation and unhappiness in love. The biggest star of all—the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll—was . He had 45 songs that sold more than one million copies. 10. In 1962, one out of every four Americans was . Many of these poor people were members of groups. In the 1950s, millions of middle-class people left the cities for the suburbs. This was called “ .” Cities lost the these people and businesses had paid. City governments could no longer afford to keep up the of schools, public transportation, or other services. The urban poor suffered as their neighborhoods . One way the government tried to solve the problem of the inner cities was called . Minorities could not afford the new homes that had been built in the suburbs during the 1950s. Urban renewal was designed to tear down neighborhoods and build new low- cost housing. However, sometimes highways and shopping centers were built instead. The people who had lived in the old ended up moving to other slums—rather than into housing.

11. During World War II, there was a shortage of to harvest crops. The federal government allowed , or hired hands, to enter the United States from . When the war ended, many braceros stayed . Many other Mexicans entered the United States illegally to find . Mexican Americans suffered prejudice and discrimination. Mexican-American children were placed in classes. Native Americans also struggled for equal rights. The government had supported , or absorbing Native Americans into mainstream American culture. That forced Native Americans to give up their culture. In 1944, Native Americans formed an organization to work for their rights and for the right to keep their own customs. In 1953, the federal government decided to end its responsibility for Native American tribes. This stopped federal economic . As part of the termination policy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs also moved thousands of Native Americans to the . It helped them find jobs and housing. This program was a failure. Native Americans did not have the to succeed in the cities.

12. In 1960, many Americans were worried about the future. The economy was in a recession. The Soviet Union was gaining strength. Some people wondered whether the United States was losing the Cold War. John F. and Richard M. faced off in the 1960 presidential election. Kennedy was a Democratic senator from Massachusetts. Nixon was Eisenhower’s vice-president. Kennedy won the election by a slim margin. Two main factors led him to victory. During a televised debate, impressed viewers with his , forceful . Nixon appeared and ill at ease. The second factor was Kennedy’s response to the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in October 1960. called King’s wife to express sympathy and persuaded the to release King from jail. His actions won him the support of - voters.

13. Upon entering the White House, Kennedy focused on foreign affairs. He urged a tough stand against the Union. He also supported a policy called . This policy called for the use of weapons rather than weapons in the event of a war. Conventional weapons included jets, tanks, missiles, and guns. In order to build more conventional weapons, Kennedy defense spending.

14. Kennedy’s first foreign policy test came from Cuba. Cuba’s leader was . Castro had seized power in 1959. Soon after that, he declared himself a . He then formed ties with the Soviet Union. Kennedy approved a plan to Castro from power. The plan called for Cuban exiles to Cuba and overthrow . The U.S. government would supply support for the exiles. The failed invasion became known as the . It left the Kennedy administration greatly . A year later, the United States and Cuba clashed again. Pictures from U.S. spy planes revealed that the were building nuclear bases in . Some bases already contained missiles ready to launch. These weapons could be at the United States. President Kennedy demanded that the Soviets remove the . In October 1962, he surrounded Cuba with U.S. ships. These ships forced Soviet vessels trying to reach Cuba to turn around. Khrushchev finally agreed to the missiles.

15. Cuba was not Kennedy’s only foreign policy problem. In 1961, the president faced a growing problem in . Khrushchev threatened to all air and land into . He built a large along the border between East and West Berlin. It was known as the . It prevented any more Germans from fleeing to Berlin. Despite their battles, Kennedy and Khrushchev did attempt to reach agreements. They established a between their two nations. It allowed them to directly when a crisis arose. The two leaders also agreed to a . This treaty barred testing in the .

16. President called his domestic program the . Conservative Republicans and southern Democrats blocked many of his bills. These included bills to provide care for the , rebuild cities, and aid . Kennedy did succeed with some proposals. To help the economy grow, the Kennedy administration used spending. This occurred when the government more money than it in taxes. Kennedy hoped that increased spending on defense would help boost the economy. Kennedy also introduced the . This was a program of volunteers working in poor nations around the world. The purpose of this program was to decrease abroad. It was also meant to increase toward the . The Peace Corps was a huge success. Another program was the Alliance for Progress. This program gave aid to Latin American countries. One reason for this program was to keep communism from spreading to these countries.

17. On November 22, 1963, President and Mrs. arrived in , Texas. Kennedy had come there to improve relations with the state’s Democratic Party. Large crowds greeted the Kennedys as they rode along the streets of downtown Dallas. Then, rifle shots rang out. had been shot. The president about an hour later at a nearby hospital. Chief Justice Earl Warren headed a commission to investigate the . The determined that acted . However, many people continue to believe that Oswald was part of a .

18. Lyndon Baines , a Texan, was Senate majority leader in 1960. Johnson was a skilled lawmaker. He demonstrated a great ability to and reach agreements. Upon Kennedy’s death, Johnson became president. Under President Johnson’s leadership, Congress passed two bills that President had proposed. One was a cut to help stimulate the . The other was the . Johnson then launched his own program —a “war on poverty.” He worked with Congress to pass the . This law created programs, antipoverty measures, loans for small businesses, and job training. The law created the youth training program and the (Volunteers in Service to America) program. 19. President Johnson had a grand vision for America. He called it the . Throughout his term, Johnson introduced legislation to help him create his Great Society. Provided federal aid for to purchase textbooks and library materials. Created to ensure health care for the and poor. Lifted restrictions on immigration through the — which opened the door for many - to settle in the United States.

20. The wave of reform that characterized the Great Society also affected the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Earl took an active role in promoting more liberal policies. The ruled school unconstitutional. The court also banned in public schools and strengthened the right of speech. The Warren Court strengthened the of people accused of crimes. The Court ruled had to suspects their before them. These rights are known as rights.

21. The Great Society and the Warren Court America. People disagree on whether these changes left the nation better or worse off than before. On one hand, Johnson’s measures helped reduce the suffering of many people. No president since World War II the power and reach of federal more than Lyndon . Americans began to question the increased size of the federal government. They also wondered about the of Johnson’s programs. Across the country, people became with the . This led to the rise of a new group of leaders.