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HA2 - 26, 29 February

This document provides a summary of key events and developments that occurred in the United States during the 1950s. It discusses the establishment of the Interstate Highway System, the rise of suburbs, the development of the polio vaccine, the introduction of computers for business use, the emergence of rock and roll music, the launch of early U.S. satellites, the Supreme Court ruling on school desegregation, abstract expressionist art in New York, Eisenhower's election and policies, Cold War anxieties and fears of communism that led to the Red Scare and McCarthyism, public education efforts around nuclear war preparedness, and how these events and anxieties influenced American popular culture.

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274 views

HA2 - 26, 29 February

This document provides a summary of key events and developments that occurred in the United States during the 1950s. It discusses the establishment of the Interstate Highway System, the rise of suburbs, the development of the polio vaccine, the introduction of computers for business use, the emergence of rock and roll music, the launch of early U.S. satellites, the Supreme Court ruling on school desegregation, abstract expressionist art in New York, Eisenhower's election and policies, Cold War anxieties and fears of communism that led to the Red Scare and McCarthyism, public education efforts around nuclear war preparedness, and how these events and anxieties influenced American popular culture.

Uploaded by

branwen1887
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

HA2 26/29

February
1950s Topics, Post-war anxiety, Research
projects

Bellwork
PICK UP A SYLLABUS!
You have 5 minutes to get with your
group and finalize your minipresentations. REMEMBER, you need:
4 major points written on the board
Approximately 2 minutes to present
Everyone in the group participating in
the presentation

The Interstate Highway


System
Signed into action by
Eisenhower in 1956
41000 miles of
expressways
Made long-haul trucking
faster and feasible
Encouraged development
of more suburbs
Encouraged travel within
continental U.S.
Caused decline in reliance
on railways
Towns near highways
prospered; towns farther
from highways languished

Suburbs Attract Families


Cheap homes on a massive
scale in small communities
outside of urban centers
(suburbs)
With the booming auto
industry, more and more
families owned cars and
were lured to suburbs
Suburbs promised
affordable housing,
congenial neighbors, fresh
air and open spaces, good
schools, and easy access to
urban jobs and culture
Predominantly inhabited by
white, middle-class families

Victory over Polio


Polio is a crippling and
often fatal disease,
especially in children
Dr. Jonas Salk developed
a vaccine against polio
in early 1950s
U.S. government
sponsored a free
inoculation program for
children shortly
thereafter
By 1974, only seven new
cases of polio were
reported in the U.S.

Computers for Businesses


Computers were originally
developed for research and
military purposes
UNIVAC
(UniversalAutomaticComp
uter) and ENIAC (Electronic
Numerical Integrator and
Computer) were adapted
for business purposes as
well
First business-oriented
computers developed in
UK (1951), but US
researchers rapidly
overtook the market
Massively increased
productivity and efficiency
in business

Rock n Roll
Musicians in the 1950s added
electronic instruments to
traditional blues music,
creating rhythm and blues
1951: Alan Freed starts
playing this music; dubs it
rock n roll
Culture of music that was
black and white, something
American
Themes of love, cars, and
problems of youth
Controversial among older
generations, who saw the
music as a gateway to
delinquency
Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash

U.S. Satellites Launched


1958 US launches
its first successful
satellite Explorer 1
(pictured) less than
one year after
Sputnik
Follows with series
of satellites,
including
communications
satellite (Telstar,
1961)

Integration of Public
Schools
1954: SCOTUS
rules in Brown v.
Board of
Education of
Topeka that
schools must
racially integrate
Overturned
Plessy v.
Ferguson
separate but
equal policy

Art: The New York School


Known for
abstract
expressionist
painting, as well
as poetry, music,
dance, and
theatre
Drew upon
surrealism,
action painting,
jazz, and
improvisational

Eisenhower for President


First elected in 1952; reelected 1956
Championed American
values; Republicans
argued Democrats
plundered at home and
blundered abroad
Dynamic conservativism
/ Modern republicanism:
conservative on
finances; liberal on
human beings
Pushed for balanced
budget

Cold War Anxieties

Red Scare
Red Scare = fear the communists both inside
and outside the US were working to destroy
American life
Supported by the Long Telegram from
Moscow, George Kennan
Attorney General J. Howard McGrath:
Communists are everywhere in factories,
offices, butcher shops, on street corners, and
private businesses.

Red Scare
Truman created the Federal
Employee Loyalty Program
FBI + other security agencies
can investigate federal
employees
~ 3000 people are dismissed
or resign from government
service
1940 Smith Act makes it
unlawful to teach / advocate the
violent overthrow of the US
government
NY jails 11 communists under
the Smith Act

HUAC
House (of Reps) UnAmerican Activities
Committee
Investigates
alleged facsists,
Nazis, or
communists
Investigates
government, armed
forces, unions, news
papers, education,
movie industry, etc.

Red Scare Hollywood


Ten

Hollywood Ten = left wing writers,


directors, and producers that refused
to answer questions about possible
communist connections
Plead the 5th amendment, held in
contempt of court
Blacklisted from Hollywood killed
their careers and their reputations
1957 Watkins v. US = Supreme Court
rules that witnesses cannot be forced
to name political radicals they know

Oppenheimer
Creator of the atomic
bomb
Works for Atomic
Energy Commission
(AEC)
Denied access to
confidential
information because
his wife was a
communist
No evidence that he
was ever disloyal to
the US

Spy Cases Alger Hiss


Government worker
New Deal programs
Helped organize the
UN
Named by a former
communist party
member
Denies the charge
Charged with perjury
and sentenced to 5
years in jail

Spy Cases Rosenbergs


Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg
Poor Jewish couple from
NYC
Charged with conspiring
to share info about
atomic science with a
Soviet agent
Sentenced to death and
executed
Too harsh?
Evidence in 1990s Julius
was a spy, no evidence
against Ethel

McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy
senator
Claims he has a list of
205 government
workers who are
security threats, 57
communists *never
produces actual list*
Accused government
workers lose jobs and
reputations
George Marshall
Caught in lies, but
covered it up

McCarthyism
1954 Goes after the
US Army
Army accuses
McCarthy of personal
motivations behind
attacks
Televised trials
(badgering of
witnesses, twisting of
truth, laughing at the
suffering of the
questioned)

McCarthy loses power


and support

Fear of Nuclear War


1949 Communists
get atomic bomb
Constant fear
Education

Duck and Cover


Who created this video?
What is Bert the mascot of?
How will students know if a nuclear
attack comes?
Where and when might a nuclear
attack happen?
What is the job of the civil defense
worker?
How will you know when the danger is
over?
Post-Movie Questions

Red Scare effects pop


culture
Page 738-739 (orange textbook)
Look at the infographic and answer the
Thinking Critically questions

What is an Infographic?
Infographics = information graphics = visual
representations of information, data, or
knowledge
Used to explain complex information quickly,
clearly, and visually.

Present Data Meaningfully


Information with narrative

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