Postwar America

1
Post-war America

• Society Culture

2
Land of Prosperity

• After WWII, America entered into a period of
  unrivaled economic prosperity.
• The Gross National Product (GNP) practically
  doubled from 1945 1960.
• Pres. Eisenhower stated that Never again shall
  we allow a depression in the United States.
• The massive build-up for WWII caused America to
  break out of the Great Depression.

3

• The military budget after 1945 was the single
  most important stimulant to the post-war economy.
• Much of Europe was destroyed now relied on
  American manufacturing for all their needs.
• This increase in productivity trickled down into
  every aspect of American manufacturing.
• Also, the American people had restricted
  purchases since 1929, now they are in a spending
  buying frenzy. (cars houses)

4

• The Veterans Administration was created from the
  Servicemans Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of
  Rights) over 8 million used this from
  1945-1956.
• This also helped the economy because these men
  are now back in the role of a consumer, going to
  college or tech. schools, purchasing cars,
  houses, motorcycles, starting families, etc.
• The educational aspect alone was substantial. By
  1949/1950 America had the worlds best educated
  workforce.

5

• Not all veterans would be able to go to college,
  black veterans found it very difficult to gain
  admission to college, even at historically black
  schools.
• They were generally too small to accommodate the
  large number of applicants since most were
  located in the south, there was very little
  funding to build new schools or even to add on.
• But the blacks did enjoy some of the prosperity.
  Most black families were making at least 4 times
  more than they were in 1940.

6
Womens Role

• The role of women in the 1950s was basically
  that of pre-WWI.
• The American Ideal, Norman Rockwell vision of
  America can to be the norm.
• The ideal middle-class woman, a 32 yr. old,
  pretty popular, suburban housewife, mother of
  4, married at 16. An excellent wife, mother,
  volunteer home manager, who made her own
  clothes, hosted dozens of dinner parties each
  year, sang in the church choir, worked with the
  PTA Campfire Girls was devoted to her
  husband. Life Magazine 1956

7

• Almost a vision of the Stepford Wives.
• Society told women that the returning men were
  the head of the households the breadwinner.
  Her place was that of support and obedience.
• Thus she had more time to devote to charity
  organizations social clubs, Tupperware parties
  networking with other wives mothers in the
  neighborhood. Thus creating an environment of
  maternal care across America.
• the womans place is in the home?!?

8
Suburbia

• With the return of the troops from the war, the
  population increased by 97 from 1950 1960.
• More folks were moving to the cities leaving
  the farm due to lack of work.
• Causing the cities to bulge at the seams,
  making it difficult to find housing.
• William Levitt, a NY developer, led the charge
  for suburban expansion.
• He built efficient, affordable housing outside of
  the cities during the war made a killing.

9

• Because of the growth of the suburbs, public
  services had to keep up with the times.
• As did most of America, i.e., consumer goods,
  cars, tv, radio, a/c, etc.
• This led to the development of more better
  roads, highways, interstates, etc.
• From 19471956 over 42,000 miles of additional
  roads were built across America.
• These improvements led to more and better
  schools, and increased racial tension.

10
America, the Community

• Suburban growth also caused the rise of social
  organizations.
• An increase in religious activity, to a point
  that some say could rival the Great Awakenings.
• To bring America back to the recognition of the
  Supreme Being, Recognition of the Supreme
  Being were some of Pres. Eisenhowers top
  agendas.
• More churches larger congregations.
• All mixed with Patriotism in the background.

11

• This came to the forefront in 1954, when one
  nation under God was added to the Pledge of
  Allegiance and In God we trust was made
  mandatory on all US money.
• Many churches preachers changed their approach
  to religion sermons.
• Fewer Hellfire Brimstone sermons, and more
  charismatic, pleasant sermons.
• They tried to lessen the guilt of the
  congregation make them more comfortable in
  their daily life.
• Because many felt there were enough problems in
  society, no need to burden the congregation and
  make them feel bad.

12

• The Protestant Council of New York told its radio
  tv audience that they should project love,
  joy, courage, hope, faith, trust in God,
  goodwill. Generally avoid condemnation,
  criticism, controversy. In a very real sense we
  are selling religion, the good news of the
  Gospel.
• This was reflected in some of the big name
  preachers of the day, Reverends Billy Graham
  Norman Vincent Peale.
• The Rev. Dr. William (Billy) Franklin Graham, Jr.
  is best known for his evangelistic crusades,
  which he began in 1947.
• One of the most prominent Southern Baptist
  ministers in America.

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• These very popular events are packed with people,
  generally numbering in the thousands and
  broadcast to millions around the world.
• An army of up to 5,000 people would sing in the
  choir and then he preaches the gospel, inviting
  people to come forward and accept Jesus Christ.
• Those that do come forward are called inquirers.
• They are given the opportunity to speak
  one-on-one with a counselor who answers any
  questions the inquirer may have prays with that
  person.
• Rev. Billy Graham has done over forty-one (41)
  major crusades since 1948.

14

• Norman Vincent Peale was a Christian preacher,
  noted author a progenitor of the theory of
  Positive Thinking".
• Raised as a Methodist and an ordained Methodist
  minister in 1922.
• Peale changed his religious affiliation to the
  Reformed Church in America in 1932 and began a 52
  yr. tenure as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church
  in Manhattan.
• A prolific author, he wrote 46 "inspirational"
  books, of which The Power of Positive Thinking
  remains by far his most widely read work.

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• Also known for many organizations that promoted
  the power of positive thinking, i.e. the Peale
  Center, the Positive Thinking Foundation and
  Guideposts Magazine Publications.
• For 54 years (1935 to 1989), Peale hosted a
  weekly radio program The Art of Living.
• Both men have a major impact on religion in
  America.
• Rev. Peale was considered the best salesman of
  this gospel of reassuring the good news..
• Both had Masonic backgrounds, but Rev. Peale was
  open to the public about it, a 33rd Mason.
• Rev. Graham was not. (many suspect because of
  the Southern Bapt. stance on Freemasonry)

16

• Another religious philosophy of the 1950s was
  neo-orthodoxy.
• Reinhold Niebuhr, a preacher pastor at Union
  Theological Seminary in New York, was the most
  prominent advocator of this movement.
• Neo-orthodoxy basically stated that the new
  feel-good about yourself religion that had
  taken over was shallow misleading. That it was
  an excuse not to give your life to God.
• Niebuhr believed that spiritual peace does not
  come from cheap comfort, but from pain caused
  by love responsibility for the betterment of
  the human race.

17
Youth Gone Wild

• The 1950s will be the 1st ear in American
  history that the teen-age subculture will emerge.
• The prosperity had made its way down to the
  pockets of teenagers, who will become a major
  consumer market from this time forward.
• Books, music, movies, magazines, etc., are all
  targeting teenagers.
• Even the car manufacturers began targeting the
  teen market

18

• Juvenile criminals were rapidly on the rise in
  the 1950s.
• By 1956, over 1 million teenagers were arrested
  for committing felonies.
• Car theft was the main one, but rape, murder,
  assaults, robbery, etc.
• Urbanization was being blamed, but that did not
  explain the growing number of middle-class teen
  criminals.
• Many blamed cars, since now teens could escape
  the watchful eye of their parents.

19

• But most critics blamed a new form of music
  called Rock n Roll.
• A Cleveland disk jockey, Alan Freed, was the 1st
  to use the term in 1951.
• He noticed the white teens buying RB records,
  generally associated with black teens other
  minorities.
• Knowing that parents would not agree to their
  child listening to race music, he called it
  Rock n Roll ( a term used in the black
  communities for dancing sex.)
• This worked gave rise to minority musicians
  such as Ray Charles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry,
  Ritchie Valens, et al.

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• But the most popular, most famous infamous
  musician was Elvis Presley.
• Many of his early hits were actually songs
  music performed by black artists on the Miss.
  Delta.
• He became the King of Rock n Roll, a movie
  star, tv personality.
• He defined the culture by wearing his jeans
  tight, and sexually suggestive dancing. Getting
  him censured on tv banned from some variety
  shows, i.e Ed Sullivan.

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• Many urged parents that rock n roll was the
  devils music.
• Many claimed it was the work of communists trying
  to corrupt the youth of America.
• But it would become the most expressive way for
  the youth to revolt against the Man.