#29: The Fabulous Fifties
1. Which of the following industries led the economic boom of the postwar era?
A) tourism and motels
B) aircraft and Halloween costumes
C) housing and television
D) automobiles and construction
2. The 1944 GI Bill of Rights gave
A) soldiers absolute freedom of speech.
B) veterans guaranteed jobs with the federal government.
C) women the right to join the armed forces.
D) veterans subsidies for education or opening a small business.
3. The ________ Act of 1947 authorized the president to seek court injunctions to prevent strikes that
endangered the national interest.
A) McCarran
B) Taft-Hartley
C) Wagner
D) Smith-Connally
4. In 1946, Bernard Baruch offered an American plan to the United Nations for eventually
A) eliminating all barriers to international trade.
B) outlawing atomic weapons.
C) eradicating poverty and malnutrition in the world.
D) transferring control of all atomic weapons to the United Nations.
5. In 1946, President Truman alienated southern conservatives by
A) completely desegregating the armed forces despite the opposition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
B) inviting leading black civil rights leaders to the White House to advise him on domestic policy.
C) establishing a Committee on Civil Rights which recommended anti-lynching and ant-ipoll tax
legislation.
D) speaking to the NAACP national meeting and endorsing anti-lynching legislation.
6. In his report, To Secure These Rights, President Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights proposed
A) an increase in the number of Supreme Court justices.
B) federal aid to African-American colleges.
C) establishment of a permanent commission on civil rights.
D) legislation to bring about a redistribution of wealth in the United States.
7. The 1948 presidential campaign and election could be described as
A) rejection of America’s Cold War policy
B) ugly; full of dirty politics and mud-slinging
C) a welcome end to a lackluster campaign between two political unknowns
D) one of the most stunning upsets in modern politics
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
8. One cause of poverty after 1945 was that
A) the percentage of the population with disabling mental, physical, or emotional conditions increased
dramatically.
B) white racism became increasingly entrenched in both the North and the South.
C) many white ethnic groups in America were traditionally opposed to wage labor.
D) technological advancements raised job requirements and made it harder for those without educational
or special skills to earn a living.
9. Which region of the United States experienced the most dramatic change as a result of economic
growth in the period from World War II to1960?
A) Deep South
B) Northeast
C) Midwest
D) West
10. The president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former State Department
official accused of being a communist was
A) Dr. Klaus Fuchs.
B) Harry Gold.
C) Alger Hiss.
D) Julius Rosenberg.
11. In the 1950s, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed for
A) revealing Kentucky Fried Chicken’s secret recipe.
B) selling NATO deployment plans to the Soviets.
C) selling American secret codes to the Nazis during World War II.
D) betraying atomic secrets to the Soviets.
12. "The reason we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful potential
enemy has sent men to invade our shores, but rather because of the traitorous actions of those who have
been treated so well by this nation." This statement was from a speech given in 1950 by whom?
A) Joseph McCarthy
B) Robert Taft
C) Douglas MacArthur
D) Adlai Stevenson
13. President Eisenhower decided against a direct, public condemnation of Senator Joseph McCarthy
because he was
A) told by the Secret Service that such a confrontation would place him in danger.
B) apprehensive that such a confrontation would splinter the Republican Party.
C) afraid of McCarthy’s power with the national media.
D) informed by political advisors that the public would perceive him as a communist.
14. The politician who called his program of being flexible without compromising his basic values
"dynamic conservatism" or "progressive moderation" was
A) Henry A. Wallace.
B) Dwight D. Eisenhower.
C) Adlai E. Stevenson.
D) Harry S Truman.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
15. In its Middle Eastern policy, the Truman administration consistently supported
A) Israel.
B) Egypt.
C) Jordan.
D) Iraq.
16. The 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine declared that the United States policy in the Middle East was to
A) protect Israel at all costs.
B) use armed force to stop communist aggression.
C) continue its monopoly of the area's oil.
D) promote regime change in countries with undemocratic governments.
17. What did Nasser do in response to Eisenhower’s refusal to finance the Aswan Dam?
A) invaded Israel
B) nationalized the Suez Canal
C) came to Washington and spoke before Congress
D) denounced communism
18. In 1948, the United States joined the ________, appearing to commit itself to a policy of true
cooperation with Latin America.
A) Organization of American States
B) Alliance for Progress
C) North Atlantic Treaty Organization
D) Elks Club
19. In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Republican Party effectively used the issue of ________ to
defeat the Democrats.
A) the Korean War
B) decline in agricultural prices
C) housing shortages
D) escalating national debt
20. President Eisenhower's program included
A) deficit spending to stimulate the economy.
B) expanding the role of national government in the areas of health and human services.
C) increased taxes to balance the budget.
D) running his administration on sound business principles.
21. Eisenhower backed a new federally funded highway system, the largest public works project in U.S.
history, because
A) he needed the political capital for his next election.
B) the economy needed stimulation after a mini-recession.
C) he wanted to impress allies and enemies alike with U.S. capabilities.
D) he wanted to ensure safe passage out of threatened cities in case of nuclear attack.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
22. The landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision which ruled that segregated "educational facilities [in
public schools] are inherently unequal" and unconstitutional was
A) Berea College v. Kentucky.
B) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
C) Cumming v. Country Board of Education.
D) Plessy v. Ferguson.
23. America’s economic prosperity in the 1950s was fueled by all of the following except
A) increased public funding of schools, housing, welfare, and interstate highways.
B) the continuation of military spending at almost wartime levels.
C) reduction in veteran’s benefits.
D) the "baby boom" and rapid expansion of the suburbs.
24. The prosperity of the 1950s was accompanied by
A) significant decrease in defense spending.
B) continued corporate mergers and formation of conglomerates.
C) much more equitable distribution of corporate profits.
D) survival and renewal of the family farm.
25. The policy of planned obsolescence in the automobile industry is evidence that American
A) businesses always try to respond to the shifting demands of the marketplace.
B) automobile companies had the best interests of consumers at heart.
C) workers no longer cared about the quality of the products they produced.
D) producers encouraged consumers to adopt habits associated with a throw-away society.
26. All of the following trends marked the American labor movement of the 1950s except
A) the merger of the AFL and CIO to create the giant federation, the AFL-CIO.
B) leveling off of membership caused in part by the growing shift of workers from blue-collar to whitecollar jobs.
C) noticeable greater success in organizing new workers than in winning benefits for workers already
organized in strong unions.
D) signs of corruption and indifference among some labor leaders as the unions themselves became
wealthy, powerful bureaucracies.
27. Between 1945 and 1960, unionized blue-collar workers
A) found that their wages did not keep pace with inflation.
B) frequently discovered that they could not afford to retire.
C) were for the first time able to enjoy a middle-class lifestyle.
D) increased tremendously in numbers and influence.
28. According to many social observers, American culture in the 1950s seemed dominated by a/an
A) restless search by individuals for identity and purpose.
B) quest for economic and political justice within the United States.
C) absorption with consumer goods by a growing middle class.
D) isolationist desire to avoid international affairs or commitments.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
29. All of the following were reasons for the postwar demographic change that resulted in the "rise of the
suburbs" except
A) the federal government’s commitment to the creation of a highway system.
B) cheap home mortgages under the G.I. Bill of 1946.
C) rejection of loans by the Federal Housing Authority in older residential areas.
D) inexpensive housing built especially for veterans on large tracts of land.
30. Suburbanites of the 1950s and 1960s tended to be
A) family-oriented.
B) elderly.
C) unmarried blue-collar workers.
D) nonwhite minorities.
31. Life in suburbia was especially attractive to many American families in the 1950s because in contrast
to the central cities the suburbs provided
A) variety and excitement in lifestyles and entertainment.
B) harmonious racial integration in neighborhoods and schools.
C) greater opportunities for attending cultural facilities such as symphonies and museums.
D) larger, safer, and more private homes.
32. One of the main reasons people moved to the suburbs was because they
A) liked the mixture of peoples from different age groups and different cultures.
B) wanted the smaller, more manageable homes offered in the suburbs.
C) wanted to live closer to their places of employment.
D) wanted to live in an area where they could gain more political influences than was possible in the city.
33. Dr. Benjamin Spock’s Common Sense Guide to Baby and Child Care was extremely influential in the
early lives of "baby boomers." According to Spock, women who held jobs outside the home
A) were good role models for their children.
B) were more likely to succumb to common medical crises.
C) were guilty of neglecting their children.
D) should be venerated by society.
34. According to Dr. Benjamin Spock, the highly regarded child care expert of the late 1940s and 1950s,
women could become better mothers by
A) fulfilling their career and professional goals.
B) staying home and focusing on the needs of their children.
C) sharing the role of parenting more equally with the fathers.
D) working to supplement income and increase family purchasing power.
35. In his book Generation of Vipers (1955), Philip Wylie advanced the argument that
A) in sacrificing for their children, mothers were actually pursuing love of self.
B) women should seek fulfillment by pursuing a career rather than through motherhood.
C) when the children of the 1950s became adults they will be more secure and more independent than any
previous generation.
D) most American men suffer from an unhealthy emotional attachment to their mothers.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
36. Female characters in 1950s popular television were heavily influenced by
A) working women, with "Rosie the Riveter" being the prototype.
B) the emergence of feminism.
C) the ideas of Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington in Who Are We?
D) the work of Dr. Spock and other psychologists who placed the utmost importance on women’s
nurturing sides.
37. During the 1950s, the television industry
A) actually affected only a very small percentage of the total population.
B) encouraged individuality and independence in values and beliefs among America’s white middle class.
C) served primarily as a culturally unifying force since millions of Americans viewed standard fare.
D) failed to attract enough interest from commercial advertisers to be financially successful.
38. In The Organization Man (1956), William H. Whyte, Jr. indicated that the most important trait for a
bureaucratic worker was a/an:
A) reliance on individual initiative.
B) willingness to be candid.
C) ability to "get along. "
D) talent for creativity.
39. The principal message of the "beats" (or beatniks), young poets and writers of the 1950s, was to
A) criticize the sterility and conformity of American life and culture.
B) warn of the dangers of international communism.
C) offer a romantic and nostalgic vision of the past.
D) urge rededication by politicians to the American dream.
40. Michael Harrington’s The Other America (1962) captured the nation’s attention by focusing on
A) technological advances.
B) the continuing problem of poverty.
C) the network of organized crime.
D) working women.
41. The Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954
A) was strongly endorsed by President Eisenhower.
B) bitterly divided the justices of the Supreme Court.
C) provided a specific timetable and guidelines for school integration.
D) encountered strong opposition and delay tactics throughout the South.
42. The arrest of Rosa Parks led to a boycott by blacks of ________ in Montgomery, Alabama.
A) lunch counters
B) department stores
C) bus lines
D) public schools
43. In 1957, President Eisenhower sent troops to protect black high school students in
A) Oxford, Mississippi.
B) Selma, Alabama.
C) Topeka, Kansas.
D) Little Rock, Arkansas.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
44. In domestic affairs, President Eisenhower
A) worked to expand government’s control of the economy.
B) exercised strong personal leadership to pass his social agenda through Congress.
C) expanded public development of natural resources through TVA-type projects.
D) permitted survival, and occasionally expansion, of social programs in place when he took office.
45. The 1958 National Defense Education Act was passed in response to
A) an alarming decline in the literacy rate of army draftees.
B) the Russian launching of the first earth-orbiting satellite.
C) the growing problem of juvenile delinquency.
D) the decline in American exports to the world market.
46. The primary intent of the cartoon above was to
A) criticize President Eisenhower for his apparent indifference to many seething social problems during
the 1950s.
B) show all the various groups which were aligned in support of Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic Party
challenger to Eisenhower’s bid for re-election in 1956.
C) warn the American public that selfish interests would hamper the government’s handling of serious
Cold War issues.
D) praise President Eisenhower for encouraging Congress to pass meaningful legislation affecting a wide
range of societal issues.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
47. In his final radio and television address, President Eisenhower warned the nation about
A) world overpopulation and starvation.
B) the “military-industrial complex.”
C) becoming an Oregon Ducks fan.
D) the “international communist conspiracy.”
48. All of the following made John F. Kennedy an attractive presidential candidate in 1960 except
A) past accomplishments as war hero and prize-winning author.
B) family wealth and prestige.
C) his eloquence, wit, and charisma.
D) promise to keep the nation on course of the 1950s.
49. Campaigning in 1960, Kennedy's ________ was a major obstacle for him in the presidential race.
A) wealth and influence
B) liberal civil rights record
C) Catholicism
D) criticism of the Cold War
50. The closely watched series of television debates between candidates John Kennedy and Richard
Nixon in 1960 almost certainly
A) helped Kennedy win the presidency.
B) had little or no bearing on the presidential election.
C) helped Nixon close the gap between himself and Kennedy.
D) exposed Nixon's inabilities to grasp key domestic and foreign issues.
This material is intended solely for educational purpose in conjunction with The American Nation: A History of the United States by Mark C. Carnes and
John A. Garraty. It is for private use only and may not be disseminated, duplicated, sold, or marketed in any manner. Individuals are limited to one copy
to be used exclusively as a classroom academic device and which must be submitted to the course instructor within one week of printing. Any other use
is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.