20th Century
Ms. Shen
Name: _______________________________
Essay Assignment: The Nifty Fifties?
Please take a position on the following statement and support your response with evidence from the unit and the attached primary
documents:
The media generally portrays the 1950s as a time of peaceful prosperity and
unprecedented wealth – a time when all Americans, weary from years of war
and economic hardship, were able to enjoy life. The 1950s, however, do not
deserve its reputation as one of peaceful consensus and conformity. This
harmonic image was an overgeneralization that ignores the realities of what was
going on in this country.
Paper Requirements:
 The paper should be 3-5 pages in length (no more!)
 A few formatting reminders:
o Typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman (or comparable), size 12
o Margins 1” all around
o Name, class, and date should be single-spaced in the top left-hand corner
o Header should be centered and also size 12 font
o Make sure pages are numbered (electronically)
 You must use footnotes or endnotes.
 Your citations, at least one per paragraph, should be drawn from the following: class notes, textbook, and
the documents provided to you in class. NO INTERNET WHATSOEVER. Remember to support your
argument with a blend of quotation analysis and specific historical examples.
 Consult your past written work, your research paper in particular, to see what you still need to work on,
and set a writing goal for yourself.
 Don’t forget to proofread and spell check.
 You must use AT LEAST ONE quotation in each paragraph. All told, you should make use of AT LEAST
FIVE separate primary documents (at least 3 direct quotes and at least 2 specific references). These primary
sources should include the attached documents but may also include primary documents examined in class as
well.
Due Dates / Time Table:
Thursday, March 14th: Thesis due; in-class work on the essay (along with test review)
Monday, March 18th & Thursday, March 21st (Block 6) OR Tuesday, March 19th & Thursday, March
21st (Block 5): Meet in the Humanities Lab to work on papers
Friday, March 22nd: Essays are due!
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MORE INFORMATION ON WRITING A DBQ
The essay question you have been given is a document-based question. This means that you will read and analyze
a series of documents, and use these documents to answer the essay question. This section of the essay handout is
meant to help you learn how to approach and use the documents effectively.
We will have time in class to review the documents and do brainstorming work that will help you answer the
question.
Step 1: Reading and Analyzing the Documents
•
Carefully read the question and think about what you already know about this topic. Write down any notes or
ideas that will be useful in your essay.
•
Examine each document and underline key phrases or quotes that you will later use as evidence in your essay.
Basically you want to find quotes that will support the argument you are making. Be prepared to explain what
the significance of your underlined passages is.
•
Prepare a detailed outline for your essay. (optional)
Step 2: Writing the Essay
1. Introduction: Give some background information about your topic (set the historical stage). Make sure you
give your reader enough information so that he or she knows what you are talking about. End your introduction
with your thesis statement. I repeat: The last sentence in your introduction should be your thesis. Make sure your thesis
addresses the fundamental question of the essay (see page 1); if you choose, you can elaborate and/or put it in
your own words, but your thesis should definitely address the question.
2. Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph (AT LEAST THREE) needs to start with an analytical topic sentence.
Your topic sentence needs to make an argument that supports your thesis. Use quotations and references to
support the argument. ALWAYS remember to analyze, or explain, how the quotations and evidence you use
support your thesis. At the end of each paragraph, you should explain how the evidence you presented in that
paragraph AS A WHOLE connects back to your argument.
NOTE: When using evidence from the documents, do not refer to them as “documents.” Rather, refer to them
by their title (if available) or the author.
Always make sure to properly “introduce” the document before you quote from it. For example:
•
•
•
Hugh Hefner argued that “Blah blah blah.”
Despite evidence to the contrary, Betty Freidan maintained her argument that “blah blah blah.”
According to Beat writer Alan Ginsberg, “Blah blah blah.”
Remember to use AT LEAST ONE quotation in each paragraph. All told, you should make use of AT LEAST
FIVE separate documents (at least 3 direct quotes and at least 2 specific references).
3. Conclusion: Here is where you spend one paragraph summarizing your findings without being blatantly
repetitive. You will need to re-emphasize your thesis as well as your main pieces of evidence without writing them
exactly the same way over again. After you do this, you need to give your reader some additional insight into the
topic. For example, explain why these issues are important in the long run, or elaborate on the historical
significance of these particular issues.
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Pre-Writing
Directions: To get you started on your essay, please begin brainstorming below. Be sure to include more than the
general points for either side. Consider the various documents we’ve studied in class thusfar and begin considering
which of these documents you could use to support your case on either side.
1950s as a time of peace
1950s as a decade of turmoil
Sample Intro Paragraph:
The Truth Behind the Nifty Fifties
The 1950s are generally remembered as a time of economic prosperity, social progression, and political stability. The
image of the 1950s is revealed through television shows like “Leave it to Beaver,” in which a picture-perfect family led by an
angelically beautiful mother and a friendly but manly father works out its problems and everyone is happy in the end. However,
this image masks a reality of the 1950s that is, in reality, much more sinister. What one does not see in “Leave it to Beaver” is that
the cookie-cutter culture of the 1950s obscured political hysteria, pervasive racial discrimination, and restrictive gender roles that
ultimately limited the potential of women. As such, the image of the 1950s as a decade of peaceful consensus and conformity is
inaccurate, and indeed, only cloaks the harsh reality of the 1950s.
The fact that the Cold War raged throughout the 1950s left an indelible mark on the political reality of the era, leading to
an intensively repressive political atmosphere.
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The Documents
DOCUMENT ONE: Truman’s Loyalty Program
PRESCRIBING PROCEDURES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF AN EMPLOYEES LOYALTY PROGRAM
IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT
Whereas each employee of the Government of the United States is endowed with a measure of trusteeship over the
democratic processes which are the heart and sinew of the United States; and
Whereas it is of vital importance that persons employed in the Federal service be of complete and unswerving loyalty to
the United States; and
Whereas, although the loyalty of by far the overwhelming majority of all Government employees is beyond question,
the presence within the Government service of any disloyal or subversive person constitutes a threat to our democratic
processes; and
Whereas maximum protection must be afforded the United States against infiltration of disloyal persons into the ranks
of its employees, and equal protection from unfounded accusations of disloyalty must be afforded the loyal employees
of the Government…
PART I, -- INVESTIGATION OF APPLICANTS
There shall be a loyalty investigation of every person entering the civilian employment of any department or agency of
the executive branch of the Federal Government…
An investigation shall be made of all applicants at all available pertinent sources of information and shall include
reference to:
Federal Bureau of Investigation files. Civil Service Commission files. Military and naval intelligence files.
The files of any other appropriate government investigative or intelligence agency. House Committee on un-American
Activities files. Local law-enforcement files at the place of residence and employment of the applicant, including
municipal, county, and State law-enforcement files. Schools and colleges attended by applicant. Former employers of
applicant. References given by applicant. Any other appropriate source.
Whenever derogatory information with respect to loyalty of an applicant is revealed a full investigation shall be
conducted…
Harry S. Truman
The White House, March 21, 1947
Citation: Harry S. Truman, Federal Employee Loyalty Program, 1947.
DOCUMENT TWO: Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Address Before the General Assembly of the United Nations on
Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy
On July 16, 1945, the United States set off the world's first atomic explosion. Since that date in 1945, the United States
of America has conducted 42 test explosions. Atomic bombs today are more than 25 times as powerful as the weapons
with which the atomic age dawned, while hydrogen weapons are in the ranges of millions of tons of TNT equivalent.
Today, the United States' stockpile of atomic weapons, which, of course, increases daily, exceeds by many times the
explosive equivalent of the total of all bombs and all shells that came from every plane and every gun in every theatre of
war in all of the years of World War II….
But the dread secret, and the fearful engines of atomic might, are not ours alone…. The secret is also known by the
Soviet Union…
If at one time the United States possessed what might have been called a monopoly of atomic power, that monopoly
ceased to exist several years ago. Therefore, although our earlier start has permitted us to accumulate what is today a
great quantitative advantage, the atomic realities of today comprehend two facts of even greater significance….
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But let no one think that the expenditure of vast sums for weapons and systems of defense can guarantee absolute
safety for the cities and citizens of any nation. The awful arithmetic of the atomic bomb does not permit of any such
easy solution. Even against the most powerful defense, an aggressor in possession of the effective minimum number of
atomic bombs for a surprise attack could probably place a sufficient number of his bombs on the chosen targets to
cause hideous damage.
Should such an atomic attack be launched against the United States, our reactions would be swift and resolute. But for
me to say that the defense capabilities of the United States are such that they could inflict terrible losses upon an
aggressor--for me to say that the retaliation capabilities of the United States are so great that such an aggressor's land
would be laid waste--all this, while fact, is not the true expression of the purpose and the hope of the United States…
My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to
live in freedom, and in the confidence that the people of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their
own way of life.
So my country's purpose is to help us move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which
the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward toward peace and happiness and
well being….
The United States knows that if the fearful trend of atomic military buildup can be reversed, this greatest of destructive
forces can be developed into a great boon, for the benefit of all mankind.
The United States knows that peaceful power from atomic energy is no dream of the future. That capability, already
proved, is here--now--today. Who can doubt, if the entire body of the world's scientists and engineers had adequate
amounts of fissionable material with which to test and develop their ideas, that this capability would rapidly be
transformed into universal, efficient, and economic usage.
Citation: Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Address Before the General Assembly of the United Nations on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, New York
City," December 8, 1953. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=9774.
DOCUMENT THREE: Montgomery, Alabama, Code on Segregation
Sec. 10. Separation of races—Required.
Every person operating a bus line the in the city shall provide equal but separate accommodations for white people and
Negroes on his buses, by requiring the employees in charge thereof to assign passengers seats on the vehicles under
their charge in such manner as to separate the white from the Negroes, where there are both white and Negroes on the
same car. . . .
Citation: Code of the City of Montgomery, Alabama, (Charlottesville: Michie City Publishing, 1952).
DOCUMENT FOUR: Integration of Central High School, Little Rock, AR
When the nine of us got together to compare notes, we discovered we were all facing an increasing barrage of injurious
activities. What was noticeably different was the frequency and the organized pattern of harassment. Teams of students
appeared to be assigned specific kinds of torture. One team concentrated on slamming us into lockers, while another
focused on tripping us up or shoving us down staircases; still another concentrated on attacks with weapons. Another
group must have been told to practice insidious harassment inside the classrooms. Still others worked at entrapment,
luring the boys into dark corners or the girls into tight spots in isolated passageways.
Citation: Melba Pattillo Beals, Warriors Don’t Cry (New York: Simon Pulse, 1995), 213.
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DOCUMENT FIVE: Brown v. Board of Education Decision
Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The
impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as
denoting the inferiority of the Negro group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn. Segregation
with the sanction of law, therefore, has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of Negro children
and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racially integrated school system. Whatever may
have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by
modern authority. Any language in Plessy v. Ferguson contrary to this finding is rejected.
Citation: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
DOCUMENT SIX: Folk Song: Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds
Little Boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little Boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same,
There's a green one and a pink one, and a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses all went to the university,
Where they were put into boxes and they all came out the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers, and business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course and drink their martini dry,
And they all have pretty children and the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp and then to the university,
Where they are all put in boxes and they all come out the same.
Citation: "Little Boxes," folk song, 1962. Words and music by Malvina Reynolds, 1962. Schroder Music Co.
DOCUMENT SEVEN: Quotation from a Suburban Housewife
"We were all in the same boat . . . We shared everything; we shared tools and cars, minded each other's kids, passed
play-pens and high-chairs from house to house—everything. It was—at least to us—a Paradise."
Citation: Mrs. Klerk, quoted in Barbara M. Kelly, Expanding the American Dream: Building and Rebuilding Levittown, (Albany: State
University of New York, 1993).
DOCUMENT EIGHT:
Excerpt from The Affluent Society, by John Kenneth Galbraith
Poverty—grim, degrading, and ineluctable—is not remarkable in India. For few, the fate is otherwise. But in the United
States, the survival of poverty is remarkable. We ignore it because we share with all societies at all times the capacity for
not seeing what we do not wish to see. Anciently this has enabled the nobleman to enjoy his dinner while remaining
oblivious to the beggars around his door. In our own day, it enables us to travel in comfort by Harlem and into the lush
precincts of midtown Manhattan. But while our failure to notice can be explained, it cannot be excused. "Poverty," Pitt
exclaimed, "is no disgrace but it is damned annoying." In the contemporary United States, it is not annoying but it is a
disgrace.
Citation: John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society, 4th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984), 254.
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DOCUMENT NINE: Excerpt from The Other America, by Michael Harrington
There is a familiar America. It is celebrated in speeches and advertised on television and in the magazines. It
has the highest mass standard of living the world has ever known.
In the 1950s this America worried about itself, yet even its anxieties were products of abundance. The title of a
brilliant book was widely misinterpreted, and the familiar America began to call itself “the affluent society.” […] In all
this, there was an implicit assumption that the basic grinding economic problems had been solved in the United States.
In this theory the nation’s problems were no longer a matter of basic human needs, of food, shelter, and clothing. Now
they were seen as qualitative, a question of learning to live decently amid luxury.
While this discussion carried on, there existed another America. In it dwelt somewhere between 40,000,000
and 50,000,000 citizens of this land. They were poor. They still are.
To be sure, the other America is not impoverished in the same sense as those poor nations where millions cling
to hunger as a defense against starvation. This country has escaped such extremes. That does not change the fact that
tens of millions of Americans are, at this very moment, maimed in body and spirit, existing at levels beneath those
necessary for human decency. If these people are not starving, they are hungry, and sometimes fat with hunger, for that
is what cheap foods do. They are without adequate housing and education and medical care.
The Government has documented what this means to the bodies of the poor…But even more basic, this
poverty twists and deforms the spirit. The American poor are pessimistic and defeated, and they are victimized by
mental suffering to a degree unknown in Suburbia…
The millions who are poor in the United States tend to become increasingly invisible. Here is a great mass of
people, yet it takes an effort of the intellect and will even to see them.
Citation: Michael Harrington, The Other America, (New York: Scribner, 1962), 1-2.
DOCUMENT TEN: A Neighborhood Vote
Residents of the Southwood District of South San Fransisco were triumphant yesterday in their efforts to keep their
neighborhood 100% Caucasian. They achieved this object by the use of one of democracy’s most fundamental instruments –
the secret ballot. By a vote of 174 to 26 they told Sing Sheng, a former Chinese Nationalist intelligence officer, that they did not
want him, his pretty wife and his small son as neighbors. They did not want the Shengs as neighbors for a lot of reasons which
added up to one big reason: the Shengs are Chinese….
The suggestion of putting the matter to a ballot came from Sheng himself after he receieved numerous objections to his
purchase of a house on West Orange Avenue last week. Most of the objections asserted that his presence would depress
property values. “I didn’t know about any racial prejudice at all until I came to Southwood. I was sure everybody really believed
in democracy, so I thought up this vote as a test,” he said at that time…
Each ballot was tallied aloud, read by South San Franscisco City Manager Emmons McClung. The ballots were phrased so that
the homeowners were asked whether they objected to the purchase of a home in the neighborhood by this Chinese family…The
Shengs heard McClung read the phrase, “I object,” 174 times as he tallied the ballots. By the end of the balloting they looked
crushed…The homeowners exchanged jubilant remarks as they drifted out of the hall.
Citation: David Colbert, Ed., Eyewitness to America, New York: Pantheon Books, 1997.
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DOCUMENT ELEVEN: The Suburban Community
Broad Classes of Reasons Given for Moving to the Suburbs, and Percentage of Respondents Mentioning Each Type
(*Since many respondents gave more than one reason, the sum of the percentages does not equal 100.)
Type of Reason
Per Cent*
Better for children
81
Enjoy life more
77
Husband's job
21
Near relatives
14
Other
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Percentage Distribution of Specific Reasons in the "Better for Children" Category:
Specific Reasons for Moving to the Suburbs
Per Cent
Physical reasons (N=172):
72.3
More space outside house
19.7
More space inside house
14.3
"The outdoors" (fresh air, sunshine, etc.)
12.6
Less traffic
11.8
Cleaner
6.3
No neighbors in same building
3.8
Quiet
2.1
No stairs
1.7
Social reasons (N=66):
27.7
Better schools
10.2
"Nice" children to play with
9.2
Other children to play with
2.5
More organized activities
2.5
Home of own (security)
1.7
Adults "nice" to children
0.8
Better churches
0.8
Total reasons in this category (N=238)
100.0
Citation: Wendell Bell, "Social Choice, Life Styles, and Suburban Residence," in The Suburban Community, ed. William Dobriner (New
York: Putnam, 1958), 234–35.
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DOCUMENT TWELVE: Memoir about cruisin’ and dragging
Background information: This memoir describes a teenager's love affair with cars during the 1950s. The car became a
vehicle of freedom and expression during this decade. Problematically, many of these freedoms were in direct contrast
to the "perfect" family image, such as the dangers of drag racing and the flirtatious rituals of cruising.
Between 1957 and 1959, my friends and I learned all the rituals that young boys needed to know concerning driving.
We learned how important it was to be noticed behind the wheel of a fast car or with someone who had one. It was a
time in our lives that we had looked forward to having seen those slightly older than us doing the same things.
I was lucky in having a friend like Bobby Patton who seemed to have unlimited use of a Plymouth Fury owned by his
family. He had been a friend throughout high school and now it became important to maintain that status at any cost.
He knew the cruising rules better than I having had an older sister to observe as she went through this time a couple of
years ahead of us.
The cruising part required that one first drive up and down Main Street as soon as the school day was completed
making sure that you were seen by all. It might even involve stopping at Mabry’s or Birmingham’s drug stores for a
quick vanilla coke and a look at the girls who happened to be there. Then up and down any of the streets leading from
Hamlet High toward any of the girls’ homes we thought worthy of our attention. This was a chance to "give them a ride
home" (our excuse) and yet be seen by someone else with them in the car (our intent).
After dropping the unsuspecting (we thought) girls off at home, the cruising began in earnest. Up and down Main Street
again, then through the neighborhoods where our favorite girls lived. Passing one of their houses always required a toot
on the horn to let them know we were around. Nothing was ever said of this ritual, during, before or after the fact.
They understood we were required to do it and so did we. Nothing need be said.
After going home to supper and supposedly doing our homework, the real cruising would begin. A typical school night
would find us out in that grand old Plymouth Fury V-8 with slightly loud, glass packed mufflers driving around the city
of Hamlet. It was extremely important to "drag" the Hub before, during and after cruising around town. The Hub ritual
is described on another of our stories on this site.
If we were lucky, we would find ourselves at a stoplight or corner with someone else in just as powerful a car. It could
be a customized hot rod, a ’57 Chevy, even a Willis or Oldsmobile 88 or 98. Then it was off to the races, squealing tires,
burning rubber for a block or two. We just had to see who had the fastest car. It was totally for bragging purposes even
if only for a day. I’m glad our parents didn’t know how rough we were on the family cars, or if they did, I’m glad they
didn’t say too much about it.
Weekends were a totally different style. Those were the nights you weren’t expected home by 10:00 p.m. Those were
the nights when you made sure you had your best girl with you… the nights you lived for.
Double dating was always best. That way you had plenty of help if you found yourself lacking conversational skills. You
had eye witnesses that you had been close to your date, that you had sneaked your fair amount of kisses. You had proof
that your girl really loved you and that her parents trusted you enough to let her go with you in a car. Oh, what a
feeling. Those nights were nights to remember… to talk about the next day with your best friend.. to hold onto forever.
We were transformed from boys to men!
Citation: Russ Lancaster, http://www.irememberhamlet.com/cruisingdragging.html, 1957.
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How to Use Endnotes/Footnotes
1.
Foot/endnotes should be written in the form of traditional number symbols (1, 2, 3, 4).
2.
Each citation should have a different number, regardless of whether you are using the same source
multiple times.
3.
Foot/endnotes should NOT be written in by hand – they should be integrated and typed into the text
using the instructions provided below.
4.
Foot/endnotes should be incorporated in the paper after the following scenarios:
a. After using a direct quote from a text, person, or other resource.
b. After including important specific information, ideas, or arguments obtained from another resource or
text (i.e. statistics, factual information, author’s interpretation of an event, etc.)
c. As a general rule, it is better to over-cite than to under-cite and risk plagiarizing.
5.
Format for endnotes and footnotes:
a. For books, textbooks, other secondary sources:
i. First and last name of author, Title of book, (city of publication, state: publisher, year), page
number where the information was found.
6.
b.
For primary documents:
i. (If possible) First and last name of author, Title of document, (year written), page number (if
possible).
c.
For handouts used in class:
i. 20th Century, “Name of handout”, (date of class if known).
d.
For notes taken in class:
i. 20th Century, “Lecture notes from (insert date here)”, Ms. Shen, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High
School.
How do you insert a footnote or endnote into the text of your paper?
a. Microsoft Word:
i. Place the cursor at the end of the sentence (after the period) and go to “Insert” on the toolbar at
the top of the screen.
ii. In the drop down menu, select either “reference” or “footnote” (depending on your version of
Word).
iii. This will bring up a box - make sure “AutoNumber” is selected and that the numbers are in the
traditional number form (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.)
iv. Hit “OK” and a number should be magically inserted into the text where the cursor was. You
will now be dropped down to the bottom of the page (or the end of the paper if you are using
endnotes) where you will fill in the details for the source (author, etc.)
b.
Pages:
i. Place the cursor at the end of the sentence (after the period) and go to “Format” on the toolbar
at the top of the screen.
ii. In the drop down menu, select “Insert Footnote”
iii. This should magically insert a number in the text where the cursor was. You will now be
dropped down to the bottom of the page (or the end of the paper if you are using endnotes)
where you will fill in the details for the source (author, title, etc.)
iv. The first tab (“Documents”) in the Inspector has an option for choosing between footnotes and
endnotes (if you prefer one over the other.
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