The 1950s: Minorities
Many in the 1950s strove for the comfort and conformity depicted on such TV shows as Father Knows Best and
Leave It to Beaver. But despite the emerging affluence of the new American middle class, there was a poverty,
racism, and alienation in America that was rarely depicted on TV. The widespread prosperity of postwar America
failed to reach everyone. Forty to fifty million Americans lived below the poverty line.
Poverty rates for African Americans were typically double those of their white counterparts. Segregation in the
schools, the lack of a political voice, and longstanding racial prejudices stifled the economic advancement of many
African Americans. Latino Americans languished in urban American barrios, and the Eisenhower Administration
responded with a program — derisively named Operation Wetback — designed to deport millions of Mexican
Americans.
Reservation poverty increased with the Eisenhower policy of "termination," designed to end federal support for
tribes and granted U.S. citizenship to Native Americans. Incentives such as relocation assistance and job
placement were offered to Native Americans who were willing to venture off the reservations and into the inner
cities. Unfortunately, the government excelled at relocation but struggled with job placement, leading to the
creation of Native American ghettos in many western cities. The policies failed and in 1963 the government
abandoned termination.
In the 1950s, the NAACP attacked race discrimination in the courts. It chipped away at Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
which established the doctrine of separate but equal. The NAACP lawyers challenged public segregation in
schools with the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. The Supreme Court ordered
all public schools to be desegregated with “all deliberate speed”, but compliance was slow. Some Southern states
refused enrollment of black students which escalated into major civil rights events. Television showed the entire
nation the confrontations of racial segregation as the Civil Rights Movement got under way.
The 1950s: Voices Against Conformity
Groups of artists emerged who rejected middle-class materialism, racism, and uniformity and were able to detach
themselves enough from the American mainstream culture and society to review it critically. They called
themselves “The Beat Generation.”
Writers of the Beat Generation refused to submit to the conformity of the 1950s. Greenwich Village in New York
City was the center of the beat universe. As the media helped create a single notion of an idyllic American
lifestyle, beat writers condemned the white-collar, executive-track, male employee in fiction in Sloan Wilson's The
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and in commentary in William Whyte's The Organization Man which the latter
lamented that “employers sought managers who would adapt to corporate culture, which rewarded teamwork
and conformity.”
While mainstream America seemed to ignore African American culture, the beats celebrated it by frequenting jazz
clubs and romanticizing their poverty. The use of alcohol and drugs and experimenting with new sexual lifestyles,
foreshadowed the counterculture of the 1960s. “Beatniks” pointed out the flaws in a suburbia they believed had
no soul, a government they believed was growing dangerously powerful, and a lifestyle they believed was
fundamentally repressed. And much of America was still segregated.
The 1950s: The “Idolized” American Family
In American memory, the postwar 1950s have acquired an idyllic luster. Reruns of 1950s TV shows such as Leave
It to Beaver and Father Knows Best leave today's viewers with an impression of unadulterated family bliss. Social
expectations of the 1950s focused on an orderly, stereotypical, conformed society following rules and obeying
authority.
New middle-class families of postwar America became suburban families. Eighty-five percent of new homes were
in the suburbs. Suburbs offered affordable single-family homes with good schools, congenial neighbors, and a
safe, healthy environment for the children. This population shift is sometimes referred to as the “white flight” –
middle class white Americans leaving cities for suburbs taking with them precious economic resources. The
economic gap between the middle and poor class grew wider as a result of more Americans living in the suburbs.
Inner cities lost people, businesses and also property and income taxes the middle-class paid. City governments
could no longer afford to properly maintain or improve schools, public transport and police/fire departments all
contributing to the deterioration of inner cities.
New families of the postwar era created a baby boom resulting in the largest generation in United States’ history.
The birth rate soared from 1946 to 1964 and peaked in 1957, when a baby was born every 7 seconds. Overall,
more than 76 million Americans were part of the baby boom generation.
Popular culture (magazines, movies and television) glorified women’s role as suburban homemakers and social
expectations looked to women leaving their jobs and to stay at home and have babies and take care of the home.
Those that did work were discriminated against in the workplace with limited job opportunities and paid less than
men.
Overindulged middle-class suburban children grew up in a spoiled and conformed society. Child-focused parents
wanted to protect them from what they experienced and made up for the hardships from their past by spoiling
their children. As teenagers, some wanted to rebel against the rigid conformity, yet the spoiled teens were limited
with what they could complain about. They used “improper” dress to express their rebellion in the form of
clothes, haircut and makeup.
The silver screen also had a hand in promoting rebellious behavior in teens. Perhaps the most controversial and
influential of these films is 1955's Rebel without a Cause - not set amid inner-urban decay, but rather in an
affluent suburb. The film, starring James Dean, was particularly scandalous because the main characters "came
from good families."
1950s: Politics
Elected president by big margins in 1952 and 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower enjoyed immense popularity. President
Eisenhower's campaign slogan "I Like Ike" epitomized the swell spirit that defined American culture in the 1950s.
Ike, as he was nicknamed, walked a middle road between the two major parties. A pragmatic, centrist
Republican, President Eisenhower believed in smaller government, fiscal conservatism, and a businesslike
administration sometimes referred as “Modern Republicanism.” He expanded social security, raised the
minimum wage, and backed a huge public works program, the Federal Highway Act of 1956 which provided funds
for the Interstate Highway System. He also cut defense spending and presided over an era of peace and
prosperity.
In 1953, Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as chief justice of the Supreme Court, The Warren Court transformed
the American legal system by expanding civil rights and civil liberties. The most important, Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka, 1954, declared that public school segregation violated the equal protection clause of the
14th Amendment bringing an end to the doctrine of “separate but equal” sparking the Civil Rights Movement.
1950s: Consumerism
A booming economy helped shape the blissful retrospective view of the 1950s. A rebuilding Europe was hungry
for American goods, fueling the consumer-oriented sector of the American economy. Conveniences that had been
toys for the upper classes such as fancy refrigerators, range-top ovens, convertible automobiles, and televisions
became middle-class staples. The pent-up demand for consumer goods unleashed after the Great Depression and
World War II sustained itself through the 1950s. Consumers chose among a wealth of new products, many
developed from wartime innovations. Manufacturers urged new models on consumers through mass
advertisements where Americans were truly living in a material world. Americans acquired more debt as a result
as credit and installment plans made buying easier.
Television played a pivotal role in consumption – both as a product to be bought and a mode of selling more
products. Nearly two-thirds of American households had a television. In 1955, the adorable cartoon characters
Snap, Crackle, and Pop leapt around and sang about the joys of eating Rice Krispies. Advertisements were an
integral part of television viewing just as they are today. With more and more American families owning
televisions, manufacturers now had a new way to sell their products, and the television commercial was born. By
late 1948, over 900 companies had bought television broadcast time for advertising. By 1950, sponsors were
leaving radio for television at an unstoppable rate. Cartoon characters were common in '50s commercials,
representing everything from lightbulbs to beer. In 1950, Coca-Cola launched its first television ad campaign using
a combination of animation and celebrity endorsement. By 1954, television commercials were the leading
advertising medium in America. The life of the American consumer would never be the same.
During the 1950s, few households owned more than one television, so viewing became a shared family event.
Even the American diet was transformed with the advent of the TV dinner, first introduced in 1954.
A child-centered and family-focused society brought new consumer products. New toys such as Barbie, Play-Doh,
Mr. Potato Head, Plastic Army Men, Match Box Cars, Hula Hoops, and Tonka Troops found their ways onto store
shelves and suburban homes. Boardgames such as Yahtzee, Clue, Life and Risk became popular. Dr. Seus’s The Cat
in the Hat, Lord of the Flies and 3-D comics made their debut in the 1950s.
1950s: Economy
Between 1945 and 1960, the median family income almost doubled. Rising income doubled the size of the middle
class. The growth of the middle class reflected full employment, new job opportunities, and federal spending
which contributed mightily to widespread prosperity.
The United States produced half the world’s goods; technological advances, many achieved with federal aid,
ushered in new industries and sped up the pace of production in old ones. As productivity rose, the labor market
changed. Fewer people held blue-collar jobs (industrial/manufacturing jobs; manual labor), and more did whitecollar work which includes sales work, office/clerical work, professional, managerial and government jobs.
Businesses expanded by swallowing weaker competitors and companies offering similar products or services in
many locations, known as franchises, increased. The first McDonald’s franchise opened in 1955.
White-collar businesses began to standardize their employees, using “The Organization Man” as a basis looking
for conforming white men. Business would give personality tests to potential applicants to make sure they “fit in”
and promoted a team mentality. Employees were rewarded for teamwork, cooperation and loyalty to the
company.
The auto industry, the nation’s largest, lowered labor costs by using more automated machines. Oil replaced coal
as the nation’s major energy source. With a boom in the automobile industry and surbanization creating urban
sprawl, automobiles increased in demand and popularity. More Americans were driving for work and pleasure.
American businesses and culture embraced the increased popularity of automobiles and created car-centered
businesses like drive-ins, road-side motels, and fast food restaurants. The abundance of cheap gasoline, easy
credit terms and extensive advertising contributed to the “automania” of the 1950s. The federal government also
responded to this automania by building the interstate highway system.
1950s: Television
Perhaps no phenomenon shaped American life in the 1950s more than television. The first nationwide color
television broadcast came on January 1, 1954, when NBC beamed the Tournament of Roses Parade across
America. In a nation once marked by strong regional differences, network television programming blurred these
distinctions and helped forge a national popular culture.
Americans loved situation comedies — sitcoms. In the 1950s, I Love Lucy topped the ratings charts. The show
broke new ground by including a Cuban-American character Ricky Ricardo, played by Desi Arnaz. Shows such as
Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best, created an ideal view of what the perfect family life should look like.
Television's idea of a perfect family was a briefcase-toting white-collar professional father who left daily for work
and was the stern, advice wielding parent; and a pearls-wearing, nurturing housewife who raised their
mischievous boys and obedient girls. With rare exceptions (such as Desi Arnaz) members of minorities rarely
appeared on television in the 1950s. Television programming of the 1950s portrayed a middle-class homogeneous
society and reinforced traditional roles for women and conformity to a narrow, conservative view of America.
Television programs promoted racial discrimination and sexism by omitting references to poverty, showing
stereotypical roles for husbands and wives and minorities rarely appeared.
Westerns were also television programming that garnered large audiences and popularity in the 1950s. The Lone
Ranger was one of the earliest TV Westerns, making the jump from radio in 1941. America's fascination with the
Wild West was nothing new, but television brought Western heroes into American homes and turned that
fascination into a love affair. Cowboys and lawmen such as Hopalong Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, and the Cisco Kid
galloped across televisions every night drawing a clear line between the good guys and the bad guys; and good
always triumphed in the end.
Understanding that the population of children was in greater numbers than in previous generations due to the
baby boom, television producers developed a host of children's programs. Shows such as The Mickey Mouse Club
and Howdy Doody, entertained millions of American tykes. The Roy Rogers Show and Rin Tin Tin brought the West
to children on Saturday mornings, and Davy Crockett coonskin caps became popular fashion items.
Because most early television was live, the producers of major networks found their talent among experienced
people already familiar with live performances: vaudeville. Television and vaudeville combined to create the form
of entertainment known as the variety show. Variety shows were made up of short acts — musical numbers,
comedy sketches, animal tricks, etc. — usually centered around an engaging host. Former vaudevillians Bob Hope,
Milton Berle, and Ed Wynn all hosted popular programs. But perhaps no variety program had a greater effect on
American culture than The Ed Sullivan Show, which ran for 23 years. By securing rock-and-roll acts, Sullivan won
the adolescent market, truly making the variety show a whole-family event. Ed Sullivan's variety show provided
entertainment ranging from the rock and roll of the Rolling Stones to the goofy hijinks of trained animals.
1950s: Music
The roots of rock and roll lay in African American blues and gospel. As the Great Migration brought many African
Americans to the cities of the north, the sounds of rhythm and blues attracted suburban teens. Due to
segregation and racist attitudes, however, none of the greatest artists of the genre could get much airplay. Disc
jockey Alan Freed began a rhythm-and-blues show on a Cleveland radio station. Soon the audience grew and
grew, and Freed coined the term "rock and roll." Record producers saw the market potential and began to search
for a white artist who could capture the African American sound.
Rock and roll records were banned from many radio stations and hundreds of schools. But the masses spoke
louder. Rock and roll was everything the suburban 1950s were not. While parents of the decade were listening to
Frank Sinatra and big bands, their children were moving to a new beat. In fact, to the horror of the older
generation, their children were twisting, thrusting, bumping, and grinding to the sounds of rock and roll. This
generation of youth was much larger than any in recent memory, and the prosperity of the era gave them money
to spend on records and phonographs. Rock and roll sent shockwaves across America. A generation of young
teenagers collectively rebelled against the music their parents loved and challenged conformity. In general, the
older generation loathed rock and roll. Appalled by the new styles of dance the movement evoked, churches
proclaimed it Satan's music while others used the music as a scapegoat for why some youth were rebelling. By the
end of the decade, the phenomenon of rock and roll helped define the difference between youth and adulthood.
After the door to rock and roll acceptance was opened, African American performers such as Chuck Berry, Fats
Domino, and Little Richard began to enjoy broad success, as well. The new genre of music was considered the
first integrated racial setting. White performers such as Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis also found artistic
freedom and commercial success. Elvis Presley brought rock-and-roll music to the masses during the 1950s with
hits such as "Love Me Tender" and "Heartbreak Hotel."
1950s America Illustrative Notes
1. Read through each topic handout. Some handouts may have 2 topics on it.
DO NOT WRITE ON OR MARK UP HANDOUTS!!
2. For each topic, think and draw a COLORED medium-size illustration in the
center of your spiral page that is reflective of the topic. (you may print an
image off the computer for this step also, but the size must be the same)
3. Around the outside of the illustration, NEATLY write bullet point notes IN
YOUR WORDS on the topic.
4. Each illustrative note drawing is on a separate spiral page.
5. Title each spiral page the same as the topic title on the handout.