Ch.41 – Peace, Prosperity, Progress EQ: Why are the 1950s remembered as an age of affluence?
41.0: Preview (answer in IAN)
40.1: Coach Schroeder reads introduction
40.2-7: Read Textbook – create a chart.
40.2-7: Cut out Picture – Create a Headline – Use example on your handout. Only have to do 2 BULLETS, BUT AS USUAL I WILL
BE DOING ALL OF THEM.
Section 2: POSTWAR POLITICS: READJUSTMENTS AND CHALLENGES
Postwar Politics: Readjustments and
Challenges; Truman Battles a
Republican Congress
Headline:
• Truman has announced a set of reforms called the Fair Deal, including calls to raise
the minimum wage and enact a national health insurance program.
• With rising prices and growing unemployment, workers in major industries are calling
for wage increases and are striking if their demands are not met.
• In response to the strikes, Congress has passed the Taft-Hartley Act, limiting the
power of labor unions.
• The Taft-Hartley Act outlaws the closed shop, or a workplace in which the employer
agrees to hire only members of a certain union. It also bans sympathy strikes by other
unions.
An Upset Victory in 1948
Headline:
• Truman’s whistle-stop tour has helped him win reelection in a narrow victory over
Thomas Dewey.
• Most of Truman’s Fair Deal reforms have been blocked by Congress.
• Congress has enacted Truman’s proposal to raise the minimum wage and to promote
slum clearance.
Ike Take the Middle of the Road
Headline:
• The nation has decided they “like Ike” and his modern Republicanism program, since
they voted him into office.
• The nation can look forward to expanded Social Security benefits.
• Eisenhower has presided over a massive peacetime arms buildup, although he is
worried about the “military-industrial complex.”
Section 3: ECONOMIC GROWTH CREATES AN AGE OF AFFLUENCE
Consumer Demand Spurs Economic
Headline:
Growth
• Due to large savings and twice as much real income for many families than in the
1920s, Americans have begun spending more money than ever before.
• To encourage this spending, businesses are using advertising and offering consumers
charge cards.
• Some industries have pioneered a method called planned obsolescence by
introducing new or improved products to encourage consumers to buy the latest
designs.
The Economy Begins to shift from Good
to Services
Headline:
• General Motors has become the first U.S. corporation to earn more than $1 billion a
year.
• One factor in GM’s success was guaranteeing its workers wage hikes that were tied to
the cost-of living index.
• Service industries, like fast-food restaurants and motel chains, have begun to
compete for consumer business.
• New companies are selling franchises, or agreements to operate a business that
carries that company’s name and sells its products.
The Workforce Shifts from Blue- to
White-Collar Jobs
Headline:
• For the first time in history, white-collar workers outnumber blue-collar workers.
• Many blue-collar workers are now members of the middle class.
• White-collar workers are usually salaried, while blue-collar workers are usually paid by
the hour.
Section 4: Marriage, Families, and a Baby Boom
A Marriage Boom leads to a Baby Boom
Headline:
• The number of marriages has increased tremendously since during the war, and
people are getting married at increasingly younger ages.
• This rise in marriages has led to a large increase in the number of babies born,
resulting in a “baby boom.”
• More diapers, baby food, homes, cars, and schools are needed to accommodate all of
these children.
Family Roles: Working Dads & Stay-atHome Moms
Headline:
• Dr. Benjamin Spock’s book has been encouraging mothers to stay home and raise
children full time.
• Mass media, such as television, magazines, and movies, portray the so-called
traditional family with working dads and homemaker moms.
• The number of women attending college has dropped sharply, and many who do
attend often drop out to get married.
Section 5: POPULATION SHIFTS TO SUBURBS AND SUNBELT STATES
Middle-Class Families Move to the
Headline:
Suburbs; Weather and Wages Spur
Migration to the Sunbelt
• New planned communities, like Levittown, are providing needed housing for middleclass families.
• New suburban communities revealed homogeneity, being predominantly white and
middle class.
• More and more Americans and American industries are moving south to the Sunbelt,
increasing population in these states.
• This population shift was made possible by massive water projects in the dry
Southwest and the invention of air conditioning to cool buildings during heat waves.
Section 6: THE TRIUMPH OF THE AUTOMOBILE
The Middle-Class Dream: Two Cars in
Headline:
Every Garage; Roads Everywhere: The
Interstate Highway System
• An increased number of people commuting from the suburbs has led to the
production and sale of more cars.
• Cars have become a status symbol, with car companies competing to put out new
models and better designs each year.
• This increased amount of driving has led to a demand for a nationwide interstate
highway system.
• The interstate highway system has created new roadside businesses, like gas stations,
motels, and restaurants.
Section 7: TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TRANSFORM EVERYDAY LIFE
Advances in Medicine Extend Life
Headline:
Expectancy
• Dr. Jonas Salk has created a polio vaccine that will protect people against polio.
• New surgical techniques are saving lives while more and more antibiotics are being
used to treat many diseases.
• All of these advances in medicine are increasing the life expectancy by almost two
years.
Peaceful Uses for Nuclear Energy;
Computers Enter the Workforce
Headline:
• Nuclear energy is now helping to generate electricity while also helping to diagnose
and treat diseases.
• The first electronic digital computer, called ENIAC, can perform 300 multiplications
per second.
• The invention of the transistor has allowed smaller and more reliable computers.