American Culture
Emma Klepper & Kami Guderyahn
In this time capsule, which is to be opened in 2055, future generations will find photographs that represent American values from the 1950s to the 2000s. These pictures represent some of the core values that America possesses, and also shows how some of these same values have improved and changed over time.
Equal Opportunity
1950s
Upon hearing the four civil rights cases of Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson and ordered the desegregation of public schools and other facilities.
1960s
In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352, which forbade discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, or firing.
1990s
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it illegal for any corporation to discriminate against qualified employees based on a disability.
Science
1950s
In January of 1950, President Truman, despite his grave concerns, decided to allow the development of the hydrogen bomb. The hydrogen bomb could prove thousands of times more deadly and destructive than the atomic bomb, which destroyed Japanese cities during World War II.
1960s
In 1960, the American Heart Association announced the strong statistical association between smoking and heart disease, inspiring organizations that would protest smoking and expose the dangers such as "The Real Cost".
1990s
In 1997, NASA's spacecraft "Pathfinder" landed on Mars and deployed a small roving vehicle which analyzed the planets atmosphere and geology.
Material Comfort
1950s
America was well on their way to becoming an auto-mobilized country until the Great Depression, which halted the mass production of cars. However, in the 1950s, Americans found comfort in automobiles and the amount of cars nearly doubled from 39 million to 74 million.
1960s
Although the television was created and released well before this decade, it did not become a common household item until the 1960s. In 1962, over 90% of American households were said to own a television set.
1990s
From 1990 to 1997, computer ownership in American household jumped from 15% to 35%. Many wealthy Americans began spending a considerable amount of money on computer hardware, and these computers were on their way to becoming a common household item.
Works Cited
"Computer Ownership up Sharply in the 1990s : The Economics Daily : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.