1950s America
By Katie Ault, Lily Foster, Kelsey Galt, and KC Nugent
Politics
Eisenhower was President from 1953 to 1961. He made many changes while in office.
SOCIAL CHANGE:
Eisenhower launched the Warren Court era by naming Earl Warren Chief Justice, leading to Brown v. BOE (enforced by his order for federal troops), and segregation becoming illegal. He raised the minimum wage and allowed the Interstate system.
FOREIGN RELATIONS:
A decorated general who kept peace as President, Eisenhower is recognized for navigating foreign policy and preventing matters from worsening. Tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. escalated and both amassed H-bombs, but the Geneva Summit in 1955 helped keep things calm. He started the Space Race in 1957. He also dealt with conflicts in Asia and the Middle East.
OTHER POWERS: Nikita Khrushchev; Fidel Castro
The Red Scare
Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist movement begins in 1950, but slows dramatically after the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1953 and the hearings in 1954.
The Korean War
The Korean War also lasted from 1950 to 1953, during which time President Truman fired General MacArthur.
Election of 1952
Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson to succeed Truman as President.
Pop Culture
Poodle skirts and greased hair became popular through rock and roll
Christian Dior's "New Look" (1947): below-mid-calf full skirts, small waists, pointed bust, rounded shoulders
TELEVISION:
"The Golden Age of Television": by 1950, 4.4 million families had a set
Movie and radio audiences decreased because the television was so popular
Changed the way Americans lived
Film
Declined due to popularity of television and families moving to suburbs. European film and Marilyn Monroe became popular.
Art
Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning changed art; Mid to late 50s: Pop art (television, photo, comics, cinema, advertising logos and images) such as Andy Warhol
Music
Early 50s: Crooners; Birth and revival of different styles, especially rock and roll, doo-wop, novelty, jazz, folk; "The Day the Music Died"
Literature
1954: Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
1957: Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss)
Science fiction became very popular
THEMES: Conformity; the power of an individual to control his own fate; anti-"establishment" (Beat authors)
Charlotte's Web
By E. B. White (1952)
Lord of the Rings
By J. R. R. Tolkien (1954)
The Crucible
By Arthur Miller (1953)
Major Events
1951: Peace treaty with Japan ending WWII; Truman fires MacArthur, Color television available
1954: Brown v. Board of Education; Segregation made illegal
1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up seat
1957: Launch of Sputnik
1958: Hope Diamond donated to Smithsonian
1959: Antarctica made scientific preserve
1955
Disneyland opened
1956
Interstate Highway Act
1958
NASA founded