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Social and Cultural change in the 1950s and 1960s
Social and Cultural change in the 1950s and 1960s
Social and economic conditions of the 1950s
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In United States history their has been been controversial topics. Each controversial topic has opposing views which makes it difficult to sort out information. More specifically the 1950’s was different then preceding years in history. The 1950’s offered more opportunities and excitement for the people of the day. An analysis of United States history revealed certain aspects of american life in the 1950’s: great peace, progress and prosperity as a vast part of the populations lives. On December 8th, 1941 the United States declared wars in Japan after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The attacks on Pearl Harbor were unexpected due to the fact that the United States and Japan were in the process of becoming allies. The violent attack brought …show more content…
the idea of american pride, america was ready to fight in World War Two. 3.9 million Americans were in uniform in 1942, later on this number doubled. Throughout World World Two America suffered a huge loss of life. Although war is a horrible, technology was advancing at a substantial rate. A new piece of technology invented was the sonar. A sonar works by projecting radio waves in a certain direction, the radio waves then bounce off objects and return to the original output. An image is created based on how long the radio waves take to return. On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered. The 1950’s was a era of post-war peace, progress and prosperity.
Peace played a gigantic role in 1950’s. World War Two had finally ended. The war had a huge loss of life, thus it left America scared and in need of recovery. This led to peace because America did not want to engage in another war. The gross national product doubled which made it around 500 billion dollars. According to the History Channel “During the 1950s… its (United States) economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity–new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods–were available to more people than ever before”(dhiug). This quotation relates to the idea of progress and prosperity. During and before the war good were scarce, after the war they were prevalent. This showed a great increase in …show more content…
progress. A way progress was intergraded in the 1950’s was through the Civil Rights Movement.
Africans Americans fought in World War Two were not given the same rights as whites. This was not right or fair. The Civil Right Movement was a way of making life equal for the African American population of the United States. This movement was primary in the South, due to the fact that was where the majority of the African American population was located. The main focuses of the movement was to equalize: education, social segregation, and voting rights. “The civil rights movement was a mass popular movement to secure for African Americans equal access to and opportunities for the basic privileges and rights of U.S. citizenship. Although the roots of the movement go back to the 19th century, it peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. African American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement at national and local levels. They pursued their goals through legal means, negotiations, petitions, and nonviolent protest demonstrations “ ( scholastic ). This quote demonstrates progress in the 1950’s. The problem was that the African Americans were not getting equal rights, thus a progressive solution was found. Americans demonstrated the ability to look past their past views and looks forward to modern
ideas. There are several ways why the 1950’s was not peaceful, progressive, or prosperous. The Cold war just started. This was not peaceful. There were tensions on the air. The Civl Right Act can also be seen as not peaceful because a large majority of people didn't agree with it. A group was create called the KKK which opposed the Civil right Act. They were violent and created hate. They also left people in fear. In conclusion, the 1905’s offered a s sense of peace, progress, and prosperity. This was unlike the decades the proceeded the 1950s. Although not every single moment in the 1950’s were positive, the achievements accomplished made the 1950’s great. Without the 1950’s America’s development would not be the same.
Stephanie Coontz's essay `What we really miss about the 1950's' is an essay that talks about a poll taken in 1996 by the Knight-Ridder news agency that more Americans preferred 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up. Coontz doesn't believe that it is a decade for people to remember fondly about, except for financial reasons and better communication within families. Coontz doesn't believe in it as the best decade because of the votes, the 50's only won by nine percent, and especially not by African Americans. Examples from family and financial issues in the 50's that makes it better than other decades from 20's to 80's. She doesn't believe that the 50's should be taken `literally' because from 50's there were changes in values that caused racism, sexism discrimination against women. Even though the 50's were good, it didn't lead to a better 60, 70, and 80.
However, they didn’t know where or how the attack would occur. The surprise attack turned out to be a launch on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This angered Americans to the extent that the US declared war on Japan the next day. Even though the US favored neutrality, the United States was forced to enter war. The progressive violent actions of the Japanese government against the US economic interests are what ultimately triggered the United States’s declaration to enter the war.
In conclusion, the attack of Japan on the United States, Pearl Harbor, led to great property destruction and even loss of lives. Japan had earlier on deceived the United States of the peace negations. Japanese Ambassadors later termed the negotiation as useless, making them attack the United States. The unexpected attack led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask the Congress to declare war on Japan.
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
Out of some of the most turbulent times in history have come the greatest ages of success and prosperity. The 1920’s and 1950’s are two eras that exemplify the spirit of triumph and wealth. In both decades, a nation thrilled by the victorious conclusion of war and the return of their loved ones from war entered into an age of capitalism and materialism, bolstering the economy and with it national pride. Some of the features most common to the 20’s and 50’s were consumerism and the accompanying optimistic mindset, the extent to which new ideas entered society, and discrimination in terms of both sexism and racism. On the heels of war, new technology caused a decrease in prices of goods in the 1920’s and in the 1950’s the GI Bill increased income.
The United States’ fight against Japan during World War II, occurred between the years 1941 and 1945. The US was dragged into the war when the Japanese, or the “Japs” bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, killing over 2,300 Americans. This was unacceptable to a country as prestige as the United States. Led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, thus declared war on Japan the next day. ("Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945.").
On December 8th, 1941 the United States of America declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to its attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. Congress drafted the “Declaration of War” an hour after the acclaimed “Infamy Speech” of Franklin Roosevelt.
On December 7, 1941, in an unexpected and sudden move, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drawing the United States into the world war that the US had insofar remained neutral. On December 8, just hours after the attack, the United States of America declared war on the Empire of Japan.
During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the country in the twenties to the sixties.
[4] The United States didn’t initially enter WWII until December 7th, 1941 when America's isolation from war ended as Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. The most destructive strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where the majority of the US Pacific Fleet was stationed. For over two hours, Japanese warplanes either sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircrafts. More than 2,400 servicemen and civilians lost their lives. On December 8, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt was quoted saying, “no matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory." Though stunned by the events of December 7, Americans were also determined to avenge the terrorist attack on their country and military. On December 8, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war against Japan. The declaration passed with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, the Axis power, consisting of Germany and Italy allied with Japan, declared war on the United
Entering the 1950s, the United States was an ever changing society. Following the end of World War II, the United States was unrecognizable from its 1930, Great Depression state. By 1950, signs of new, unfamiliar American affluence were everywhere. More money in Americans’ pockets brought a new idea of society along with it.
The Roaring Twenties is the period from 1920 to 1929 which took place between World War I and the start of the Great Depression. This time period is called the Roaring Twenties because of the many political, economic and social changes that occurred. The Roaring Twenties introduced the birth of a new modern lifestyle. “War-weary Americans wanted to enjoy themselves and began to value convenience and leisure over hard work and self-denial.” (Roaring Twenties, n.d.)
Whenever someone says the 1950s, peoples' minds tend to go to poodle skirts, drive-in movies, milkshakes, and leather jackets. The 1950s was a very influential and unique time period for the United States and is easily recognized by many people. Many things were invented or made popular during this period of time. While many believe the 1950s were a time of constant happiness and economic growth, the Cold War loomed over Americans throughout the 1950s and beyond. Though the 1950s had to deal with negatives such as the Cold War and racism towards the Civil Rights Movement, the positives, such as the booming economy and large quantity of inventions, outweigh them.
The decade of the 1950’s was the greatest decade in all of American history. Following the end of World War II in 1945, the United States was able to pull away from other nations becoming the greatest and most powerful country in the world. Sometimes referred to as the 50’s, the decade of the 1950’s distinguished itself on nearly every subject matter: Dance, technological innovations, music, culture, and food. This culturally rich and fast-paced decade will always be remembered for the way it changed America, but what made this decade the best in American history?
The African American Civil Rights Movement was a series of protests in the United States South from approximately 1955 through 1968. The overall goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to achieve racial equality before the law. Protest tactics were, overall, acts of civil disobedience. Rarely were they ever intended to be violent. From sit-ins to boycotts to marches, the activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement were vigilant and dedicated to the cause without being aggressive. While African-American men seemed to be the leaders in this epic movement, African-American women played a huge role behind the scenes and in the protests.