The Role Of Television In The 1950's And 1960s

Amy Bosma

Professor Frazer

AMH2020-Monday 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

15 April 2017

Learning Outcomes Essay

The role of the television in the late 1950’s and 1960’s played a significant role in American households. In fact, never before had a media captivated audiences since the inception of the radio. While the earliest televisions were black and white, households that could afford this luxury were mostly, white, middle class. Towards the mid 1950’s the first color television broadcast aired by CBS. Moreover, the television dramatically influenced the social, political, and economical landscape of American households in this era.

First, the impact of the television in the 1950’s strongly affected the social aspects of American lives. To begin

with, the influence on families, woman specifically was often depicted as mother’s and caretakers of the home, rather than professionals or independent individuals outside the home. Indeed, their role projected through television was set in patriarchal ways of serving her husband and meeting the demands of motherhood. To illustrate the point, shows such as “Leave it to Beaver” and “The Donna Reed Show” exemplify how women were depicted in the 1950’s. Meanwhile, society faced greater social conflicts as the power of television brought awareness to most social classes the events and problems of the times. Growing tensions and discord were apparent (Brinkley 676-677)
Next, television for the first time in history brought the political platform into the homes of the American population.

While the two political candidates, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon debated on national television, it directly affected people’s views and opinions of the opposing political candidates (“The Great Debate”). Correspondingly, the topics of civil rights and social injustices were thrust upon the American people through the power of television, captivating society to confront the problems. Later, in the 1960’s the social influences of television shifted to rising political differences, as the Vietnam War horrors were brought into the American families living rooms. Additional, women were seeking workplace equality and reproductive rights, joined protests and gained influence on society through the sway of television (“The Fight for Reproductive

Rights”).
Last, the post war economy of the 1950’s and 1960’s saw positive gains overall. While the unemployment rate had increased in the 1960’s overall the economy was booming. Again, television played a vital role in influencing consumers through advertising. Thus, consumers were saturated with advertising campaigns dealing with social issues, such as race relations between blacks and whites. For example, Coke A Colas commercial featuring the song, “I’d like to teach the Word to Sing,” which aimed to promote peace between racial divides, drove the sales of their product and helped bolster the economy (“1960s Creativity and Breaking the Rules.”). Accordingly, consumers had disposable income and leisure time, more than any other time in history, which increased consumer spending.
In summary, the television, first introduced in the 1950’s had a long lasting and dramatic effect on the American society.

With improvements to broadcasting technologies and greater access by more families, television was now in more homes in the 1960’s, bringing news, advertising, and family comedy shows to the nation. Moreover, the influence on social aspects of people’s live was apparent when it came to depicting women and their gender roles through acting. Consequently, television played another role regarding social dynamics thus, showing the realities of civil rights and the horrors of war. Additionally, television brought the political candidates to the forefront and had a strong influence on the American people’s political ideologies, as the first ever presidential debate aired on television. Finally, television aided the economy by waging advertising campaigns that convinced consumers to purchase their products. Coupled with consumer’s extra income contributing to a strong economy, despite the slightly high unemployment rates. As can be seen, television played a key role in the social, political, and economic culture in the 1950’s and

1960’s.

Works Cited
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 7th ed., McGraw Hill, 2014, p. 676-677
“The Fight for Reproductive Rights.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/us/57b.asp.
“The Great Debate: Kennedy, Nixon, and Television in the 1960 Race for the Presidency.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, 2 Apr. 2012, www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/sixties/essays/great-debate-kennedy-nixon-and-television-1960-race-for-presidency.
“1960s Creativity and Breaking the Rules.” Ad Age, 28 Mar. 2005, adage.com/article/75-years-of-ideas/1960s-creativity-breaking-rules/102704.