HIST 1302 TOPIC: Presidents and Popular Culture
PRESIDENTS 1945-1981
Harry S. Truman (Democrat) 1945-1953) The Fair Deal United Nations Established State of Israel Recognized Champion of Equal Rights for all Americans Advocated National Health Insurance Opposed Taft-Hartley Act Expanded Social Security, Federal Aid for Education, and raised the minimum wage
Eisenhower s Modern Republicanism 7 min. 42 sec. No commitment to social or economic reform Balanced federal budget Reduced military spending Supported National Highway System Kept federal activities to a minimum Encouraged resistance to Communism in Southeast Asia
John F. Kennedy (Democrat) 1961-1963) The New Frontier Created the Peace Corps Set the goal of reaching the Moon by end of 1960s Supported equal rights for all Americans Provided support for defense of South Vietnam Opposed Castro regime in Cuba Successfully defused Cuban Missile Crisis Supported American presence in Berlin
Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat) 1963-1969 The Great Society Championed equal rights for all Americans (3 Civil Rights bills) Declared War on Poverty (Equal Opportunities Act) Championed health insurance for elderly and poor (Medicare and Medicaid) Championed consumer and environmental laws Encouraged exploration of space Committed combat troops to the War in Vietnam
Richard M. Nixon (Republican 1969-1974) Encouraged détente between U.S. and China and Soviet Union Sought Peace with Honor in Vietnam Ended war in Vietnam at beginning of second term Tried to cover up Watergate burglary Resigned in 1974 to avoid impeachment
Gerald R. Ford (Republican 1974-1977) Pardoned Nixon In office during reunification of Vietnam under a Communist government Vetoed increase in veterans benefits Unable to bring inflation and recession under control Only President never elected to office
Jimmy Carter (Democrat 1977-1981) Championed environmental laws Mediated peace between Israel and Egypt Normalized relations with China Arranged future transfer of Panama Canal Successfully negotiated release of Iran hostages
Life in Postwar America Boom Times & the Rise of the Middle Class
Following World War II, America s economy boomed and the middle class dramatically increased in size.
The G.I. Bill Signed into law by FDR in 1944 Enabled millions of veterans to go to college Provided veterans with no-down payment home loans; stimulated postwar housing boom. Provided veterans with unemployment insurance for up to 1 year from date of discharge 5 min. 28 sec.
The G.I. Bill stimulated the postwar building boom.
Developer Bill Levitt pioneered the assembly-line method of building inexpensive suburban houses in Levittown, Long Island, NY.
By the end of the 1950s, 25% of all Americans lived in Levittstyle suburban housing developments all over the country.
In 1950 there were 39 million cars on the road. By 1960 there were 74 million and 80% of American families had at least one car. The rest had two or more.
In 1956, Congress passed the Interstate Highway Act, creating our modern interstate highway system. 3 min. 19 sec.
Between 1946 and 1952, 25 million baby boomers were born. This postwar Baby Boom also stimulated the economy.
The 1950s also saw a demand for new electrical appliances.
Suburban American women were expected to follow the traditional roles of housewife and mother, and most did. 7 min. 15 sec.
I Love Lucy By the mid-1950s 75% of American households had a TV! Superman The Honeymooners Father Knows Better 2 min. 20 sec. Leave It To Beaver
Rock n Roll is Here to Stay
Bill Haley and the Comets 1955: Rock n Roll music becomes a national sensation.
2 min. 09 sec. Because many Rock n Roll artists were black, Southern white parents suspected an NAACP plot to bring about racial integration! Chuck Berry In truth, Rock n Roll did break down racial barriers.
1956: A young singer named Elvis Presley takes the country by storm! 4 min. 17 sec.
Rebellious Youth
Music Lifestyles Fashions Hairstyles The War in Vietnam
The Beatles The Rolling Stones Starting in 1964, a British Invasion of long-haired rock musicians swept the U.S. The Animals Beatlemania and the British Invasion The Yardbirds
In 1967, the Hippie Movement, centered in San Francisco and New York, called for young people to turn on, tune in, and drop out.
The older generation reacted negatively to long hair, particularly on young men.
In 1968, a Broadway musical celebrated long-haired youth.
From the beginning, young people protested the war in Vietnam. 8 min. 38 sec.
In August 1969 nearly a half million young people attended the Woodstock festival in New York state.
The Altamont Festival, held in California in Dec. 1969, featuring the Rolling Stones, was far less peaceful.
Women s Lib and Other Movements
In 1966, Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) to demand equal rights for women.
Gloria Steinem, journalist and founder of Ms. Magazine, was another leader of the Women s Liberation Movement, which demanded equal pay and equal opportunities for women in the workplace as well as abortion rights. Steinem also championed the unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
In 1973, in Roe vs. Wade a case that originated in Dallas, Texas the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a still-controversial 7-2 decision that permits women to have an abortion provided the fetus is not viable (able to survive outside the mother s womb).
Beginning in the late 1960s, Gay Men and Lesbians also began to agitate for an end to discrimination based on their sexual orientation, which they asserted was an inborn trait, not a conscious choice.
Borrowing tactics from the Black Civil Rights Movement, Mexican- Americans and Native Americans also agitated for equal treatment under the law, as well as compensation for past injustices.