PEACE PROSPERITY PROGRESS LAKEWOOD CALIFORNIA Lakewood CA was

PEACE, PROSPERITY, PROGRESS

LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA • Lakewood, CA was a farm town • In 1950 the community boomed building 50 homes a day • The Depression and WWII slowed the rate of home construction • When the war ended millions of soldiers came home ready to start families • The influx of new families led to the housing boom around America • Owning a house became a status symbol of affluence and prosperity in the booming 1950’s

POSTWAR POLITICS • Truman proposed his Fair Deal after WWII – Increase minimum wage, aid to agriculture, and education funding – Enacted a national health insurance program – Republicans in Congress opposed this deal • Truman was given the task of adjusting the post-war economy – Faced inflation and unemployment from cancelation of defense contracts • Republicans gained control of both the House and Senate

• Republicans pushed for the 22 nd Amendment • 22 nd Amendment: Two term limit for the president – Did not want to see another term like FDR where the Democratic Party dominated the executive branch for 4 terms • Amendment had overwhelming support and passed • Taft-Hartley Act: enacted many limitations on labor unions – Outlawed “closed shops” workplace where employers only higher members of particular unions – Outlawed sympathy strikes where people would go on strike to show support for other unions on strike – Allowed president to impose an 80 day “cooling off” period for

ELECTION OF 1948 • Democrats broke into 3 factions –Democrats were losing faith in Truman –Henry Wallace former U. S. VP led one faction focusing on friendlier policies towards the USSR to prevent WWIII –States Rights Democratic Party: led by Strom Thurmond from S. C. and focused on segregation of the races and states rights • Members were known as Dixiecrats • Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey

• Truman decided he would still put up a fight for the presidency although he didn’t really like being president • He launched a “whistle stop” tour –Stopping in small towns to speak directly to voters • On the day of election everyone predicted a Dewey landslide victory • Truman won in one of the biggest electoral upsets in history • Over Truman’s next term her continued to reintroduce his Fair Deal policies with little success

ELECTION OF 1952 • Democrats elect Adlai Stevenson • Republicans nominated war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower • Eisenhower was head of NATO after winning WWII Eisenhower’s nickname was Ike – Slogan of the campaign= “I Like Ike” • Ike chose Richard Nixon has his VP – He was a popular anti-communist senator • Ike won a landslide victory against Stevenson in 1952 and against him in 1956

IKE’S PRESIDENCY • He introduced program called “modern Republicanism” –Conservative when it comes to money –Liberal when it comes to human beings • Resisted the call to eliminate New Deal legislation • Actually expanded social security to ensure its existence into the future • Led the U. S. through the Arms Race by spending massive quantities on arms and defense

ECONOMIC GROWTH: • “The cars were jamming up the lot. Customers weren’t demanding it, but our intuition told us they would like speed. ”—Dick Mc. Donald • Mc. Donalds became the first fast food company in the U. S. setting their restaurant like an assembly line • During WWII American’s saved billions of dollars that they could now spend • Real Income: amount of goods and services income will buy regardless of inflation – By the mid 50’s real income was double that of the 1920’s

• Spent this new money in new ways • Shopping Centers and mini-malls became the primary shopping destinations • Advertising campaigns were used just like in the 1920’s –$8 Billion alone in 1955 spent on ads • Charge cards were given from large stores to allow people to buy on credit • Sears had over 10 million charge accounts in 1960 • In 1958 American Express launched America’s first

• Planned Obsolescence: businesses planned on making something bought today out of date within a short time period –Noticed people wanted something a little newer, better, and sooner than necessary • General Motors grew to be the first corporation to earn over $1 Billion dollars • The economy would begin to shift from goods to services by the end of the decade

• Rise of Fast Food: – Ray Kroc convinced the Mc. Donald brothers to franchise their business – Franchise: agreement to operate a business that carries a company’s name and sells its products by someone else – Mc. Donalds began to spread all over the country selling more than 1 billion burgers by 1963 • White Collar to Blue Collar: – Blue-collar workers were factory workers, skilled tradesmen – White-Collar workers were doctors, lawyers, engineers… – Both groups prospered in the 50’s – As blue collar workers moved up they began to shift into the white-collar lifestyle

FAMILY OF THE 50’S • Marriage rates and birthrates dropped during the depression and WWII • 2. 3 million new marriages in post-war 1946 • Avg. marriage was 22 for men and 20 for women • Started families right away which led to the baby boom –Largest increase in birth rates America has ever seen • 1957: 4. 3 million births

• Baby boomers grew up in “traditional homes” – Dads worked, Mom’s stayed home • Family was a key part of life • Dr. Benjamin Spock: wrote “Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” which advocated for stay at home moms • Mass media reinforced this idea in magazines, movies, ads and now TV – Show Leave it to Beaver reinforced stay at home moms with June Cleaver’s character staying home and cooking/cleaning • Emphasis on marriage and stay at home moms led to many women not going to college or entering work force

POPULATION SHIFTS: • Home building industry was the hardest hit by the Depression • WWII vets were ready to use GI Bill money to start buying homes again • Levittown: first planned community in the U. S. – One in Long Island, one in PA, and one in NJ • The Levitt brothers built small, boxy, identical homes that had 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom • Houses were built through an almost assembly line like process – Built nearly 36 houses a day for under $8, 000 • # of American’s living in the suburbs increased by nearly 50% by 1950

• American’s also began moving south towards the “Sunbelt” – Belt of warm weather states from Florida to California • Businesses moved south for lower labor costs after WWII • People and industries moved with them • New tourist spots like beach line communities and Disneyland opened up • From 1950 -1960 California’s population grew 50% • Building dams along rivers in the SW of America made this movement possible • Air conditioners also made the move to the Sunbelt

IMPORTANCE OF THE AUTOMOBILE • Suburban life required heavy dependence on the automobile • Not much public transportation available and needed cars to get to the city/work • Stay at home mom’s needed cars to get to the super-market or shops • Suburban families now need two cars • Cars also became a status-symbol • Families became obsessed with keeping up or one-upping their neighbors • Throughout the 50’s car sales were above 7 million a year • Over 67 million cars on the road by 1958 with over 12 million families having 2 or more

• More and better roads began to be built in response to the rise of cars • The gov. began funding massive road work projects • In 1956 Congress passed a program to create an interstate highway system – Connect major cities throughout the country by super-highways • Eisenhower supported this program based on seeing how it was used on Germany’s autobahns – Saw it important to the U. S. defense in the Cold War • Interstate highways are divided with at least 2 lanes on each side accessible by on/off ramps • Travel was faster, safer, and shorter • Led to roadside businesses sprouting as well as motel/hotel

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS: • New medicine led to an increase in life expectancy • Vaccines like the new Polio vaccination were created • Surgical procedures advanced as well – First open heart surgery and kidney transplant • Antibiotics helped prevent diseases once viewed as killers from causing much harm – Tuberculosis, pneumonia and other diseases were now manageable • By 1960 the avg. life expectancy was nearly 70 years

• Harnessing Nuclear Energy: – 1957 first nuclear power plant opened up in Shippingport, PA – Radioactivity began being used in medicine as well • X-rays and radioactive iodine began being used for body scans and cancer treatment • Computers: – University of Penn created one of the earliest computers in 1946 called ENIAC • It was the size of two Levittown homes – U. Penn created the first commercial computer in 1951 called UNIVAC • UNIVAC accurately predicted election of Eisenhower in 45 seconds after polls closed