The Political Climate of the 1950s

When most people think of the 1950’s or 1960’s, they think of Elvis, Greasers, jukeboxes, Woodstock, and rainbow peace signs and hippie love. Although these symbols are somewhat accurate (and very popular), not many people think about the changes society and culture went through. The 1950’s and 60’s were a time of great change and freedom for many Americans. Everything from World War II, to the gay liberation movement, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to change society. Many of the views American’s had on topics such as war, gender roles and sexual preference were changed greatly after these events and have led to our culture being what it is today. The 1950’s and 1960’s were a time where great changes took place that helped to

As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the

World War II had just ended. Women that were working because their husbands were out fighting in the war came back home when the war ended. The 1940’s ended and it was time for a new decade. The 1950’s were looked as a state of mind or a way of living instead of another time in American history. The 1950’s were the most influential decade in American history because the civil rights act began, fashion was completely new and trendy there were more much advancement in entertainment and medicine, and suburban life was much more functional than any other decade in America.

African Americans lifestyle did not see much change from before the depression and during the depression in the sense of the capital dollar. They assumed the New Deal brought up by president Roosevelt at the time would bring change to their life, but the white public would not stand to be on equal terms with a person of color. “Unemployment was rampant, and many whites felt that any available jobs belonged to the whites first.”i Many white Americans did not want African Americans to be paid minimum wage, but be paid lower than minimum wage. Industry’s also wanted to pay their employers a different wage depending on the color of their skin. “Negro unskilled labor,

Many people inaccurately assess the 1950s and 1960s. Historians, in particular, tend to describe the 1950s as a decade of prosperity and the 1960s as one of turbulence. According to most, peace and harmony defined the 50s while violence and protest conjured the 60s. This isn't true because controversy existed in the fifties, many achievements occurred in the sixties, and both decades had its political ups and downs. With all the criticism surrounding it, the 1960s remains one of the most controversial decades in American history.

“Sharecropping meant that they divided their work with the owner at the end of the year”. (1) The Black Codes also inhibited migration of free African Americans. Although the Union victory in the Civil War gave some four million slaves their freedom, most of them ended up right back on the plantations they had worked on before because they had nowhere else to

During the years between 1915 and 1970, some six million black southerners left their homelands in the South to move to the northern and western states looking for a better life.( The Reason why this i so significant to me is during this time period the great moving from one place to another was in effect and during this time period 6 million African Americans from the away from cities South to the cities of the North, Midwest and West from 1916 to 1970, affected a lot city based life in the United States. Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory money based opportunities and marsh separating people by race, religion, etc.ist laws, many blacks headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that first rose up during

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two new superpowers and as archrivals. The United States wanted to keep the Soviet Union from spreading communism by force so the United States came up with a plan of containment, which was to block the Soviet Union wherever possible to contain the spread of communism therefore beginning the Cold War. (Davidson et al., 2005)

This source is valuable because it provides historians with evidence that shows how the New Deal actually made employment much more difficult for African Americans. For example, the NIRA led to many blacks losing jobs, employment rates were lower than ever due to the tripling of Federal taxes, and many black sharecroppers faced numerous difficulties.as a result of various New Deal programs. The value of this source is limited because the author is writing for a libertarian organization, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a democrat. Also, the author does not include any personal account from African Americans that suffered the effects of the New Deal.

Factories were able to hire many blacks, because of WWI. Many of the white factory workers were fighting in the war and the United States feared to admit many European immigrants in for work, leaving the workforce open to minorities and women. Blacks that moved upward were even eligible for overtime in the factories. Blacks begin to go from making $2.00 a day to making 75 cents an hour. Many black southerners saw this as a opportunity succeed or change their previous life.

African americans couldn't justify having higher jobs on plantations as their desire to occupy land was no longer surfacing. Their plight for land became only similarly faded as Andrew Jackson in 1865 ordered all land formerly dispensed through the Bureau to be back to its authentic proprietors inflicting many African americans to be evicted and instilling a deep experience of betrayal as it might seem that any efforts to rise within the social ladder might be

Civil Rights movement was still two decades in the future, but that did not stop the infectious spirit that drove African American women living in the United States to volunteer. It is only natural in this time for the push back against them to be greater than the pushback against white women. African-American women would apply for jobs alongside white women and be told they either did not get the job or could accept an opening in a lesser or more demeaning job. There was a hierarchy in companies, and African-American women checked enough boxes to be at the very bottom of the list. Any cutbacks or layoffs would be primarily focused within the already struggling minority workforce, with the idea that any black woman hired would be the first fired. This resulted in them receiving the most grueling and bottom-rung jobs, such as janitorial positions at factories where white women were getting to play Rosie the Riveter. There were attempts going as high as President Theodore Roosevelt to ease the entrance of the African American community in the workforce.

how African Americans got shanghaied right after the Civil War to rebuild the South’s economy.

The 1960s are frequently referred to as a period of social protest and dissent. Antiwar demonstrators, civil-rights activists, feminists, and members of various other social groups demanded what they considered to be justice and sought reparation for the wrongs they believed they had suffered. The decade marked a shift from a collective view on politics, to a much more individualistic viewpoint. The 1960s could easily be characterized as a period during which political, ideological, and social tensions among radicals, liberals, and conservatives in American society are seen to have rapidly unfolded. Due to this, the decade has had an overwhelming effect on the decades that have followed. The sixties have had the greatest impact on American society out of any decade in recent history. Whether for better or for worse, the decade has had a profound influence on politics, society, foreign policy, and culture.

The great depression of 1929 brought changes to the United States. With the downfall of the market in October came a lot of changes, one of the main changes was the rising of the unemployment levels. With unemployment levels rising after the depression to more than 25 percent of the total labor force in 1933, which was five and a halve percent in 1929 (Jensen 557). In 1931 the unemployment rate for Afro Americans was 40,7 percent compared to 27,2 percent of white Americans (Sundstorm 424). This difference in unemployment between the two groups shows the intensity of the hit of the great depression by which the Afro American in comparison to the white American. The unemployment levels were an average of 50 percent higher for Afro Americans than for white Americans (Sundstorm 418). Yet the Afro Americans come back was stronger, due to their higher unemployment. As unrest grew under the Afro Americans, due to the high unemployment levels, the Afro Americans joined more protests.