Life After WWII
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Transcript Life After WWII
Do Now:
“I’m Mrs. Edward M. Barnes. Where do I live?
What words or phrases would you use to
describe the housing development
depicted in this cartoon?
How do you think the woman in the
cartoon Mrs. Edward M. Barnes, feels
about living in a suburban development?
Why do you think Americans in the 1950s
wanted to live in a housing development
like this one?
Life After WWII
Do Now: 2/26
“The War is Over!”
What problems might arise in the
post-war era?
at home?
abroad?
GI Bill of Rights
Passed in 1944 by Congress
Helped veterans return to civilian life
Paid part of their tuition
Guaranteed 1yrs worth of unemployment
Offered low interest federal loans- many
used these loans to buy a home, farm, or
business
The Housing Crisis
Returning veterans faced a housing
shortage
Lived in cramped apartments or with
relatives
The answer to the housing crisis was
the newly developed suburbs
Levittown
The 1st suburb in Long Island, NY
Developed by William Levitt
Homes built in 16 minutes (assembly
line) and cost only $7,000
Could be rented for $65/m (2 bedrooms,
1 bathroom, kitchen, living room, and
appliances)
All homes looked the same-zoning laws
ensured that they would stay that way
Redefining the Family
Women didn’t want to give up their
independence (jobs)
Men traditionally breadwinners
Divorce rate rose (1950- more than
1,000,000 war marriages ended in
divorce)
Economic Adjustment
Wartime » peacetime economy
War contracts cancelled and defense
workers laid off
Unemployment increased
Prices skyrocketed when the OPA
cancelled the controls on inflation- for
2yrs until the supply caught up with
the demand
Wages were less
4.5 million workers went on strike
Recovery
Congress placed controls on prices,
wages, and rent
Supply eventually caught up with the
demand & wages increased because
people where spending their savings
Americans prospered in the 1950s“the affluent society”
The threat of the Cold War kept
America spending on defense and
allowing to employ workers
Truman would not allow workers to
strike
“The buck stops here”
Threatened to draft anyone striking
Ordered them to work
1946 Congressional Elections
Republican Party won control of both the
Senate and House of Representatives
80th Congress ignored Truman’s
domestic proposals
1947- passed the Taft-Hartley Act
Overturned many rights won by unions
Passed over Truman’s veto
Truman Supports Civil Rights
“I am asking for equality of
opportunity for all human beings,”
“…and if that ends up in my failure to
be re-elected, that failure will be in
good cause.”
Wanted Congress to support a federal
anti-lynching law, abolition of the poll tax,
and set up a body to prevent racial
discrimination in hiring (Congress refused)
1948 Truman integrated the armed forces
Also, ordered an end to discrimination in
the hiring of gov’t employees
Supreme Court said no more
discrimination in residential neighborhoods
1947- Jackie Robinson integrated baseball
1948 Election
Truman-Democrats
Dewey- Republicans
Strom Thurmond- Dixiecrats
303 Electoral College Votes
189
39
Southern Democrats
Wallace- Progressive Party
Truman’s “Give em hell,
Harry”
Traveled the country
campaigning
0
The Fair Deal
Truman’s Domestic Program
Raised Minimum Wage- 40 ¢ - 75 ¢
Extended Social Security Coverage to 10
million more people
Initiated flood control projects
Provided financial support for cities to
clear out slums and build 810,000 units for
low-income families