1950-1960 Essay -- Essays Papers

1950-1960 During the 1950's, the United States experienced great change with the end of World War II, making it difficult to label the busy decade. America was the most powerful nation in the world and it was a time of complacency. The United States accepted two new states, Hawaii and Alaska (www.fifties.com). The science world boomed with new inventions; televisions broadcast nationally; rock n' roll was popular; commercial hotel and fast food chains became common; the car industry exploded; vaccinations for measles and polio were discovered; and birth control pills were introduced (Layman VII). Another event in the 1950’s was the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which limited presidents to two terms in office. The 1950's "baby boom" was also an affect from World War II. The American population increased 19% throughout the 1950's. One-third of Americans was under the age of fifteen (Layman 262). Another issue for the United States in 1950 was the Civil Rights movement. There was one court case that changed history forever. On May 17, 1954 in Topeka, Kansas, a black third grade girl, Linda Brown, was denied admission to a school that was for white children. Schools stigmatized black children, thereby denying them the equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The court finally agreed with Linda’s father and Thurgood Marshall. The United Sates was modernizing, however, discrimination was still a large problem (www.fifties.com). If American was a growing society, it was also a society on the move. Life was progressively getting faster. Drive-in business and shopping malls were convenient. Mass culture brought material wealth to America, but many wondered at what cost. Poorer citizens were ignored, and the work et... ...ed States was once again beginning to modernize and grow. This not only affected American attitude, but it affected art and literature throughout the world. WORKS CITED Berman, David. "Pop Art: An analysis of English and American Styles." (www.st.townson.edu/~dberma2/). Candace. "Index Fifties Web". March 15, 2001 (www.fiftiesweb.com). Ginsberg, Allen. "America." The American Tradition in Literature. Vol. 2. Ed. Perkins, George and Barbara. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. 1795. Hughes, Langston. "Feet Live Their Own Life." The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. Perkins, George and Barbara. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. 1604. IDA (15) University of Dayton Annual Reports. "Annual Reports of the President 1950." Layman, Richard. American Decades: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 1994. Wehrle, William O. A History of the University of Dayton. Dayton, 1962.