Lesson 3: Eisenhower and Postwar Conflicts

Question 1

Baby Boom Definition

Answer 1

a large increase in birthrate from the late 1940s through the early 1960s

Question 2

Beatnik Definition

Answer 2

a 1950s person who criticized American culture for conformity and devotion to business

Question 3

Fair Deal Definition

Answer 3

President Truman’s reforms that extended liberal policies and included a higher minimum wage, expanded Social Security, and loans for low-cost housing

Question 4

GI Bill of Rights Definition

Answer 4

a law that eased the return of World War II veterans by providing education, loans, and employment aid

Question 5

Inflation Definition

Answer 5

a rise in prices and decrease in the value of money

Question 6

Productivity Definition

Answer 6

the average output per worker

Question 7

Standard of Living Definition

Answer 7

a measurement that determines how well people live based on the amount of goods, services, and leisure time people have

Question 8

Suburb Definition

Answer 8

a residential area on the outskirts of a city

Question 9

Sunbelt Definition

Answer 9

the region stretching across the southern rim of the country

Question 10

Remember: In the decades after World War II, the United States experienced a boom like no other in its history. The population mushroomed, the economy prospered, and Americans enjoyed the highest standard of living any people had ever known.

Answer 10

In the decades after World War II, the United States experienced a boom like no other in its history. The population mushroomed, the economy prospered, and Americans enjoyed the highest standard of living any people had ever known.

Question 11

When the war ended, what fraction of men had served in the army? What did Experts war about as the soldiers returned?

Answer 11

When the war ended in 1945, two thirds of all American men between the ages of 18 and 34 were in uniform. Experts feared that without wartime production, many returning soldiers might not find jobs. Unemployment would rise, and the economy would tumble.

Question 12

What was the GI Bill of Rights? What did it do to help World War II veterans? (Economic Issue solution)

Answer 12

Even before the war ended, Congress passed the GI Bill of Rights to help returning veterans. Under this law, the government spent billions of dollars to help veterans set up farms and businesses. Many GIs received loans to pay for college or a new home. It also provided a full year of unemployment benefits for veterans who could not find work.

Question 13

How was inflation a postwar economic problem? What caused it? Why did workers demand higher wages? Although he was sympathetic to workers, why did he urge the, to return to work under the same wages?

Answer 13

Inflation, or rising prices, was a major postwar problem. During the war, the government had controlled prices and wages. After the war, the controls ended. The price of goods rose. Workers demanded higher wages to pay for the price increases. When employers refused, labor unions called strikes. President Harry Truman was sympathetic to workers but feared that higher wages would only add to inflation. He urged strikers to return to work.

Question 14

Why did a Democratic victory seem unlikely in the Election of 1948? Who did the Republicans elect for their presidential candidate? How did Truman utilize trains in his fight to win the election? Who won the election?

Answer 14

As the election of 1948 approached, President Truman and his Democratic party seemed doomed to defeat. Labor strikes and soaring prices had already helped Republicans win a majority in both the House and the Senate for the first time since the 1920s. Among Democrats, unhappy liberals and conservatives deserted Truman to form parties of their own. The Republicans confidently nominated Governor Thomas Dewey of New York for President. Truman fought back. During his campaign, Truman traveled thousands of miles across the country by train. At every stop, he attacked the Republicans as “do-nothings” and “gluttons of privilege.” When all the votes were counted, Truman won a surprise victory over Dewey.

Question 15

During Truman’s presidency, what was the Fair Deal? What was its goal?

Answer 15

During his presidency, Truman proposed a new round of reform called the Fair Deal. He wanted to extend the liberal policies of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Question 16

In Congress, who opposed Truman’s Fair Deal? What were the three only Fair Deal proposals that passed? What is an example of a reform Congress rejected?

Answer 16

In Congress, the Fair Deal faced heavy opposition from conservative Democrats and Republicans. Only a few of the proposals passed: a higher minimum wage, expanded Social Security benefits, and loans for buying low-cost houses. Congress rejected most of Truman’s reforms, including a bold plan to provide government-financed health insurance.

Question 17

In the Election of 1952, who did the Democrats nominate? Who did the Republicans nominate? What did Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower, known as “Ike”, promise? For the first time, how did television play a major role in the election? Who won the election?

Answer 17

In 1952, President Truman chose not to run for reelection. Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. Republicans chose General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a hero of World War II. Eisenhower, known as “Ike,” promised to end the conflict in Korea and lead Americans through the Cold War. For the first time, television played a major role in a presidential campaign. Instead of long speeches, Republicans used 20-second TV “spots” of Ike responding to questions from hand-picked citizens. Complained one critic: “It was selling the President like toothpaste.” Still, enough voters were impressed with Ike’s military experience and foreign policy skills to give him a landslide victory.

Question 18

Like most Republicans, what did President Eisenhower believe? What did he call his political course? What did Eisenhower want to do with social security and other New Deal programs? Did people support his political course? Was he re-elected in 1956?

Answer 18

Like most Republicans, President Eisenhower believed in limiting federal spending and reducing federal regulation of the economy. He called his political course the “straight road down the middle.” He favored cutting the federal budget but expanding Social Security benefits and some other New Deal programs. Most Americans supported Eisenhower’s middle-of-the-road approach. In the 1956 presidential election, voters reelected Ike to a second term of office.

Question 19

True or False: During the Great Depression and World War II, many Americans had put off having families. When the war ended and prosperity returned, the number of births soared.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

What was the phenomenon known as the baby boom? In the 1930s, how much did the population grow? In the 1940s, how much did the population grow? In the 1950s, how much did the population grow? On average how many children did married couples have during this time period? How did improvements in health care and nutrition contribute to the baby boom?

Answer 20

Population experts called the phenomenon a baby boom. In the 1930s, the population of the United States had grown by only 9 million. In the 1940s it grew by 19 million and in the 1950s by an astounding 29 million! Most couples married young, had an average of three children, and completed their families by their late twenties. Improvements in health care and nutrition contributed to the baby boom. Better care for pregnant women and newborn infants meant that more babies survived. Fewer children died from childhood diseases than had died in the past.

Question 21

In addition to the baby boom, how did the economy boom? What happens to the amount of goods and jobs when an economy expands? How did federal projects help the economy? How did military spending during the Cold War help the economy?

Answer 21

In addition to the baby boom, there was an economic boom. The economy rapidly expanded in the postwar years. When an economy expands, more goods are produced and sold and more jobs are created. Federal projects also increased factory production. The government spent more money to build new roads, houses, and schools. In the middle of the Cold War, government spending on military goods spurred the economy, too.

Question 22

How did new technologies add to the postwar economic boom? How did it increase productivity? What is productivity? How did corporations start using computers? How did productivity allow for more leisure time?

Answer 22

New technology added to the boom by promoting steady rises in productivity, or the average output per worker. Corporations began using computers to perform calculations and keep records. High productivity allowed the United States to manufacture and consume, or use, more goods than any other country. Increased productivity also led to a workweek that averaged 40 hours. Americans now had more leisure time.

Question 23

Remember: The good feeling produced by victory in World War II and the booming economy created a sense of public confidence in the United States. American citizens enjoyed a postwar prosperity that saw significant job growth throughout much of the nation.

Answer 23

The good feeling produced by victory in World War II and the booming economy created a sense of public confidence in the United States. American citizens enjoyed a postwar prosperity that saw significant job growth throughout much of the nation.

Question 24

How long was the Postwar America era?

Answer 24

1945–1975

Question 25

How did the economic boom increase the standard of living for Americans? What is standard of living? What appliances and consumer goods did Americans buy?

Answer 25

The economic boom raised Americans' standard of living, a measurement that determines how well people live based on the amount of goods, services, and leisure time people have. Americans bought washing machines, vacuum cleaners, televisions, automobiles, and many other consumer goods.

Question 26

What did public confidence in the U.S. replace? Why were few Americans worried they were saving little? What life did Americans enjoy? How did this consumer spending impact the country?

Answer 26

Public confidence in the United States replaced much of the financial worries associated with the Great Depression and World War II. Because so many of their purchases revolved around home and family, few Americans worried that they were saving little. Instead, most Americans enjoyed a life in which they had more money to spend. This consumer spending reshaped the country.

Question 27

With their newfound wealth, where did many Americans move? How did the GI Bill encourage home building? During the 1950s, at what rate did suburbs grow in comparison to cities?

Answer 27

With their newfound wealth, many people bought homes in the suburbs, or communities outside the cities. The GI Bill encouraged home building in the suburbs by offering low-interest loans to veterans. During the 1950s, suburbs grew 40 times faster than cities.

Question 28

How did Builder William Levitt pioneer a new way to build suburban homes? How long did it take to build a Levitt House?

Answer 28

Builder William Levitt pioneered a new way of building suburban houses. He bought large tracts of land and then divided them into small lots. On each lot, he built a house identical to every other house in the tract. Because these houses were mass-produced, they cost much less to build than custom-made houses. They could also be constructed rapidly. Using preassembled materials, teams of carpenters, plumbers, and electricians could put up a Levitt house in 16 minutes.

Question 29

In 1947, what was Levitt’s housing project on Long Island? Why did he not sell to African Americans?

Answer 29

Levitt began his first big project in 1947 on Long Island, where he put up 17,000 new homes. It was the largest housing development ever built by an American. Levitt called the project Levittown. African Americans were barred from owning or renting in Levittown. Levitt feared that if he sold to blacks, whites would not buy.

Question 30

Where did shopping centers spring up? How did they influence suburban areas?

Answer 30

Shopping centers with modern department stores sprang up near the suburban housing developments. There were eight shopping centers in 1946. By the end of the 1950s, there were 4,000. No longer did consumers have to travel to the city to buy what they wanted. Shiny new shopping centers were only a short drive away.

Question 31

How did the development of suburbs negatively impact cities? What did critics say, concerning segregation?

Answer 31

As millions flocked to the suburbs, central cities began a slow decline. Suburbs and shopping centers drained cities of businesses and taxes. Since most of those who moved were white, some critics complained that the United States was turning into a nation where African Americans lived in cities and whites lived in the suburbs.

Question 32

What happened as Americans flocked to the Sunbelt? What was the Sunbelt? What made many, including businesses, want to go to the Sunbelt?

Answer 32

Americans also flocked to the Sunbelt, a region stretching across the southern rim of the country. States from Florida to Texas and California began to experience dramatic growth. For Americans on the move, the Sunbelt, both then and now, had many lures: a warm climate; good jobs; a prosperous economy based on agriculture, oil, and electronics; and, national defense industries. Businesses still move to the region for its low taxes and growing workforce. The workforce included recent immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Like many ambitious newcomers, they were willing to work hard to establish new lives in the United States.

Question 33

How were cars important in the 1950s and in postwar America? Why did American automobile companies profit greatly from this?

Answer 33

During the 1950s, cars became more important to daily life. People living in the suburbs or the Sunbelt usually needed a car to drive to work. By 1960, 9 out of 10 families living in the suburbs owned a car. Since few people bought foreign cars, the American automobile companies, such as General Motors, profited greatly.

Question 34

What did the federal government do to accommodate the increase in automobiles? What was the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956? How much money did it set aside? How many miles of highway did it plan to build? How did the new highway system boost the economy?

Answer 34

To accommodate the increase in automobiles, the federal government built thousands of miles of highways. In 1956, Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act. This act called for a network of high-speed roads linking the nation. It set aside $41 billion to build 40,000 miles of highway. The new highway system boosted the economy, especially the automobile and trucking industries. Americans could travel more easily for business or pleasure. As a result, a new roadside culture of motels and fast-food restaurants emerged.

Question 35

How did the television gain popularity in the 1950s? How did it create a new culture?

Answer 35

Television caught on slowly. At first, television screens displayed only in black and white, and they were very expensive. However, as TV sets shrank in price and grew in size, almost everybody wanted one. By 1960, 9 out of 10 households had at least 1 television. Television brought news and entertainment into people's homes. Commercials encouraged spending and buying. Television also helped to make the 1950s a time when people wanted to look and act the same as everyone else. Many programs presented the same single view of the ideal middle-class family. Fathers knew best, mothers were loving and supportive, and children were always obedient.

Question 36

In the mid-1950s, what new type of music appeared? What were the origins of Rock-and-roll? Why did adults worry about it? Why did many teenagers like it? When was the term “teenager” first used?

Answer 36

In the mid-1950s, a new type of music appeared. Rock-and-roll combined the sounds of rhythm, blues, country, and gospel with a hard-driving beat. Adults worried that the music was too wild. However, many teenagers liked rock-and-roll because it provided an opportunity for them to show their independence. Teenager was a word first used in the 1950s to describe someone between 13 and 19 years old.

Question 37

Who were Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens? Who was the most famous of them all, Elvis Presley?

Answer 37

African American singers Chuck Berry and Little Richard gained national fame. From Texas came Buddy Holly, and from California, Latino singer Richie Valens. No one attracted more attention than Memphis's Elvis Presley. His slick hair, sideburns, and steamy dancing alarmed parents but made Elvis a hit with teenagers. They dressed like him, bought his records, and nicknamed him “the King.”

Question 38

Why did beatniks develop discontent toward postwar America?

Answer 38

Not all Americans in the 1950s were happy about the emphasis on getting and spending. A small group of writers and artists criticized what they saw as the growing materialism of American society and its lack of individuality. Novelist Jack Kerouac coined the term beat, meaning “weariness with all forms of the modern industrial state.” Middle-class observers called Kerouac and others like him beatniks. Still, Kerouac's best-selling novel, On the Road, influenced many young Americans. Most Americans paid little attention to these signs of discontent. Soon, however, a growing outcry could not be ignored.

Question 39

True or False: Levittown was one of the first suburbs with a shopping center nearby

Answer 39

True