New Technology and Advances in Science

During the 1950's, amazing technological and medicinal breakthroughs occurred. The transistor radio was created with spare furniture by John Bardeen and two other men. Also, the microwave to help women cook their husband's meals faster. The Polio vaccine were created to help those affected by the disease by Valk. TV had more than one channel and satellites were beginning to be built. Now we could REALLY see what the USSR was up to.

Poverty

Poverty in the 1950's was one of the country's biggest issues. 30 million lived below the poverty line.  Michael Herrington  published The Other America (1962) to inform the mainstream communities about what life was like in the middle city. These people couldn't live in the suburbs because they couldn't afford the car, home and land that was required to be accepted in that part of society. Urban renewal programs tried to abolish poverty by destroying slums and building homes for low-income people with a permanent rent. The projects often created a clout of violence due to the crowding. Turns out that the programs destroyed more than they created. Many of the citizens behind were African-Americans who came to the North for greater economic opportunity. Lorraine Hasberry, an African-American author, published A Raisin in the Sun, the story of a working class African-American woman struggling against poverty and racism. Hispanics were left behind, too, but thanks to the Bracero Program, nearly 5 million Mexicans were brought to the U.S to work on farms; about 350,000 of them stayed in the USA. Native Americans, however, were no longer recognized as legal entities under the termination policy, making them subject to the same laws as white citizens. They soon became the poorest ethnic group in the nation; and then there's the residents of rural Applachia! When mining was no longer allowed, the backbone of their economy was broken. 1.5 million people ended up abandoning their mountainside to get jobs in the city.

Music and Entertainment

 More TV programs began to emerge in the Entertainment industry and made their way into suburban homes all over the country. Radio programs, as well, especially when the classic genre of rock'n'roll music opened everyone's eyes and mind. It came to shock when even black performers, like Chuck Berry, made his way into the industry. 

Teenagers became more exposed to the entertainment more than any other age group, and appealed to the King himself, Elvis Presley.  Parents didn't appreciate them, however, because of Elvis's 'inappropriate dance moves' and the simple fact of Berry's skin color. But, what can you do with a 'rebellious' teenager?

Role of Women

 The role of a woman in the 1950's, 'perfect' suburban home was to cook and clean for her husband and take care of the little ones. She would make herself look pretty for her husband and go to the supermarket while also watching the little children, while everyone else went to work or school. When her husband arrive home from a long day, she would make sure a hot meal was on the table and do whatever she could to please him. Things have certainly changed now. Now, women can be nurses, doctors, CEOs and lawyers.

'Baby Boom' and Child Centered Society

The "baby boom" was a magnificent spike in the birth rate during the 1950's. All the men came home from war and wanted to regain 'normalcy', or the power to return to a normal life. So, a lot of babies were born as a result. At one point, there could be one child born every second seconds at the peak of this thing! Crazy, right? Imagine 65 million babies being born in the U.S, alone, over the course of 24 years. Plus, the babies would grow up to be teenagers, and when you give teenagers a car...more babies could be born! Plus, the media pressure to have the 'perfect' family with more than one child also contributed. A generational gap was also created by adults and teenagers, who were more exposed to the new up and coming forms of entertainment. Girls and boys always got the new toys and such, as did the teenagers, their new toys being cars...and each other. Disposable  diapers and birth control were also invented in this time, and also daycare centers when both parents were working. Why have a babysitter when you can drop your kid off with a stranger and pay them money? The world may never know.

Life in the Suburbs

Life in the suburbs was particularly easy for folks who were Caucasian and had a working man in the house with kids and a good income.  A good amount of people moved to the suburb of Levittown, New York, which was the first mass-produced suburb. They either wanted to escape from the crime and hustle of the city, or wanted to regain the sense of normalcy, especially with the men coming back from the war. Houses were amazingly priced at cheap prices and spiked the home ownership rate from 61% to 81%. Of course, minorities were never favored, either. Religious covenants were also connected in suburbs. So much for perfect, huh?

Effects of the Automobile

In 1956, Eisenhower passed the Federal Highway Act, which means a public, two lane road was placed across 40,000 miles of our country. It's a quicker way to get somewhere...isn't it cool? The automobiles also get us there faster, and a lot safer. Rather than being in the open air, we have a roof to cover us while we're moving to protect us from wind and such. It's also a faster way to transport people and goods from place to place. The highway was also based off of the German "autobahn", which was a way to help the military transport vehicles quicker. 

Business/Jobs

All the soldiers are coming home from the biggest war we've ever been in, and this really cool thing called the GI Bill was passed! All the veterans get extra money to start businesses and buy houses for their families. It totally helped the economy and everyone got to buy all the fancy things they wanted. We even got a TV! Americans also don't mine anymore. Guess President Truman didn't like that very much, on account of strikes and whatnot. I guess the strikes got so bad that the Republicans have control of both houses now!

Truman talked about expanding Social Security benefits, too; even about raising minimum wage! Public housing, slum clearance...and a national health insurance. I also notice a lot of men are back to work, wearing blue shirts for labor workers and white collared shirts for guys who sit down and manage businesses. There seems to be more white collar workers, however. Anyway, we have multinational corporations now, where our franchises, which is a fancy word for multiple stores owned in a chain, can expand to countries over seas. Our economy is really booming now!