1950's And 1960s Influence On American Culture

Improved Essays
In the 1950’s and 1960’s America’s economy was booming; in other words, Postwar boom. The military were coming back from war and the depression was over. America was ready to live the “American Dream” This was the start of major cultural shifts as the sale of automobiles increased; The Cold War, expression of art, music, media and television, drastically changed the social norms in America. The population rapidly increasing and on April 1 1950 it was estimated that “The 14% increase since the last census now showed a count of 150,697,361. The most populous state in the United States was New York, now followed by California.” (America’s Best History, 2016, Para 1) “The war created a nuclear arms race, because the United States was unwilling …show more content…
When the war ended in September 02,1945, the automobile industry doubled by 34 million to 74 million by 1960s. The automotive industry had a huge influence on American culture; thus, the interstate highway system became effective on June 29, 1956. “The bill created a 41,000-mile “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.”( History, 2016, para 10) American’s can now travel safely and the highway eliminated traffic jams and became a quick exist route for an evacuation; therefore, the interstate highway became a symbol of freedom. The idea came from Dwight D. Eisenhower after being stationed in Germany where he was impressed with the Highway system, Reichsautobahnen. To build a highway system like the one in Germany was going to put a dent in the government budget “It also allocated $26 billion to pay for them. Under the terms of the law, the federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost of expressway construction. The money came from an increased gasoline tax–now 3 cents a gallon instead of 2–that went into a non-divertible Highway Trust Fund.” (History, 2016, Para 3) Every American driving had freedom to go almost everywhere, town to town, city to city, state to state but the highway system was not as easily built. Construction left some cities destroyed and broken down roads that were unsafe to drive. The citizens were tired of …show more content…
Fast- forward to December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was seated in the Caucasian section of the bus which was the front and the back section of the bus was for African Americans. Rosa parks refused to give up her seat to a man and she was arrested. “Rosa Park’s Civil disobedience and arrest changed the focus of the movement from solely relying on the courts to gain equality to rejecting and protesting their treatment in segregated states” (Wiley, 2016, Para 1) The African American community led by Luther King Jr and Montgomery improvement association boycotted the bus company for 382 days; therefore, bus companies took a big loss. The city did not give in to Mr. Kings and the Montgomery association’s demands. But the MIA filed a law suit and the federal court declared segregation laws unconstitutional and made illegal. On February 21, 1956 boycott was made illegal and many African Americans were arrested. “After the Supreme court decision was officially received in Montgomery, the boycott ended, and the buses of Montgomery, Alabama were no longer segregated.” (Wiley, 2016, Para3) Rosa Parks changed the way of Civil right movements and the African American communities realized they can protest in their own towns against segregation. Martain Luther King Jr, A pastor , community organizer, leader of peaceful protest. His goals were to improve the African-American civil rights. Martain luther king

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    (“Culture in the 1950’s”)The establishment of the new car reflected the prosperity of the 1950 's because more people wanted to live in a suburban setting so living farther away from town made cars…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1950s Vs Today Essay

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages

    General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler produced 94 percent of the cars Americans bought. It was also during this time when they convinced families that two cars were a necessity to support their lifestyles. The Interstate Highway Act was put into effect, constructing 40,000 miles of new highways. Now, we use cars as the main mode of transportation in most cities, but in the urban areas, like Chicago, they still use subways, buses, trains, taxis, and “Uber” to get around the city more efficiently and faster. Due to the need of these transportations in the 1950s, it allowed more jobs to be created in large corporations like…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1920's Business Analysis

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The New Era was a great time of business. The 1920’s saw an economy prosper due to consumerism, leisure expansion, and the establishment of a middle class. In contrast, just prior to the 1920’s America was still in the industrial age, where the unemployment rate peaked at 20 percent, and bankruptcy rates were threatening farmers by increasing tenfold. The reading states that before President Harding’s death, he was able to implement high tariffs protecting business in America, supporting costs for agriculture, and undoing wartime government control above an industry in favor of unregulated private business. Coolidge not only carried on Harding’s policies of promoting business and limiting government, but he extended them.…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Emmett Till Essay Thesis

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This helped begin a movement of racial justice and helped end the madness. One hundred days after the tragic murder, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white woman and go the back of the bus. This started the one year Montgomery Bus Boycott. Nine years after this congress passed a law that outlawed any form racial discrimination and segregation. “I thought about Emmett Till, and i couldn’t go (do the back of the bus) - Rosa…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Refugee Dispersion Policy

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    America, the land of opportunity, a place where people can have the freedom to express themselves, own property, and have a chance to be successful in life. These unique ideals that shaped America throughout its history was truly shown during the post-WWII era, an era known as the rise of American Consumerism, the postwar boom, and most importantly, the rise of suburbia. The rise of the suburbs in the United States after the end of WWII was as a result of American GI’s coming back home from the war, thus the rise in American families. To answer this, the United States government expanded its housing to accommodate the growing number of American families. The end result of such actions brought about tremendous changes to America in the most…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Manufacturing companies had been busy making lots of products for war, like guns and army vehicles. During the 40’s there was a shortage of metal because all the metal was being used for guns and weapons so automobile companies had to find other materials. Later in the century, Eisenhower called for The Interstate Highway Act. This Act planned to make around 41,000 miles of highway.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    CCR set out to create a song explaining the Vietnam War's impact on American society during the 1960’s. CCR split Americans into two categories, the “fortunate sons” and the “unfortunate sons”. The line “Born with silver spoon in hand,” These higher class citizens are covered from the bias American draft system because of their wealth and education from birth. These “fortunate sons” make money off a war, without having to face the realities of it at all. The “unfortunate sons”…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1950’s was the start of a changing point for the United States. We were still recovering from the second World War and many things had changed for the United States, things like relations with the Soviet Union. Not only that but things within the United States were changing very rapidly also. The 1950’s was seen as a high point in the United States history, just like the 1920’s were. Many things happen within the 50’s.…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Montgomery Bus Boycott is considered one of the first large-scale demonstrations against segregation in the United States during the civil-rights movement (History). Beginning in 1955, african americans stopped riding the public busses in protest of being made to sit in the back of the bus in the “colored section.” Instead, they either rode in cars, rode bikes, or walked to show that they no longer wanted to be treated as second class citizens. The boycott was important to the civil rights movement, and really began when a woman named Rosa Parks decided that she would not give up her seat on the bus and move to the back. It was her belief that black people, like all people, were humans and deserved to be free and treated with respect.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Age Of Conformity Analysis

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    After World War II, American lives will change due to the middle class unexpectedly expanding due to suburbanization, unemployment rates were decreasing, and the United States will become the most powerful country in the world due to the technological creation of the nuclear bomb which won’t last very long because the Soviet Union will test their nuclear weapon in 1949. The 1950’s deserves its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity to a great extent due to Eisenhower needing to enhance old policies, the eagerness of America wanting to get rid of communism and to prove that the American lifestyle was the best way to live. Politics was in the 1950’s was known as the “age of conformity” due to the rise of Eisenhower…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The end of WWII marked the start of the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. During this time period there was a clash between Capitalism and Communism that engulfed the world. These two very different ideologies caused thousands to dye, billions of dollars to be spent, and great advancements in technology. As a result of the Cold War and the fear of the spread of communism, America’s citizens and culture were changed drastically.…

    • 1824 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With this new desire to travel came the need for better roads and by the end of the 1920s road building rankled first or second in most states…

    • 1604 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    People were confident with having children during the baby boom, because they thought the world held nothing but peace. Another thing that was booming was fashion. 1950’s fashion was heavily influenced by social, historical and political events of the 1950’s, also went through so many different clothing articles during the decade. The historical, political and social…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Montgomery Bus Boycott was not as instantaneous as you may think. There were more people arrested, violent approach of the white people to stop the boycott, and much more. The Montgomery Bus Boycott didn’t start off with just Rosa Parks getting arrested, there were at least a dozen more before her, in Montgomery alone. Rosa Parks was not really the reason why the boycott was started. They chose Rosa, over the two arrested a week before her, becauseshe was a better candidate then they were.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    First of all, let me to talk about two little events: The first one was in 1997. The indian activist and writer Arundhati Roy, published a book tittled «The God of Small Things». Some of you you can have read it, but in case you haven't done so already, don't worry: I'm not going to spoil it. The book sets in the town of Ayemenem in Kerala, India. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins and describes the life of an Indian girl (the author) and her brother.…

    • 1327 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays