1950s Essay

Essay 1

Discuss the social, economic, and political developments of the 1950s. Be certain to consider how the 1950s was a decade of both change and regression.

The 1950s can be defined by the three C’s, Consumerism, Conformity, and Communism. The 50s was a decade of significant social, economic, and political developments in the United States. As the country saw wealth and economic growth, it also struggled with social and political concerns like segregation, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. The 1950s also saw a change in family life for men and women. Furthermore, the 1950s saw the civil rights movement make great strides toward racial equality.

The 1950s was a decade marked by tremendous economic changes. Millions of Americans started families

Starting with one of the most significant movements in American history, the Civil Rights Movement made substantial progress during the 1950s. The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for racial justice and equality, as African Americans fought to end segregation, discrimination, and institutionalized racism known as Jim Crow. With all the conformity, the 1950s would not have been an ideal moment to start such a controversial movement. African Americans who fought in World War II were often treated better by the other countries that they were stationed in; when they came back, they were tired of being treated terribly by the country they had just fought for. One of the most significant moments of the Civil Rights Movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956. This boycott was started by the arrest of Rosa Parks, an African American who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. The boycott lasted over a year and resulted in the eventual desegregation of the Montgomery bus system, marking one of the first significant victories for the Civil Rights Movement. Another critical moment during the Civil Rights Movement was the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. For over 50 years, students were separated based solely on their race. White students would attend schools for whites only, while African Americans were forced to attend lesser-funded schools. In 1952 all of this changed. Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education because his daughter was not allowed to attend the better all-white elementary schools in Topeka. After several months, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown, declaring that separate but equal does not apply to schools. Despite these important events, the 1950s was also a decade of regression for the Civil Rights Movement. Many African Americans faced violence, discrimination, and intimidation from white