The 1950’s was characterized as a prosperous and conformity for various reasons. One of the main reasons was the development of the suburbs. Since a lot of the black people migrated to the big cities there was rich and middle class families left to live in the suburbs areas to escape the crime of the cities. This mass migration later became known as the “white flight” (Document A). The 1950’s was the times when the American soldiers were coming back home from WWII and many new babies were born.
Following the conclusion of World War II in 1945 and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947, both American consumerist and anti-communist sentiments disseminated throughout the entire country. During the 1950s, these facets of American society created a sense of homogeneity amongst Americans by promoting a conservative mindset. While conservative “Americanism” existed in many towns and cities, its presence in the suburbs was particularly striking because it was able to unify an entire population of individuals. Although the suburbs’ collective unity brought entire communities together, it was often used to combat the communists and minorities of the 1950s. Nativism legally manifested in the form of “restrictive covenants” that ostracized African-Americans
The culture in Northern America during the 1960’s and 1970’s was very controversial. There were several that were happy with it but several that were extremely unhappy with it. There were several causes for the protests that took place in the United States during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Allen Ginsberg was a prominent figure during the time of counterculture. Ginsberg lived from 1926-1997 and he was a very key individual in all these protests.
I can assume a common person in the 1960 would find information in a library. I think information literacy was despite the fact they did not have the technology like we have now days, it was something people would still have to learn to get accurate information. Newspapers, phone books, radio, library with tons of books and encyclopedias were also part of that era that started the necessity for inventors to create what we have today. Information literacy then and now I think it was the same practice just with the different tools.
While there were many reforms between 1920-and 1970, the reforms made during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1960s have had the most longer lasting effect on the United States. The 1920s saw a period with the greatest social reform. Americans were beginning to realize that there was more to life than working, in respect to the fact during the 1920s, “Americans spent more and more of their income on leisure activities like vacations, movies, and sporting events” (Foner 783). The rapid expansion of industries causing the development of the middle class is a primary reason why Americans were able to enjoy leisure activities since the had a steady income coming in. The use of technology increased during this decade, as people were able to afford radios and phonographs.
Conformity is behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. Also according to Webster's dictionary social repression is is the act of controlling, subduing or suppressing people, groups and larger social aggregations by interpersonal means. I agree to the greater extent that during the 1950’s were a time of conformity and social repression. In American life housing, genders and culture get an impact on conformity and social repression.
The Right Side of the Sixties: Reexamining Conservatism’s Decade of Transformation. Edited by Laura Jane Gifford and Daniel K. Williams. (New York: Palgrave MacMillan. 2013. vi.
In a time of economic prosperity, a rise in the standard of living and rock and roll, also known as the “happy days”, the 1950s were a time looked back on with nostalgia. On the other hand, the 1950s were also met with many problems involving civil rights, the Cold War and McCarthyism. After the end of World War II, Americans came home to jobs available and a period of consensus. Consensus meaning there wasn’t much debate in politics. However tensions quickly rose throughout the nation when Joseph McCarthy made serious accusations about the State Department.
In the 1960s the world record for points per game was broken by Wilt Chamberlain making 100 points in one game. This massive scoring game led the way for many new records or high-scoring games to follow. 1960s basketball is the true start of one of the most watched sports in the United States. Basketball got more appealing to watch and has interested young players for many years. The aspects of 1960s basketball include overall basketball in the 1960s, teams, clothing, rule changes, and the top players of the age.
In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a growing trend of conservatism in the United States that aimed to push back against the prominence of liberals in the government in the decades following World War II. Increased tensions and the rise of inflation helped lead to a new form of conservatism that would gain traction in the 1980s. This movement’s main platform was to reduce government spending as much as possible. Labeled the Neo-Conservatism movement, it was highlighted by the election of populist candidate Ronald Reagan in the 1980 Presidential Election. He promised to institute many cuts to government programs in order to curb inflation during his campaign and followed through on many of those promises.
The documentary “The Pinks and the Blues” and the podcast “Can a Child be Raised Free of Gender Stereotypes” discuss the unconscious gender stereotypes and assumptions that our culture places upon children. Children are enculturated with ideas about who they should be, how they should think and behave, and this enculturation has distinct effects upon the child psychology and way of living in the world. The viewer is left with the question: Is it possible to raise a child without gender stereotypes? “The Pinks and the Blues” states that gendered treatment of children begins within 24 hours of the child’s birth. Descriptors for male infants and female infants were different, with boys being labeled as big, strong, and alert while girls were labeled as being delicate, petite, and inattentive.
What We Really Miss About The 1950s In her essay, “What We Really Miss About the 1950s”, Stephany Coontz talks about the myth of the 1950s. She begins her argument by stating some reasons why the nostalgia for the 1950s exists. The main thing Americans miss about the those days is the stability. She acknowledges that this fallacy is not insane.
1970’s Fashion Earth day was first celebrated in United States in 1970. Hippies were primarily the ones who got Earth day passed by the government. Disco was very popular as well; People would go to nightclubs and strobe lights and mirror balls would be everywhere, the latest 70’s hits would also be playing. The Vietnam War, The Battle of Civil Rights and music affected a lot of the fashion in 70’s.
Film is a story of people and a story made by the people. Since society is a world of community where people creates atmospheres and interact with one another, through films we can look into the mirror of the society at that time. The French society from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s was the time when the postwar modernization for France had begun. During this time period there were many values that the society reflected and various cultures that were embedded into the people’s lives.
During the period of modernism, unexpected breaks in tradition occurred with viewing the world differently. The authors used literature during the modernism time to show the decay and the growing alienation of individuals. A portrayal of a restricted role in society stands reflected in Charlotte Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The protagonist knows she is limited in her role in society as she agonizes what her husband will think of her actions. By visualizing the woman behind bars she pictures herself self-consciously.
