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Postwar Changes in American Society, Politics and Culture

Page history last edited by Robert W. Maloy 5 days, 15 hours ago

 

AP U.S. History Period 8:  1945-1980

 

Key Concept 8.3 — Postwar economic and demographic changes had far-reaching consequences for American society, politics, and culture.

 

1950s Television Set

1950s television set 

Cross-Link: Important Cold War-era Domestic Trends

 

Cross-Link: Presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Carter

 

Cross-Link: Jonas Salk and Polio Vaccines

 

Topics on the Page

 

A. economic growth and declining poverty

 
B. the baby boom

 
C. the growth of suburbs and home-ownership

 

 

D. the increase in education levels

 

E. the development of mass media and consumerism

  • Women in Post-war America
  • African Americans in Post-war America

 

  LGBTQIA history

 

Photo of The Beatles, Kennedy Airport, February 1964
The Beatles, Kennedy Airport, February 1964

 

 

Music and the Counterculture 

 


What's That Sound? Teaching the 1960s through Popular Music from Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

LSD Museum or Institute of Illegal Images in San Francisco contains over 33,000 sheets of blotter paper imprinted with pop culture images and used to transmit doses of LSD

Cross-Link to Historical Biography pages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example of Music and Protest: "Charlie on the MTA"

 

 

Listen to the song performed by The Kingston Trio

 

Listen to the song performed by Harmony Glen

 

Jacqueline Steiner, CoWriter of Charlie on the MTA, Dies at 94

  • She wrote the song in 1949 as a protest against a fare increase and for a Progressive Party candidate for the mayor of Boston

 

Beth Lomax Hawes, the other writer of the Charlie on the MTA song

 

Will Charlie Ever Get Off That Train?

 

  • Although the story told in the song is humorous, it was meant to dramatize the call for a rollback of the subway fare increase.
    • It was imposed by the Massachusetts legislature to pay for the bailout of the privately owned Boston Elevated Railway Company through creation of the publicly owned Massachusetts Transit Authority (MTA).
  • The song 'sending verse made sure Boston voters knew which of the mayoral candidate was on their side: “Vote for Walter A. O’Brien/and fight the fare increase/Get poor Charlie off that MTA!”

 

 

Asian-Americans in Film

Sessue Hayakawa (早川雪洲/はやかわ せっしゅう) was a superstar from the mid-1910s to the late 1920s, popularizing many female audiences and rivaling the status of contemporaries such as Charlie Chaplin and Van Punk.

 

Yukisu Hayakawa was also the first Japanese and East Asian to reach the pinnacle of success in Western cinema.

 

In his later years, he performed in Bridge on the River Kwai and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1957.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-UDFUpm8as

 

 

 

 

 

National Tragedies in the 1960s

   

 

 

 

 

 

The Space Program

 

 How did the United States respond to the Soviet Union's early lead in the space race and eventually surpass them in space exploration, and what were the key factors that contributed to this turnaround?

 

1. Increased Investment and Focus on Space Exploration:

In response to the Soviet Union's successful launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, the United States recognized the need to prioritize space exploration. The U.S. government significantly increased funding for space programs, notably through the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. This increased investment allowed for accelerated research and development in space technology.

 

2. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Programs:

The United States launched a series of manned space missions as part of its efforts to catch up with and surpass the Soviet Union. The Mercury program (1958-1963) aimed to put the first American astronauts into space, while the Gemini program (1961-1966) focused on honing orbital maneuvers and spacewalks. These programs provided crucial learning experiences and paved the way for the ambitious Apollo program (1961-1972), which successfully achieved the goal of landing astronauts on the moon in 1969.

 

3. Technological Advancements:

The United States made significant technological advancements to support its space exploration efforts. The development of powerful rocket engines, such as the Saturn V, enabled the U.S. to launch manned missions into space and propel the Apollo spacecraft towards the moon. Additionally, advancements in computer systems, navigation technologies, and materials science played pivotal roles in improving mission success and ensuring the safety of astronauts.

 

4. Educational Reforms and Emphasis on Science:

The Soviet Union's early achievements in the space race highlighted the importance of science and engineering education in the United States. As a response, the U.S. government placed greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, resulting in educational reforms and increased funding for research and development. This focus on scientific education and innovation cultivated a skilled workforce that contributed to the advancements in space technology.

 

5. International Cooperation and Space Diplomacy:

While the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a Cold War rivalry, they also found opportunities for cooperation in space exploration. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 marked the first joint U.S.-Soviet space mission, with American and Soviet spacecraft docking in space. This collaborative effort served as a symbol of détente and cooperation during a tense period and paved the way for future international partnerships in space exploration.

Information submited by Yu Ye, May 2023

 

 

 

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