En este libro se discute el aspecto político, diversidad, vida cotidiana, rol de la mujer, entretenimiento

y el ser americano en la década de los 50.

The United States from 1950 to the Present: An Overview XXXX

The United States entered the greatest period of economic growth it ever experienced after World War
II (WWII). The population of the United States grew by 28 million between 1950 and 1960, representing
the second-highest decade of population increase during the century. With a U.S. population of about
150 million in 1950, the postwar housing shortage for returning G.I.s (for “government issue”) and their
new families gave way to a new style of living, the suburbs. The suburbs offered newer housing, more
open space, and usually better schools. However, prosperity did not reach all population groups. Many
Americans, including a high percentage of African Americans, continued to live in poverty.

POLITICS IN AMERICA

To many, the 1950s conjure an image of an idyllic and peaceful America; however, the reality was quite
different from the image. The utopia everyone believed in was supported by the election of the “perfect
president,” Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1952. Eisenhower was a war hero and supported the building of
federal highways and the St. Lawrence Seaway for commerce. However, behind the “perfect” facade
was a president planning not for a utopia but for nuclear war against the escalating communist threat;
his support for federal highways was actually a plan to provide a network of emergency runways in case
of Soviet attack. The eight years of the Eisenhower administration were marked by economic growth
and innovation as well as the escalation of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war that left
Americans uneasy about the future.

ETHNICITY IN AMERICA XXX

A redistribution of the population began in the 1950s. African Americans migrated to the north as
postwar industry expansions created new jobs. As economical housing sprang up to meet the needs of
young families after the war, the “white flight” to the suburbs began. Housing discrimination was
prevalent, keeping African Americans and Puerto Ricans out of many growing neighborhoods.

Although a weak Civil Rights Act had been passed by Congress in 1957, blacks were no longer content to
wait for the federal government to address the injustices they faced on a daily basis and began staging
sit-ins to protest segregation

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Perhaps the most far-reaching change in the last half of the twentieth century was the advancement in
television broadcasting. Television played a crucial role in magnifying, publicizing, and personalizing the
day's events. During the 1950s, television became the dominant mass media as people brought
television into their homes in greater numbers and hours than ever before. By the mid-1960s, the
number of households with television sets had risen to more than 50 million, from 4 million
in 1950 (Rielly 2003 , 40).

DAILY LIFE
Daily life in the 1950s made every attempt to mimic what was seen on television. The typical middle-to
upper-class suburban housewife of the 1950s’ weekly routine included playing bridge, a rotating coffee
klatch, an appointment at the beauty parlor, attending teas and luncheons, andPage  10    |   Top of
Article

volunteering at church. The sprouting of suburbia meant that moms were driving kids to activities as
well as to the shopping center, dry cleaner's, and grocery store.

Weekends were for neighborhood activities and corporate parties. Mom would watch the kids by the
country club pool while Dad took care of his corporate obligations on the golf course. Attending cocktail
parties and formal receptions were a must to climb the corporate ladder, and the “perfect wife” had to
also be the quintessential hostess.

With greater disposable income, people spent more money on leisure activities. With more cars on the
road and more people driving greater distances, interstate road systems sprang up all over the country.
The family was now the center of focus for daily life and recreation. Family-themed entertainment
became commercialized, with Disneyland opening in 1955 and national parks becoming family friendly.

THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN XXXX

The generation of women in the fifties, whose purpose seemed solely to give birth, created the aptly
named “baby boom” when 3,845,000 babies were born in 1951 alone. Women were seen only in terms
of their sex, and social barriers to participation in the workplace and government were erected.
Women's magazines did little to promote alternatives; instead, they offered tips such as having another
baby or dyeing hair blond to get over the feeling of depression and housewife blues.

The image of the ideal housewife kept many women at home and out of the workforce. Betty
Freidan's The Feminine Mystique articulated the need of women to be defined by something more than
being a dutiful wife or mother. Women reading this book realized they were not alone in feeling there
had to be more to life than the role to which they had succumbed.

SEXUALITY AND MORALITY

The conservatism of the 1950s meant subscribing to the rules of Dr. Spock, Billy Graham, and Norman
Vincent Peale. Sexuality was kept private, not discussed in public or insinuated through advertising or
programming. Married TV couples always had twin beds, and unmarried couples shared no more than
an arm around a shoulder.

GROWING UP IN AMERICA XXX

In the 1950s, citizens were proud to be American. Conservatism and anti-communist feelings helped to
define the 1950s. The phrase “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Fathers were the
unquestioned authority on everything surrounding the family. Children were to stay out of trouble and
do well in school. Middle-and upper-class families supported children in their scholastic efforts and
counted on them to go to college. Gender roles were strongly upheld: girls played with Barbie dolls and
tea sets, and boys played sheriff and army.

Until 1950, the term “teenager” had never been heard. Teenagers were now defined as a separate
generation and were represented by Elvis Presley and James Dean. This new marketing group was
influenced by movies, TV, magazines, and rock ‘n’ roll. Food service and retail stores soon began to cater
to this new source of revenue. This phenomenon ushered the beginning of the generation gap between
parents and their children.