USA 1953-73

US CONSTITUTION

Short Overview

• Eisenhower (Republican) 1952-60

• Kennedy (Democrat) 1960-63

• Lyndon B. Johnson (Dixiecrat) 1963-69

• Dick Nixon (Republican) 1969-74

ROLES OF POLITICAL PARTIES 50's

• Democrats and Republicans had gained their contemporary bases

• Republicans accused Dems of being soft on Communism.

• Dixicrats changing sides due to the civil rights

ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES 60's

• Democratic party deeply divided due to the Vietnam war and Civil Rights

• After the great Society Nixon Campaigns on Small Government, less Taxes

Pressure Groups

• Modern day Lobby Groups

• Ike coined the phrase "military industrial complex"

• http://youtu.be/LwfI93JFyUY

Gender Issues 50's

• Problems in America such as alcoholism, teenage hooliganism and pregnancy outside marriage blamed on independent women, who sought carriers

• 35% of all women were working in 1956 but only earned 60 cents on each dollar a man earned

• Black women only earned 42 cents on the Dollar

Health and Education

• Eisenhower expanded Education to rival Russia and eradicated Polio through vaccination

• Johnson changed the face of American Health and Education with his Great Society (Care Programs)

• Due to Economic Recession many now saw the Great Society as misguided, Nixon therefore did not extend any programs.

Social Welfare

• (Ike) Launched Inter-State Highway System

• Johnson and Kennedy sharply fought against poverty (especially in Cities)

• ironically expanded spending, set up the FAP until 1972

Civil Rights 50's

• Millions of african Americans were discriminated in housing, the job market and education.

• In the 50's 1.2 million black workers moved from the rural and southern areas to the urban North areas, but they only got bad payed and unskilled jobs.

• 1954 segregation was banned in schools

• 1955 the Montgomery Improvement Association, an African American organization, was created. With it Dr Martin Luther King came to prominence.

• 1961 towns had desegregated all their public areas.

• JFK & LBJ had sympathy forMartin Luther King

• Segregation still in southern states

• -> Freedom rides

• http://youtu.be/x6t7vVTxaic

• 1963 Kings "I have a dream" speech, which led 250000 people to demonstrate.

• 1963 police arrested Martin Luther King

• In the end civil rights were given to the black people by LBJ

• Nixon destroyed the black panthers

• Nixon ended the segregation in the US finally

Civil Rights 60's

Ethnicity, Religion and Gender

• During the 50's advertising was focused on the white mainstream culture

• Kennedy made a famous speech in which he said, that ethnicity and religion should distinguished between politics, economy and work.

• Kennedy also removed immigrant selection.

• After 1968 Nixon backlashed the process of woman emancipation, the ethnicity and religions independence. This resulted in radicalization of ethnic groups and of feminists. Nixon used the CIA and the FBI to infiltrate and destroy these groups.

• In 1970 there were more than 500 women liberation groups shortly after that a huge demonstration (50000) in NY consisting only of women occurred.

• 1974, Nixon then appointed more woman into power positions.

Political Extremism

• This time is known as the "Hotbed of Extremism"

• Both Right and Leftist, as well as African American (Black Power)

• Establishment of groups like the John Birch Society

The Red Scare

• Extreme Fear of Communism

• Went so far that McCarthy went around acting like Robespierre

• In other words a Witch hunt was under way in the US

Political Extremism 60's I

• Civil Rights Movement by Martin Luther King

• Outrage over Killings of Dr. King, JFK and Robert Kennedy by right wing extremists

• Large Established Black Power movement under the leadership of Malcolm X, (Black Panthers)

Political Extremism II

• The New Left and Counterculture Establish themselves, following the maturity of the Baby Boomer Generation (Hippies)

• Radically against the Vietnam War and the Draft System

• They however did not have the effect of a more left leaning population but instead brought on a reaction by the right and the election of Nixon

Political Extremism III

• During the Nixon Administration The First Woodstock Festival was held

• 4 Students killed at Ohio Kent University, Nixon later referred to the dead as bums

• The New Left broke apart, some even going after a ideal of Anarchy with violence, leading to confrontation with the CIA and FBI

Summary of Economic Trends

• Boom of the fifties hitting heights not seen since the 20's extremely unevenly spread

• White families=4392$, Non white families=2461$

• To battle this both Johnson and JFK extended social programs and raised the Minimum Wage

END THANK YOU FOR YOU

ATTENTION