The 1950’s are said to be a time of peace, prosperity, and progress. This era was one of the best and worst times in United States history. The 1950’s were a decade that saw the birth of a lot of things including the ‘suburban dream’. It was an era dominated by family values, employment, and a good way of living. Conformity was at an all time high and was a major part of the era. The American people weren’t able to be themselves because they were always trying to be better, and trying to do better. People of this era were always similar in a sense. War and fighting were kept a secret from Americans and they felt they were at peace for once. Secrets were a huge part of this era making it seem more like a time of peace when really peace wasn’t the correct word for it. The technology was expanding, and the economy was booming rapidly throughout the whole era, America was doing well during this decade. The 1950’s had many expanses regarding technology and the economic statuses. This era was a start to the way we live now because of the all the advances it endured. The decade left America feeling relieved, it made America feel like America. The expanses, way of living, and the economy were what every American could have dreamed of at the time. For the first time in a long time, America had a sense of happiness, full power, and domination. But, America was living in secrets, and the American people were being lied to and this would lead to further problems in other decades. “American people liked the idea of all three and in 1952 they showed it.”(Peace, Prosperity, and Progress) The 1950’s were known as a time of peace, prosperity, and progress because of conformity of social norms, advancements in technology and the booming economy. (1950’s | My Place For Teachers)
The United States throughout the period of the 1950’s was in a state of “peace” … Well, so the citizens of America thought. The Americans were able to see peace in a way they never had before and this created a sense of happiness. Eisenhower was the United States president during the majority of the 1950’s, he served as president from 1953 to 1961. Throughout this period of time the United States was engaged in war with the Soviet Union, however, Eisenhower gave the Americans what they had hoped for throughout World War II and embodied a feeling of stability and peace. “After the devastation of the Great Depression and World War II Americans sought to build a peaceful and prosperous society”. (Conformity in the 1950s) In the 1950s cultural and political interactions were characterized by conformity and the rejection of being different. Most Americans sought a sense of “safety” which then created a feeling of peace because of the social norms the era experienced. (1. Cold War Peace) The Peace Movement of the post-World War II period was one of the first peace movements in Americas time along with Europe. The impact this movement had greatly affected the United States, anything but patriotism during a war would get you imprisoned, exiled or even murdered. However, this changed and today a peace movement is expected to come up with the onset of any battleground. “Peaceful Coexistence was the foreign policy of the Soviet Union started after WWII towards Imperialism, which wanted peace with the capitalists by abandoning the work of leading revolutions in the imperialist countries.” (Peaceful Coexistence) African Americans have always wanted to coexist peacefully with the whites. The 1950s was the time that they were able to fight for their rights, this began with the civil rights movement. Leader Martin Luther King started peaceful rallies and peaceful protest and allowed the Americans to see that peace is what we were coming to. The Civil Rights Movement was finally the end to slavery. This created, even more, peace for the American people. (The Civil Rights Movement) The end of slavery brought happiness to most Americans. Although the 1950s was considered a time of peace, it also later caused Americans to not trust the government because all the lies Eisenhower told them to give them the idea we were at peace. This distrust was caused by the pentagon papers that were released in 1971. The trust of the government has not been regained throughout the years.
The 1950’s were the decade of prosperity. The baby boom was the beginning of the prosperous 1950s. “The baby boom began in 1946 when 3.4 babies were born.” (The 1950s) The economy grew and experienced inflation. During the 1950’s era, the economy reached a peak and was booming. Historians portray the decade as an era of prosperity. The 1950’s were more portrayed to be prosperous and conformist as we talked about. The main reason for this was the spread of suburbs and Levittown. Levittown is large developments of suburbs in the United States. This also ties in with conformity, because the majority of these houses were identical and looked rather similar. The towns and suburban developments were created by William Levitt and his company. These suburbs were built for war veterans and their families when they returned from World War II. This legacy has become a legend because it was a huge part of the 1950’s and made a large impact on the suburban dream. This period in time had more ‘nuclear families’ which was a family with both mother and father, their children and typically a family pet. You can compare that to now where most families experience a split lifestyle. The 1950’s was considered a mass market, and this was because of two different reasons. A popular culture was created by the television, by the end of the decade ninety percent of Americans owned a television, and almost all Americans had owned a radio. These products were used mainly for an advertisement for companies so they could sell their products. Television also created an image of the “ideal” Americans. The second reason for the mass market in the 1950s was the cold war escalation. A political which-hunt took place in the 1950s under the lead of Senator McCarthy which jailed hundreds of Communist enemies for using their first amendment right to use their freedom of speech. Americans then became afraid of doing anything wrong that would potentially make them the targets of the search. Although the 1950s was prosperous in many ways socially and economically, not everyone enjoyed the prosper. The majority of blacks did not enjoy it because they still lived in the south and were segregated, but this would soon change. In 1954 segregation of schools would come to an end and blacks could attend schools with whites based on the decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas made. This ruled out segregation in schools and claimed it to be unequal and unconstitutional. This was the start to blacks being just as equal as whites. It is noticeably clear that the social and political conditions were ideal and prosperous. The 1950s were believably a time of prospering. (The ’50s and ‘60s: Decades of Prosperity and Protests)