Bombs, Beats, and Bus Boycotts: The Turbulence of the 1950's
Bombs, Beats, and Bus Boycotts: The Turbulence of the 1950sAt the end of World War II , Americans saw prosperity that they had never seen before. The standard of living had risen, and America was racing for world dominance. Moreover , the events that took place during this decade would change the way we look at this era forever. This decade was an era of turbulence, rather than an era of idealism, due to great fear during the Cold War, the rise of rebellious beats, and the Civil Rights Movements taking place in the segregated south. First and foremost, the Cold War that began in the 50s created fear about rise of the Communist threat and nuclear power, a fear that dominates the anxieties of fighting a major war today. A very influent man named Joseph McCarthy led the communist threat. McCarthy brought a new word into America's vocabulary, McCarthyism. The legacy he left can be defined as a time in America's history when the government questioned people about their personal ideologies and brought negative exposure to thousands of people's lives. Communism in America during the 1950's was more like a rumor than a real event. McCarthyism left scars on many people's lives by his slander and should be viewed as a lesson of what
The beats drank heavily, smoked dope, traveled on the road, listened to crazy jazz music, and did not hold steady jobs, which was all very uncommon during the 1950s. The beats were also considered Communist. After what the atomic bomb had done to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the idea of creating a bomb much more powerful raised many eyebrows. All the events that took place in the 1950s led the way into the 1960s. Communism was still heard about during Vietnam War, the beats ideas were carried on by hippies, and the Civil Rights Movement was carried on far into the 60s and beyond. Poets such as Jack Keroauc and Alan Ginsberg wrote about their discontent with American society and what it has turned out to be: materialistic and selfish. " This video also demonstrated how "credit cards made spending a lot easier. Halberstam stated in the " Rage Within" video that, " the blacks of the 1950s were the backbone of the busing system in the south. The death of Emmit Till showed all of America how racist southern Americans were. " On another level, the beat generation took the 1950s by storm. When Rosa Parks got arrested for sitting in the front section of a bus, blacks in Montgomery, Alabama, took control of the matter by refusing to ride buses. simple accusations can do to one's life. His mother showed her son's mutilated bodies on television to get her point across to the people in the north who did not truly understand what was going on in parts of the country. All these events combined into what is today called the Civil Rights Movement.
Common topics in this essay:
Cold War,
Rights Movement,
JR Oppenheimer,
Selling American,
Joseph McCarthy,
Communism America,
II Americans,
Montgomery Alabama,
Alan Ginsberg,
Till America,
civil rights,
civil rights movement,
rights movement,
cold war,
fear dream,
people's lives,
war beats,
nuclear power,
segregated south,
video fear,
communist threat,
video fear dream,
|
Acceptance Essays
