Socially, economically and, politically, the 1950’s were the “happy days.” The 1950’s were marked with many historical events, positive and negative. The decade had its downfalls, but they were nothing compared to the improvement of life in all aspects. The economy was booming, making families feel more financially stable than they had in years. There was an “explosion of science and technology”(Brinkley 803). Medical advances, at this time, included the polio vaccination. Unemployment was down, the economy was up, and family life showed the morale of the American people was much higher than it had been in many years.
In the first few years of the fifties while Harry Truman was still President, the United States and the U.S.S.R. were rivals. The American people and the government feared communism; espionage was a high priority to the government. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin made a claim during a 1950 speech that led to congressional investigations into the accused communists. McCarthy claimed to "hold in [his] hand a list of 205 known communists currently working in the American State Department" (Brinkley 794). These claims were taken seriously by Congress because that same year, the McCarran Internal Security Ac
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Families went to church together, went on vacations, watched television, and attended baseball games- as a family. ” This was also the time when rock ‘n’ roll began. after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus, occurred in 1955. In 1953, Jonas Salk discovered the vaccine for polio, a disease which affected people and left them crippled all their lives before killing them. Marriage, children and family life were emphasized; divorce was socially unacceptable at his time. The city bus strike led by Martin Luther King Jr. “The show helped spread the popularity of rock” (Brinkley 818). There were also many developments for antibacterial drugs. “It was provided free to the public by the Federal government beginning in 1955” (Brinkley 804). It wasn’t until 1957, however, that black students were able to attend all-white schools. In 1958, Eisenhower signed a bill creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, as we know it. His first development was in Long Island, New York and then in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Fifties was an important time in history.
Wright, David and Elly Petra Press.
Approximate Word count =
1235
Approximate Pages =
5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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