Cold War America and the Civil Rights Movement
Published on Nov 19, 2019
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Cold War America and the Civil Rights Movement
- Postwar Prosperity shaped 1950s America, as a consumer oriented economy and the growth of American suburbs shaped post-war American society
- During the 1950s, social and political critics criticized the "conformist" manner in which American culture, society and politics functioned
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Cold War Conformity
- McCarthyism - Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, argued that Communist spies had infiltrated the United States Government in the 1950s, leading to Congressional hearings
- McCarthy was discredited for accusing United States army officials of being Communists, leading to his political demise
Photo by History In An Hour
Suburban Growth and American Popular Culture
- The American Dream entailed living in an egalitarian society, with an emphasis on material affluence
- The growth of American families following World War led to a housing expansion that was facilitated through a combination of federal assistance and private home development, the most notable example being William Levitt's Levittown communities.
Photo by jdnx
Popular Culture and Cultural Conformity
- The emergence of Television during the 1950s reshaped American culture, society and politics, with the introduction of sitcoms, variety shows, news programming and the utilization of commercial advertising
- Rock and Roll Music, which had its roots in African American Blues and Gospel music, challenged the cultural conformity of the 1950s, especially Elvis Presley
Photo by Brett Jordan
Voices Against Conformity
- Critics of American Postwar conformity emerged from the African American and other ethnic minority communities, criticizing segregation and poverty in their communities
- The "Beat Generation," which included Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg, criticized materialism and conformit
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The Civil Rights Movement
- The Modern Civil Rights Movement sought to end Jim Crow segregation in the American South during the mid-20th century.
- The Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 called for the integration of public schools, upholding the 14th Amendment of "equal protection under the law"
Photo by Woubishet Z. Taffese
The Impact of Rosa Parks on the Civil Rights Movement
- Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery Public Bus on Dec. 1, 1955, which resulted in her arres
- Inspired by her actions, Martin Luther King, Jr. organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott to protest segregation on the city's public buses, which resulted in a Supreme Court victory in November 1956
Photo by kriddick1908
The Civil Rights Movement
- Following the Bus Boycott, King and other ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which employed non-violence to protest segregation (1957)
- Civil Rights activists utilized non-violence to integrate public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas (1957) and conducted Sit-Ins to integrate lunch counters and department stores in the early 1960s
Martin Luther King
- In 1963, Dr. King delivered his "I Have A Dream Speech," that would lead to transformative Civil Rights egislation
- In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed banning segregation in public facilities and employment discrimination; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended literacy tests and poll taxes to promote African American voting rights
Photo by afagen
