Conformity In The 1950s

In her essay, “What We Really Miss About the 1950s”, Stephany Coontz talks about the myth of the 1950s. She begins her argument by stating some reasons why the nostalgia for the 1950s exists. The main thing Americans miss about the those days is the stability. She acknowledges that this fallacy is not insane. She bases her information on facts and historical evidence. Coontz discusses that jobs, marriage, birthrate and education were at very high points in the 1950s. Jobs were secure and came with great benefits. Coontz describes that when one takes a closer look at the 1950s they will realize that comparing it to the 1990s or the 21st century is absurd. Coontz also explains that the social society during the 1950s was different than the social society we have today. Racism was also a huge factor that seems to be hid by the appearance of the 1950s. African American and Latino families received no support from the government. Discrimination was widespread. Coontz explains that the sexism

Students of history have a tendency to depict the 1950s as 10 years of success, similarity, and accord, and the 1960s as 10 years of turbulence, dissent, and dissatisfaction. These generalizations are to a great extent genuine, however, as with everything in life, there are special cases to this point of view. Consequently, the antiquarians ' depiction of the 1950s and 1960s is exact for the lion 's share of Americans; however a few gatherings were obviously special cases.

As World War II came to an end, the United States entered the 50s. This decade became a major influential time that brought many cultural and societal changes. Categories such as the economy, where a boom in new products increased, the technology world which incorporated new medicines and computers, entertainment when the television became popular and the overall lifestyles that Americans adapted to. All of these topics reshaped and created several advancements throughout society during the 1950s.

The years of the 1950s and 60s was a time where many hardships occurred as global tension was high and as a result many wars occurred as well as movements. The historical issues and events of the fifties and sixties was often propelled by popular culture through art and media such as television, paintings and music. The civil rights movement succeeded in bringing equal rights to the African American population within the United States in a peaceful manner thanks to meaningful art forms. The Vietnam War was widely seen as a controversial conflict and opened insight to Australians as to what was actually happening through music and television which in turn swayed the public opinion of Australia’s involvement with the war.

Many historians view the 1950s as an era of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and view the 1960s as turbulences, protest, and disillusionment. I agree with many historians and their point of view to this era. Socially speaking, although the Civil Rights movement had started roughly around 1954, the 1960s was the period where the Civil Rights movement skyrocket.

The 1950’s was characterized as a prosperous and conformity for various reasons. One of the main reasons was the development of the suburbs. Since a lot of the black people migrated to the big cities there was rich and middle class families left to live in the suburbs areas to escape the crime of the cities. This mass migration later became known as the “white flight” (Document A). The 1950’s was the times when the American soldiers were coming back home from WWII and many new babies were born. This new families would moved to the suburbs and they were the perfect example of conformity, also known as “The American Dream”, married couples would have one or two children, often a pet, a nice house, and one or two cars. “This middle class families were earning between $3,000 and 10,000 a year. The population during this time was about 151,684,000 with an unemployment figure around 3,288,000” (Bradley). Industries began to expand in order to meet the needs for all the new people looking for work and thirty percent of the work force was in industry and commerce. The economy was booming steady.

“J.F.K., Civil Rights, and the Cold War.” This was how one of my friends responded when I asked her what she thought of when I said, ‘the 1960s’. Indeed, all of these coincided in a time of great social and political turmoil in the United States, and also around the world. Although each is significant, the civil rights movement spearheaded much of the change during this decade and during those to come. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. serves as one of the hallmarks of the civil rights movement that followed the corruption and segregation that was still commonplace in white, Southern Baptist America. His Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963) is eager to discuss many of these issues that others would not pay mind to when it was (sparingly) brought up in discussion. This text helps bring its readers into King’s thought

The 1960’s was an era of time that can be defined by change and milestones. From the Civil Rights protests to the assassination of a beloved leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, many lives were greatly affected. In America, the 1960’s ended on a good note when the United States won the Space Race. However, in the beginning of the 1960’s, people were being stoned for trying to fight for their basic rights. The Deep South, Alabama particularly, was defined by segregation and Jim Crow. In fact, the sociopolitical infrastructure of Alabama in the 1960’s was molded around Jim Crow laws despite the current desegregation laws. This is highlighted in Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and the situation in which he wrote

The 1960s were a time of revolution and a time of civil rights, movements were being held left to right by very influential political and union leaders. During the 60s there was spectacular change but not all was good. It also kept the nation from turning on each other. Rebellions, wars and threats of nuclear warfare were in the voices of everyone. This was a time of racial and sexual identity. It is sometimes called the period of civil rights, for the blacks, women and the labor workers. More importantly it was a time when people followed their beliefs and entrusted these beliefs in political leaders. Some of these leaders included John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King who fought for equality and the rights of African Americans. As well as

It was not so long ago that this was the reality for women. If you 're 45 or older, you were born into this world.

The 1960’s was a unique decade that made history. It was a time of change, with positive and negative events. The decade witnessed remarkable events such as the moon landing and the civil rights movement as well as some hardships as well. American astronaut and NASA pilot Neil Armstrong was a very significant figure during those events. The moon landing in 1969 not only summed up the 1960’s, but also gave the American people a glimmer of optimism. Neil Armstrong taking those first steps on the moon greatly affected the 1960’s in a positive way that affected the world today.

The sixties was a decade unlike any other. Baby boomers came of age and entered colleges in huge numbers. The Civil Rights movement was gaining speed and many became involved in political activism. By the mid 1960s, some of American youth took a turn in a “far out” direction. It would be the most influential youth movement of any decade - a decade striking a dramatic gap between the youth and the generation before them. The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage, written by Todd Gitlin, explains the rebellious youth movement, highlighting activist group, “Students for a Democratic Society,” the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. While some of the youth became politically active, others escaped into the counterculture – disbanding their faith in government and the ideals

Modernism and popular styles became indistinct from each other in the 1950s. Art was never the same after the Holocaust and atom bombs. Plurality of visual forms existed in 1950s. If we take 1950s painting as an offshoot of New York school of abstract art, then photography in the 1950s is a more eclectic phenomenon, harder to classify. This can be attributed to the commercialisation of photography by the mid-century due to the rise of print media during the 1940s. There was an upsurge in newspaper photography. Newspapers like the Rocky Mountain News in Denver specialised in hardball journalism, featured regular photographer Morey Engle with sensational pictures. The emergence of new magazine like Ebony in 1945 provided work for African American

Following the event of World War Two, America during the 1950s was an era of economic prosperity. Male soldiers had just returned home from war to see America “at the summit of the world”(Churchill). Many Americans were confident that the future held nothing other than peace and prosperity, so they decided to start families. However, the 1950s was also a time of radical changes. Because most of the men in the family had departed to fight in the war, women were left at home to do the housework. Even after the war, women were urged to stay at home to take care of the children. On the other hand, males would deal with financial businesses to keep their family out of poverty. These gender roles were embedded

Fashion in the 1960s became an extreme style of attitude from the beginning of the decade to the very end. During this time, fashion turned from boring couture into cheap and flamboyant street wear. Different types of fabrics started to make its way into the wardrobes of many. The youth culture of the 60s had an immense influence in the fashion world and they did not stop once they were on top. The Vietnam War also lead to the so called 'Hippie ' style of the decade. Along with the help of famous fashion designers and icons, the fashion world changed tremendously.