Why The 1950's Was A Time Of Peace, Progress, And Prosperity

In a time of economic prosperity, a rise in the standard of living and rock and roll, also known as the “happy days”, the 1950s were a time looked back on with nostalgia. On the other hand, the 1950s were also met with many problems involving civil rights, the Cold War and McCarthyism. After the end of World War II, Americans came home to jobs available and a period of consensus. Consensus meaning there wasn’t much debate in politics. However tensions quickly rose throughout the nation when Joseph McCarthy made serious accusations about the State Department. He said that at least 205 members of the State Department were members of the communist party. This was after it was released to the public that a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were secretly communist spies who were staying in the U.S., stealing nuclear weapon secrets. With McCarthy’s remarks such as “They [a communist spy] could even be your neighbor!’ scarring the American public’s mind, many were on edge.

In the 1950’s, America was just starting to develop a common culture. Platforms like The Ed Sullivan Show, were uniting Americans while maintaining the conservative values of the time. Many Americans tried to hold onto the lifestyle and values they were so used to, but the times were changing. The number of women in the workforce doubled, African Americans were fighting segregation, and a new teenage culture was developing. Music, rock n’ roll at that time, became a way to make up the differences between Americans.

During the 1950’s, Presley had a big influence on teenagers and their culture. They began to think of themselves different from their parents generation and teens became more independent (“Dummies.com”). Teens changed everything about themselves to be like Elvis. Their hair, clothes, attitude, and overall appearance(“Dummies.com”).

With Woodstock spawning what people call the Woodstock effect it made artists, and their employers prosperous almost immediately. Scandals also helped the music career with the Watergate scandal creating songs full of abhor and lament towards Nixon. Movies featuring contemporary and beautiful music were playing in theaters, stimulating sales of albums. The music from the 1970’s was effected by everything, and it wasn’t always for the best.

Rock and Roll brought both races together with one common interest and that was to enjoy the lively music. These teenager would go to concerts together and slowly start to get comparable with each others presence. Also with black musician being so popular, many people were forced to work with them to stay in business. Those are the ways rock and roll had affected

“Music has always been both a barometer measuring and responding to society's problems and possibilities, and the twentieth century was a period that witnessed the emergence of a diverse range of musical styles and genres, each seemingly in reaction to the dominant sociopolitical concerns of the day” (Morgan). Presley, Dylan, and Joplin had the greatest influence on American culture in the 1960’s. Elvis had a great influence on American culture through his influence on music, affect on American culture, and his legacy. Elvis also known as “the King” or “the King of Rock and Roll”was very popular in the 1960’s. Presley created new styles by gyrating his hips and dressing differently.

"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?" Many Americans had to answer this question to government officials during the 1950s. A widespread paranoia of communist spies in the United States led to this panic in the 1950s. McCarthyism refers to a wrong accusation based on a belief that is easy to follow during the time.

Rock music in the 1960s was egalitarian, eclectic, and real based on a number of reasons. To explain the 'real' piece of rock music in the 1960s, one would have to know that there was war going on overseas that didn't make sense to Americans as to why it was going on (the Vietnam war). There was also still severe inequality between blacks and whites causing protests to occur via the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was inequality between women and mens rights. These issues caused dissatisfaction to occur in the American people.

In addition, there was the introduction of rock concerts in the 50s. Rock n roll was full of energy which reflected on how active and energetic the generation was. The Baby Boomers constantly crowded around concerts filled with fans. The Boomers were pioneers of the well-known pop culture. This is evident when West, 52 says “They basically created what today is pop culture.

The Beatles influenced everyday life as well as music, allowing them to be one of the most influential music groups on record. Through music the Fab Four were political activists who lead young people to be involved, became the faces of what fashion was supposed to be, and inspired musicians worldwide. The night The Beatles stepped onto “The Ed Sullivan Show” is the night music changed

Society was not prepared for the steamy storm that would be Elvis Presley, yet when it hit, they loved it. One of the most fascinating things Elvis has done is change society from prim to promiscuous. “In the 1950s , things were on the safe side. No one was provocative , especially celebrities -ranging from dancers to movie stars.

What We Really Miss About 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.

The British Invasion in American music would not have been as prominent without The Beatles, who paved the way for other British groups to come to America and be successful. The 1950’s rock and roll artist like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and others, influenced many British groups during the early 1960’s, but in America in the early 1960’s folk music was the popular choice of music. The popularity of folk music was due in large part to what was going on in American society with the civil rights movement, JFK assassination and the Vietnam War and folk music spoke to what was going on in America. The British Invasion ended the popularity of folk music in 1964 with The Beatles and other British groups.

Elvis Presley has had more impact on American society and culture than any other person in history for the three following reasons; his large contribution to the start of the generation gap in the 1950’s, his huge impact on rock ‘n’ roll music, and finally, his music opened a door for some integration between races. First of all, in the 1950’s Elvis Presley and his music started the era of the generation gap between teenagers and their parents, an era which is still going on today. With Elvis being very young, attractive and his new type of music and dancing, teenage girls fell head over heels for the young star. Most parents though, did not feel the same way about Presley. He was often described a vulgar and many accused him of corrupting the youth.

The 1950’s was the decade of change. Key events across the decade and the world include the beginning of the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the first ever Organ Transplant and the introduction of Coloured TV. Also Political battles centred around communism and capitalism dominated the decade.