The+Catcher+in+the+Rye+1950's

Education Mental Hygiene: The Dos and Don'ts of the Doo-Wop Age www.writing.upenn.edu Mental hygiene films of the 1950s indoctrinated American schoolchildren in desired behaviors through social coercion. If life had really been as idyllic as pictured in these films, there would have been no need for them. These films promoted social conformity and the unquestioning adoption of whatever ideals the filmmaker was depicting. Sometimes violent and brutal, they became a dark form of entertainment that played on a student's fears. Although these low-budget films were not generally viewed as art, filmmakers were sometimes able to blend artistic elements in with the social message.

Civil Rights: Brown vs. Board of Education www.eisenhower.utexas.edu The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People challenged the "separate but equal" approach to public education in Topeka, Kansas, in 1950. Denied the right to send their children to "white-only" schools, they filed a class action lawsuit. Similar NAACP cases from three other states and Washington, D.C. had joined the case by the time it reached the Supreme Court. In 1954, the Supreme Court declared "separate but equal" segregation to be unconstitutional according to the 14th amendment.

Brown v. Board of Education
www.law.seattleu.edu To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, an online exhibit was created. Visit that exhibit here to learn the story behind this historic event. As you explore the exhibit you will learn about desegregation of schools in the United States. The exhibit begins with the history before the decision and also gives background facts about segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. Find out about school desegregation during the 1970s and take a look at historic photographs.

The Fifties: From War to Normalcy
www.learner.org The United States emerged from World War II with our cities intact, creating economic prosperity. The GI Bill provided money for education and housing down payments for soldiers who had fought in the war. Immediately following the war, there was a severe housing shortage. Discover how Bill Levitt mass produced inexpensive houses like Henry Ford had mass produced cars, creating an answer for the upwardly mobile GIs and setting the stage for the explosion of suburbia. Investigate Eisenhower's presidency, the federal highway program, the beginning of the Cold War, and the unifying force of capitalism against communism.

1950-1959 World History www.factmonster.com The decade that spanned between 1950 and 1960 was a significant one for not only the history of the United States, but for the entire world as a whole. This site gives a year-by-year overview of the decade known as the fifties. Each section is started with the year, then the significant events are listed, along with the date that they occurred. There are also some pictures that go along with some of the facts.

Jim Crow Laws www.factmonster.com After the Civil War Reconstruction period, Southern states and cities began to make laws to keep black and white people segregated. The Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson was used to support these "Jim Crow" laws. From restaurants to parks, public facilities were segregated and not equal. African-Americans had to go to separate schools, hospitals, and boardinghouses. By the 1950s, Supreme Court cases challenged segregated schools. African-Americans used marches, boycotts, and sit-ins to challenge segregation.

Montgomery Bus Boycott
find.galegroup.com Montgomery was racially segregated in the 1950s. Even after Brown v. Board of Education desegregated schools, that wasn't the end of segregation. About 75% of the people who rode the buses in Montgomery were African-American, but they could be humiliated and told to relinquish their seats. Civil rights activists were already planning the bus boycott before Rosa Parks was arrested. Organizers didn't know if the African-American community would unite, but the boycott was successful even though segregationists threatened and beat protestors. African-Americans walked, rode bikes, and used organized carpools.

Timeline: Civil Rights Era (1954-1971) www.pbs.org The Civil Rights Era is frequently associated with the 1960's but many of the famous events that led to African American rights occurred in the 1950s. This timeline features the famous Brown versus the Board of Education Supreme Court decision as well as Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Read about the Little Rock Nine, a group of high school students that desegregated an Arkansas school, and the African American college students who desegregated a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Entertainment

Cinema History, Chapter 4: The 1950s, Focus on American Films
www.tc.umn.edu A list of major film titles and directors that premiered between the years 1950 and 1959 is featured in this essay on American cinema during the fifties. Author Robert Yahnke discusses two major themes in the films of this era, larger than life dramas about good versus evil, especially Westerns that featured major stars like John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart, and simple but emotional stories about the changes within an individual as in the award-winning films of director Elia Kazan. The influence of the method style of acting popularized in Kazan's films by actor Marlon Brando is also discussed.

Vance Packard: The Status Seekers www.writing.upenn.edu An era of abundance in the 1940s and 1950s began to convince many that a classless society was truly possible. Television, cars, air-conditioning, and clothing were available to most Americans. Many believed the United States was becoming one huge middle class. Appearance and belongings could no longer easily identify social class. Explore the American Dream of prosperity and an open-class system. Analyze attempts to set up classless societies. Investigate changing career trends that have boosted the middle class. Differences still exist in behavior, language, food preferences, pastimes, and entertainment. Find out why social stratification endures.

The Trajectory of Television—Starting with a Big History of the Small Screen arstechnica.com The technology that made television possible started in the 19th century, but television's popularity emerged in the post-war era of the 1950s. The first mass-produced TV was made by RCA in 1948. It weighed 85 pounds, cost $435, and had a ten-inch screen in black and white. Color TV proved to be more difficult due to interference. A variety of analog standards were used in different parts of the world. Television provided a new venue for storytelling and entertainment, a way to escape daily life with comedy or westerns. Find out how early broadcasts were recorded.

Television Commercials (1950s-1960s)
www.archive.org As you watch this video you will find examples of television advertising from the 1950s and 1960s. There are approximately twenty-five minutes of commercials and you can view thumbnail prints from each minute of the video by clicking on the flashing images in the margin of the page. You will view advertisements for brands such as Alka Seltzer, Goodyear, Bactine, and Noxema. You may see some familiar products, familiar names and brands, and even products and names you have never heard of.

Land of Television www.ushistory.org Television transformed American culture in the 1950s. What was once only available to wealthy Americans became commonplace in American households. Regional differences began to fade as television created a national culture. "Sound bites" transformed political campaigns. Sitcoms like "I Love Lucy" entertained audiences, while "Leave It to Beaver" portrayed an idealized version of family life. Westerns featured heroes and bad guys in a genre where the good guys always won. Variety shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show" featured popular and new entertainers for a family audience. Find out how television changed advertising and news.

Disney, Walt
www.museum.tv A visionary in the entertainment world, Walt Disney was a filmmaker who had a bigger picture for family entertainment. He started a television program that helped finance the first Disney theme park, Disneyland. Disney's career started with animated shorts starring Mickey Mouse. He transitioned to full-length animated films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. During World War II, Disney made films for the government. The ABC television network helped fund Disneyland in exchange for a weekly hour of family programming. The Mickey Mouse Club quickly followed the opening of Disneyland. Disney programming moved to NBC in the 1960s.

How McCarthyism Worked history.howstuffworks.com Mass hysteria allowed dictators to murder millions during World War II but mass hysteria did not end with the war. A new target was chosen. Communists were seen as subversives to be feared and attacked. Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the government accused hundreds in the State Department of being communists. Investigate McCarthy's intimidating interview tactics at the Senate Committee and the blacklisting that occurred in the entertainment industry. Learn about McCarthy's downfall and find out what people eventually thought of Senator McCarthy.

John Lennon
entertainment.howstuffworks.com This extensive article is one of the most comprehensive sources of information on John Lennon that is available online. Not only will you learn about John Lennon during his years as a Beatle and a solo artist, but you will also learn about his family, early life in Liverpool, family life, and inspirations. Lennon's road to fame is examined along with the evolution of his music career. The downside of Lennon's fame is also discussed and so is his personal life and his encounter with Mark David Chapman.

Fashion Gilbert Adrian historywired.si.edu The top costume designer in the early days of Hollywood, Gilbert Adrian had a big impact on fashion in the 1940s. His clothing line wasn't about mass production but about custom-made fashions sold in specialty stores. Adrian worked for MGM studios and designed costumes for Broadway shows. He transformed everyday fabrics into spectacular styles. Americans wanted to wear what the movie stars were wearing, like broad-shouldered coats and puffy-sleeved dresses. Short hair and grey flannel suits were signs of conformity among men in the 1950s. Find out why lipstick was exempted from the list of wartime luxuries.

Index Fifties Web www.fiftiesweb.com If you want to learn anything about the nineteen fifties, this web site is a good place to begin. The site index lists the major categories as music, television, pop history, and Burma-Shave slogans. Topics within music include the years of 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959, as well as the day the music died, Elvis Presley, dancing and teen idols. Television links are to westerns, TV families, private eyes, quiz shows, Mickey Mouse club, and American Bandstand, among others. Pop history is accessible through links to individual years, as are the Burma-Shave slogans. This is a fun site to browse.

www.webwombat.com.au Learn why Coco Chanel is such an icon in the fashion industry and how her influence can still be seen today. On this web site, you will learn about how Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, who was raised in an orphanage, became a famous fashion designer and how her clothing revolutionized styles for women. Find out why her simple designs were so liberating and how she became successful at a time when few women were running their own businesses. Learn why she was shunned for a time, living for fifteen years in Switzerland, and how she made a comeback in the 1950s.
 * Coco Chanel**

The People History www.thepeoplehistory.com Do you know how much the price of gasoline has risen in the past few years? What about the past 80 years? In 1930, gas averaged 10 cents a gallon; in 2012 it averaged $3.80. The average wage back then was $1,970; today it’s over $44,000. This interesting website chronicles historical events and everything about our culture (clothes, prices of things, toys, furniture, sports, appliances, homes, etc.) by day, year, and decades. The ‘Shopping Basket’ shows how our cost of living has increased over the past five years—45%! Search by topic or date, or simply peruse the pages.

Gene Kelly Biography
www.biography.com Born in Pittsburgh, Gene Kelly starred in some of the top musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Raised in a working class family, he took dance lessons instead of playing baseball. He blended classical ballet with an athletic energy. The settings and clothes in which he danced represented the common man. Along with dancing and acting, he became a choreographer and film director. Inspired by kids playing in the rain, he choreographed his most memorable dance scene.

Beat Generation writershistory.com The Beat generation was a literary movement that took place in San Francisco and Greenwich Village in New York City in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In addition to it being a literary movement, it was also a lifestyle and the beginning of change in American society. People who were part of the Beat generation listened to jazz music, read poetry and lived a more free-spirited lifestyle than what was socially acceptable at that time. Click on the links at the bottom of this page for more information on the writers who were a part of the Beat generation.

Levi Strauss & Co.
www.library.hbs.edu A clothing company that began during the 1800s is still one of the leading clothing companies today. Follow the history of Levi Strauss and Company from the time Strauss began selling sturdy pants for miners in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Learn where the name "denim" may have originated and find out about Jacob Davis and his business partnership with Strauss. Read about the company's financial ups and downs and transitions through the years.

History of the Handbag www.ukhandbags.com The handbag can be broken down into several different categories. Handbags can be for evening, practicality, or just for show. Read about the different kinds of handbags and what each of them means on this website from the United Kingdom. You can learn interesting facts about the history of the handbag. Handbags today are very popular and can also be very expensive. Find out who makes the most expensive bags on this fascinating web page.

Politics

1950s-1970s: Social Reform
www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu Students demanded free speech and the right to have political protests. African-Americans fought for equality and civil rights. Farmworkers demanded better labor conditions. People protested the Vietnam War and the draft. Social and racial injustice led to angry frustration and even violence, like the Watts Riots. The 1960s are known for civil rights and the struggle for social justice, but this period actually extended from the 1950s to the 1970s. Gender roles were questioned, and social protests made the news.

Domestic Affairs millercenter.org Americans in the 1950s no longer had to worry about economic depression or war. The conflicts and issues of the 1960s had not yet arisen. As the economy expanded, incomes rose and suburbs sprang up. In politics, the Cold War and civil rights made the 1950s not so simple. Read about government social programs and the interstate highway project in the Eisenhower years. Investigate the conflict between Eisenhower and Senator McCarthy. Analyze Eisenhower's reluctance to deal with civil rights issues as he took measures to preserve order but did little to advance civil rights and integration.

The 1950s: Happy Days www.ushistory.org America lived in a time of postwar idealism in the 1950s. It was a time of childhood nostalgia with the television conveying the perfect American family. Ike was president, and mostly avoided controversy by finding the middle ground between the political parties. As Europe rebuilt, there was a great global market for American goods. Middle-class American consumers finally had access to refrigerators, televisions, and other conveniences. Homes became more affordable. Rock and roll emerged. Yet, some Americans were dissatisfied with the conformity, segregation, and repression of the 1950s.

The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents www.writing.upenn.edu For a brief time during World War II, communism was tolerated in the United States due to a wartime alliance with the Soviet Union. As the Cold War emerged, American communism was no longer seen as a political opinion but as a threat to national security. By the middle of the 1940s, the Soviets were seen as a hostile world power trying to take over the world. Anyone who belonged to the Communist Party was seen as a spy and assumed to follow the party line without question. An anti-Communist movement known as McCarthyism dominated American politics in the 1950s.

The 50s
www.coldwar.org The nineteen fifties were dominated by the clashes between Communism and Capitalism. This collection of articles from the Cold War Museum's timeline provides you with information on some of the people and events that defined this decade. The opening page is filled with an interactive table of contents that is made up of the article titles. As you browse this list you will find links that lead you to information on famous trials, political figures, conflicts, crises, and America's international relations. Links to additional information are provided as well.

McCarthyism / The Red Scare www.eisenhower.utexas.edu Not too many people knew of Senator Joseph McCarthy before 1950, when he caught the attention of the American public and government by saying he had a list of over 200 Communists working in the Department of State. The Red Scare, or anti-Communist movement, of the 1950s is often known as McCarthyism because of the senator's key role in investigating an alleged communist infiltration of the government and military. McCarthyism has come to be associated with public accusations without evidence as well as the political suppression of opponents. www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu Witness the cultural changes that took place in the African American community between the 1950s and the 1980s. This collection of photographs shows you the daily lives and social interactions that demonstrate change over time. There are pictures of weddings, church activities, parades, demonstrations, and famous African Americans as well. An overview provides you with background information on these changes that took place in history and also some background information on the collection of photographs.

Civil Disobedience
thoreau.eserver.org Which work was read by the Danish resistance in the 1940s, appreciated by those opposed to McCarthyism in the 1950s, influential in the struggle against South African apartheid in the 1960s, and "discovered" by antiwar activists in the 1970s? Inspiring references to Gandhi and Martin Luther King a century after it was penned, Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" enjoys a deep and rich literary history. Originally published as "Resistance to Civil Government," the work is reproduced in its entirety at this site. Visitors will also find two erudite essays commenting Thoreau's political tract.

Case Study: McCarthyism and the Cold War
mccarthy.thinkport.org A slideshow will walk you through the Cold War at this web site. Introduce yourself to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and learn about his social and political influence in the 1950s. As you learn about McCarthy and the Cold War Era, this web site will guide you and teach you some important research skills. Learn how to explore primary and secondary source documents about McCarthyism and the Cold War. Once the research stage is complete, there are instructions and guidelines on how to write and review your first draft and complete your final draft.

McCarthy Army Hearings Begin www.history.com Visit this website for an excellent overview of one of the most famous events in 20th century American politics. This article provides background information about Senator McCarthy's rise to notoriety and power as he exploited America's fear of communism during the early 1950's. It then focuses on his critical confrontation with the U.S. Army, and the live television coverage of those hearings that eventually led to McCarthy's demise. The article helps the reader understand the significant role played by television in illuminating McCarthy's manner and tactics. "Have You No Sense of Decency": The Army-McCarthy Hearings historymatters.gmu.edu Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was a powerful figure in American politics in the early 1950s. His search for "traitorous" Communists was unrelenting. His bullying techniques and rhetoric made him a fearful adversary, who could damage careers and lives. Then in 1954, McCarthy challenged the U.S. Army, a move that ultimately caused his decline. The Army-McCarthy hearings were televised and the dramatic encounter between the Army's lawyer and McCarthy revealed the fanaticism of McCarthy's crusade. Read the background of McCarthyism on this site and then you will find an excerpt from the actual hearings.

Senator Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Witch Hunt www.coldwar.org An online timeline from the Cold War Museum provides you with historical information that has been arranged by decade. The 1950s section of the timeline includes an article on Senator Joseph McCarthy that examines the introduction of McCarthyism, which was a moment in history that became associated with the term, "witch hunt." The article includes background information on McCarthy's early life and career, his time spent in the military, and his political career. It focuses on the events that followed a speech McCarthy gave that accused many other politicians of being Communists. The results of the accusation are fully described.