WW2 Week 5 - Grade: b PDF

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America After WW2...

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Charlene Harris May 24, 2020 His-144 Dr. Davis America After World War II Changes that came about because of the GI Bill were dealing with the soldiers returning home after deployment. Instead of the transition being hard, it was a smooth transition for them to ease back into society. This bill promised that returning soldiers would receive unemployment benefits, low interest home loans, educational opportunities, and medical coverage. Due to the passing of the GI Bill suburbanization and education were impacted because of the opportunities that were given, such as the soldiers being able to move into homes that were in a fast- developing suburbs, also with the financial aid assistance for them as well. Even with those changes that were made, they were not beneficial to everyone who had served due to the racial tension that already existed. African Americans were a prime example as to how all benefits were not easily distributed. They suffered discrimination when applying for homes and colleges, simply because not many banks would offer or allow them to be on the receiving end of loans. Also, due to the location of the colleges and neighborhoods being in predominantly white areas they experienced more of a challenge. Since gender spheres were the illusions that women were naturally fit for a domestication role they should in fact take care of the home and raise children, while the men were out working since they were more fit to be out in the workforce. Women's roles changed with the ending of WWII more than ever since they were forced to pick up jobs the men would usually have while the men were away during the war. Once the men returned, and reclaimed their jobs the women were expected to “give up their wartime jobs, and return to their homemaking roles full time”(Women Aviators in WWII). These rules were really enforced by

the President at the time Richard Nixon. Nixon strongly felt that women were a little too prideful in spending and fueling the economy rather than working in factories. So society started to promote images of domesticated life through all kinds of advertising from newspapers to commercials. All of this because society felt as if the woman's place was at home raising children and managing household duties while the man worked. The Automobile was an essential part of Americas development because this was a whole different product that created a different amount of revenue. During these times the automobiles werent expensive and there were roughly about 1 car per every five people. The assembly line was also developed to help with mass production. Since the veterans were encouraged to move into homes far away from their jobs, and schools they required a form of transportation from point A to B since public transportation did not reach that far out, automobills were quite necessary for travel. So, with this new found issue the government had no choice but to build roads to accommodate, which ultimately turned into the National Interstate and Defense Highway Act. Now people were able to travel to and from the city. There were several significant Civil Rights events that took place in the 1950’s such as the beating and death of a 14 year old African American boy named Emmett Till. This tragic event took place all because a child allegedly whistled at a white woman, and her husband and his half brother kidnapped him from a relatives house and beat him and killed him. The gruesome attack made a huge public impact when his mother requested to have an open casket to reveal what her baby looked like. While all this publicity came about the saddest thing about this ordeal was the fact that the two men who murdered this young man got off. In 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama Rosa Parks rejected a bus drivers instructions to give up her seat and sit in the back of the bus so that a white person could in fact claim the seat that she was already sitting in. Parks was not the first to resist bus segregation but Parks' prominence in the community and her willingness to become a controversial figure inspired the black

community to boycott the Montgomery buses for over a year, the first major direct action campaign of the post-war civil rights movement. Her case became bogged down in the state courts, but the federal Montgomery bus lawsuit Browder vs Gayle. succeeded in November 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of defiance and the Montgomery bus boycott became important symbols of the movement. She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She had organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including the president of the local chapter of the NAACP Edgar Nixon and Dr. Martin L. King, a new minister in Montgomery who gained national prominence in the civil rights movement and went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize in her honor. Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley and the youth took over the 1950’s. Elvis Presley’s music was pretty much made up of black people’s rhythm and blues, however the white youth adapted it due to the strong lyrics and sensual rhythms. With the quick rise of rock and roll music radios and tv became a huge thing. TV shows such as American Bandstand was created. The children on that day and age were considered rebellious due to their musical and television influences. Movies displayed sexual encounters, fast cars, a certain style of clothing and violence in schools and all over. Meanwhile, the youth in the other parts of America were impoverished and there was a massive increase in juvenile crimes becuase they werent able to receive the same opportunities that the white privileged children received. In conclusion, religion was decided upon when America added certain sayings such as “Under God” to the pledge of allegiance and “In God We Trust” to the money currency. The Untied States placed these particular quotes during the Cold War because of the fear that was emerging from the country as a whole. The big move into the suburban areas and the baby boom led to a religious rival. The parties were the Jews and Catholics. While the Jews requested protection in being steadfast in the seclusion of church and state. Each had their own opinions and the two were not to be combined. Then there were the Catholics who

established federal funds for parochial schooling.

References Till-Mobley, Mamie; Benson, Christopher (2003). The Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, Random House. https://sites.google.com/site/victoriastassite/women-s-roles-after-wwii...