Building the American Dream

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Building the American Dream

• The 1950s

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I. Middle of the Road Government

• 1. Balance the Federal Budget
• a. Lay-off 200,000 government workers
• 2. Recession
• a. Slow down in economy
• -increase government spending

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II. End of McCarthyism

• 1. Senator McCarthy (R) Wisconsin
• a. Accused over 200 people of Communist
  affiliation
• b. All charges were false
• c. McCarthy removed
• d. Republican party weakened

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III. Beginning of the Space Age

• 1. Russian Satellite Sputnik (1957)
• a. American fear and jealousy
• -National Defense Education Act (1958)
• -20 million to improve schools
• -focus on Science and Mathematics

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IV. Changes in Transportation

• 1. Federal Highway Act
• a. 42,000 Miles of interstates
• -increase trucking industry
• -increase population of suburbs
• -Drive into work
• V. Changes in Work
• 1. Increased Union Support for Workers
• 2. Increased machine labor
• a. Decrease Blue-Collar
• b. Increase White Collar
• 3. Increase in service industries
• a. Insurance
• b. Restaurants
• c. Hotels

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VI. Changing Roles of Women

• 1. Took jobs of men during WWII
• a. Proven effective workers
• b. Discriminated against
• -paid less than men
• -denied benefits
• VII. Affluent Society
• 1. Good EconomyFinancial stability
• a. Start a family
• -Baby boom
• b. Rise of suburbs
• -Levit-towns