HIUS 222 Final Exam

The Significance of Elvis Presley in American History

1. Fused gospel, country, and rhythm and blues into one sound- rock 'n roll. This change coincided with the rise of the modern civil rights movement. 2. Represented the post-war, middle class quest for authenticity Harper's article "The Man in the Blue Suede Shoes" (1958) concluded his appeal was grounded in middle class youths' interest in the "mysterious South," and their desire for something authentic and "real"- i.e. something different from the "ranch-style homes, organization-man jobs, and exalted community status" of their parents. 3. Permanently changed the face of American culture. In cultural terms, he was the start of a revolution.

Comic Books in the Depression

1. Often underscored key New Deal assumptions 2. Represented an emerging youth culture as publishers bypassed parents and aimed their products directly at the tastes of children. 3. Opened the door to further commercialization (and revenue) via toys and film 4. By the early 1940s comics were deemed "a national disgrace" and a "poisonous mushroom growth."

1936 Election

1. Only 17 Republicans left in the Senate, and only 89 in the House of Representatives. 2. First time a black majority voted Democratic

Reasons for GOP optimism in 1948

1. Selected popular California Governor Earl Warren as his running-mate. Dewey and Warren constituted a "dream ticket" of competence and credibility 2. Democrats had controlled the presidency for 16 years. 3. Republicans had taken control of Congress in 1946- first time since 1930 that GOP had a majority. Conventional wisdom was that it was a sign of a GOP victory in 1948 4. President Truman, running for a term in his own right, was unpopular. In April 1948, his approval rating in Gallup was 36% 5. Democrats were divided, and two parties (Progressives and "Dixiecrats") split off from the national party

Martin Luther King, Jr.

26 years old in 1955 Was committed to nonviolent civil disobedience. "In our protest there will be no cross burnings. No white person will be taken from his home by a hooded Negro mob and brutally murdered... We will be guided by the highest principles of law and of order... Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you."

Industrial work force

7 million Americans were employed in 1940- with another 7 million entering the workforce that had never worked Retirees, women, blacks, and impoverished white farmers appeared on assembly lines Selective Service System was able to grant occupational deferments (5 million)

The Atlantic Charter (1941)

A Roosevelt-Churchill statement of postwar aims that reaffirmed collective security, national self-determination, freedom of the seas, and liberal trading practices.

Alger Hiss

A clerk to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes An aid to Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta A friend to many Truman administration Democrats Named by Chambers as his communist contact. Found guilty and sentenced to prison.

Battle of Iwo Jima (Feb.-April 1945)

A small island south of Japan. The island was strategically important to the United States because it would further enhance our ability to launch air strikes against Japan itself. Of the 18,591 Japanese soldiers on the island, 18,375 were be killed refusing to surrender.

Dracula

A wealthy aristocrat who drained the blood of local peasants

V-E Day, 8 May 1945

Allies continued toward Berlin that spring- Britain and the U.S. from the west and the USSR from the east Surrounded, Hitler committed suicide in late April On 8 May 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally

Public Works Administration (PWA)

Also created by the NIRA Designed to create jobs Had a $3 billion budget to build highways, federal buildings, and military facilities

The Doolittle Raid, April 1942

American airstrike on Tokyo, Japan as a retaliation for Pearl Harbor Led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle 16 B25B Mitchell bombers were used Morale booster for the United States

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

American film Conveyed heroism of those on the home front in the Battle of Britain One 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture

Rise of Suburbia

When the first thousands of U.S. troops began returning home in December 1945, there was a serious housing crisis A Roper poll that month (Dec. 1945) estimated that 19% of all American families were doubled up, and 19% were looking for housing. Another 13% had just given up. Following the war, however, the Truman administration (via the Federal Housing Administration—FHA) began insuring housing loans up to 30 years and requiring only 5% to 10% as a down payment. As a result, by 1950, the housing industry had not only revived, but had also become one of the primary engines of the flourishing national economy. New home construction jumped from 117,000 in 1944 to 1.7 million in 1950.

Military innovations

included: Radar Antitank rockets Bombing guidance systems Sonar Medicines to fight disease Atomic bomb

Frankenstein's monster

miserable and abandoned—like many laborers

Operation Torch

An attack on Nazi forces in North Africa in the fall of 1942. Marshall protégé Dwight Eisenhower was appointed to command the invasion A. U.S. forces invaded Algeria and Morocco on 8 November 1942 and met light French resistance B. Resistance soon stiffened as the Allies moved east into Tunisia where they encountered German forces. C. German forces in Tunisia were led by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox" Goal was to inflict a stinging defeat on American forces, and give Americans an inferiority complex Launched a counterattack on 14 February 1943 D. Rommel inflicted 5,000 casualties on the United States. Gave U.S. troops experience Eisenhower reported to Marshall: The men "are now mad and ready to fight. All our people... have learned that this is not a child's game and are ready and eager to get down to... business."

General George Marshall

Army Chief of Staff FDR's top military advisor during World War II Key figure in transforming the U.S. armed services from a force of 170,000 in 1938 to almost 2 million in 1941

The United States & Neutrality

As in WWI, the United States announced a policy of neutrality Since 1918, the United States had largely retreated from foreign affairs General mood in the country was against intervention Belief that American entry into the First World War had been a mistake- and that the U.S. had been manipulated into it.

The Nye Committee

Between 1934 and 1936, Republican Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota headed an investigation of the munitions industry. Investigated profiteering in the munitions and banking industry and the possibility that greed was a significant factor in leading the U.S. into World War I. Many Americans felt betrayed Perhaps the war hadn't been an epic battle between the forces of good (democracy) and evil (autocracy) Revelations of these "merchants of death" helped to bolster sentiments for isolationism

Women in WWII

Between 1940 and 1945, 6 million women went to work in the war industries Female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27% to nearly 37% By 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home

Elvis Presley (1935-1977)

Born in poverty in Mississippi Recorded his first radio single ("That's All Right") in 1954 at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Sold 600 million records in his lifetime Sold over 1 billion by the 21st century If all Presley records were laid end to end, the would encircle the earth twice Sought not to rebel against middle class norms, but to achieve middle class status

Glass-Steagall Act (1933)

Co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Carter Glass of Virginia Prohibited commercial banks from engaging in investment banking Insured national bank deposits up to $2,500

The Red Scare and the rise of McCarthyism

Coincided with the coming of the Cold War- i.e. the ideological struggle between the US and USSR after WWII

The Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC)

Created by Congress in March 1933, it employed jobless youths in such projects as reforestation, park maintenance, and erosion control.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

Created by the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) Was designed to eliminate "cut throat competition." Suspended anti-trust laws and permitted the nation's trades and industries to draft codes of fair competition that were to include labor standards such as minimum wages.

Batman

Created in 1939 Opened the door for masked crusaders who were not of alien origin. Was someone children could aspire to be. His alternate life was of the rich and idle playboy "Bruce Wayne

Captain Marvel (or Shazam!)

Created in 1940 by Fawcett Comics- a DC rival Most popular comic book character of the early 1940s Alter ego was a boy, Billy Batson, who, by saying "Shazam!," would be transformed into the adult and all-powerful Captain Marvel

Operation Overlord

D-Day invasion of Europe at Normandy, 6 June 1944 The U.S.-led liberation of Europe A. Direct frontal assault against a prepared enemy Largest sea, air, and land operation in history- 5,000 ships, 11,000 planes, & over 150,000 servicemen B. Allied bombers played a key role in the launching of the Allied attack In advance of D-Day not only were coastal defenses at Normandy bombed, but also the French railway system (to hinder German mobility) C. There were five Allied landing sectors at Normandy D. 10,000 Allied casualties, including 4,000 dead E. Was successful, and the Allies began to roll the Germans back out of France

Green Lantern

DC character created in 1940 that derived his power through a mystical green ring Originally (1940-1949) fought common criminals in New York City A. In "The Tycoon's Legacy" (Winter 1940-41), he fought corporate greed in the form of mortgage loan companies that seized property from low-income people who just happened to get into "accidents" and were unable to repay their loans. B. Reserved his greatest moral outrage for self-styled reformers and local public servants who actually had only their own selfish interests at heart. Exposed the city's Commissioner of Public Works as a corrupt racketeer Moves against the Mayor's Office where he suspects the use of cheap and unsafe building materials have resulted in bridge collapse

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)James Dean

Dean killed in a car crash one month before film was released Story of frustrated urban youth- parent fight all the time and cannot relate

The death of President Roosevelt, 12 April 1945

Died of a cerebral hemorrhage one day after this picture was taken in Warm Springs, Georgia Vice President Harry Truman became the new president

McCarthyism

Grounded in growing fears of communism following Truman's election: Communist takeover of China in 1949 The Soviet detonation of an atomic bomb in 1949 In 1950 Communist North Korea invaded free South Korea

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Hailed as one of the greatest films of all time James Stewart starred as "Jefferson Smith," small town good guy Appointed U.S. Senator by political cronies who hope to control him

President Harry S. Truman

He had been FDR's vice president for only a few months before becoming President in April 1945. Not informed FDR mostly ignored him Was unaware of the Manhattan Project

The Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 1944-Jan. 1945)

Hitler's last offensive Failed attempt to break the Allied advance in the West toward Germany

Southern response to Brown

Hundreds of different measures were enacted to frustrate integration Revoking the licenses of school employees teaching mixed-race classes Complete shut down of school systems that had been ordered to desegregate. In 1956, Southern Manifesto: 101 Congressmen pledged "to resist forced integration by any lawful means."

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

In 1933, Roosevelt- after defeating Republican incumbent Herbert Hoover in a landslide the previous November-- took office and began implementing the New Deal—i.e. his policies to attack the problems of the Great Depression.

The Neutrality Acts

In the late 1930s, Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts designed to prevent the United States from being pulled into another war like World War I Called for "Cash and Carry"- i.e. the payment of goods to be made up front (and in cash), and for those goods to be carried away in the patron's own vessels (and not those of the United States)

Invasion of Iceland and Greenland

In the spring of 1941, U.S. forces occupied both places to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis Feared Iceland might become a stepping stone for Hitler to the Americas The U.S. also began to assist the British in tracking German submarines in the Atlantic

The New Deal

Included relief for the poor and unemployed, efforts to stimulate economic recovery, and social security

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

It built a hydroelectric network that supplied cheap power to the Tennessee River Valley while also developing a flood-control system, recreational facilities, and a soil-conservation program.

Frank Capra

Italian-American director Translated his deep love for the U.S. into a vaguely populistic admiration for ordinary people. Films often contrasted the decency of small-town America and the common man with what he considered the grasping opportunism of the city and greedy capitalist marketplace Won 3 Oscars for "Best Director" in the 1930s Best known films: It Happened One Night (1934) Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) You Can't Take It With You (1938) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) It's A wonderful Life (1946)

. The Philippines Campaign, 1941-1942

Japan attacked American forces under General Douglas MacArthur on 8 December One of the worst military defeats in American history- with around 25,000 Americans killed Included battles of Bataan and Corregidor

Battle of Wake Island, December 1941

Japanese attack on American base on the island Started with Pearl Harbor, and ended on 23 December with the surrender of American forces.

Battle of Britain

July-October 1940 Unsuccessful German air campaign over Britain Generated sympathy for Britain in the United States

. Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944)

Largest naval battle of WWII U.S. forces rolled back Japanese control, and retook the Philippines

Battle of Okinawa (April-June 1945)

Last major battle of World War II and one of the most grim Island only about 1 mile wide and 80 miles long The American army divisions lost 4,000 killed, the Marine Corps 2,938; 763 aircraft were destroyed and 38 ships sunk. Japanese servicemen found ways of dying almost to the last man—110,000 Japanese troops died refusing to surrender As a result of battle, U.S. policymakers decided to use atomic weapons against Japan—instead of a direct assault on the island nation itself.

The establishment of the Office of Research and Development

Led by Dr. Vannevar Bush, president of the Carnegie Foundation Won draft exemptions for 10,000 scientists and engineers Designed the Research and Development system by using government contracts to turn university and industrial research labs to war projects

The Casablanca Conference

Meeting of FDR and Churchill in North Africa in early 1943 Articulated "Unconditional Surrender"- i.e. the Allies would pursue the Axis Powers until they surrendered without condition

The Yalta Conference, February 1945

Meeting of FDR, Churchill, & Stalin Roosevelt's last wartime conference Agreed to a "spheres of influence" approach to postwar Europe The result was that Stalin was allowed to control absolutely those territories (i.e. Eastern Europe) that his army had marched through at the end of the war. The US wanted free elections for those areas, while the Soviets believed any freely elected government would be anti-Soviet, and undermine their own security.

. Lend-Lease

Move by FDR in late 1940 to circumvent "cash and carry" of the Neutrality Acts and aid Great Britain Permitted the President to lend or lease supplies to any country whose defense was vital to the security of the United States.

The articulation of preemption

On 11 September 1941, Roosevelt- after a German submarine fired at an American destroyer, The Greer—addressed the nation, and denounced the Nazis as the "rattlesnakes of the Atlantic."

The Four Freedoms

On 6 January 1941—as Lend-Lease began making its way through the legislative process—Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress, and enunciated what he called the "Four Freedoms" essential to any lasting postwar peace. 1. Freedom of speech & expression 2. Freedom of worship 3. Freedom from want 4. Freedom from fear (or war) Must be recognized throughout the world

Operation Husky

Part of the Italian campaign of 1943-- Allied invasion of Sicily in July Cleared the way for the Allied invasion of Italy in September Allies bombed Rome that summer Loosened Mussolini's grip on Itay

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

President Truman decided to use a new weapon, the atomic bomb, to end the war more quickly On 6 & 9 August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan Over 250,000 people were killed in the two bombings Aboard the USS Missouri on 2 September 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally The war was over.

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Presley originally seen as a new James Dean Played an ex-con who skyrocketed to fame as a singer

King Creole (1958)Elvis Presley

Presley's most acclaimed film Singing but dramatic role Set in New Orleans 5th most popular film of 1958

Henry Wallace

Progressive Party Nominee for President, 1948 Democrat from Iowa FDR's second vice president (1941-45) Liberal who broke with Truman in 1946 Charged Truman with arrogance and incompetence in the realm of foreign affairs. Insisted the Soviet Union and communism were not our enemies. The Cold War was silly and dangerous—the result of a reckless and inexperienced Truman. Bolted the Democratic Party in 1948 and ran against Truman for President as a Progressive

To Secure These Rights (1947)

Report of the President's Commission on Civil Rights, founded in 1946. Described a pervasive pattern of segregation and discrimination, both institutional & informal, that reduced African Americans to second-class citizenship. Called for the "elimination of segregation based on race, color, creed, or national origin, from American life."

Thomas E. Dewey,

Republican Nominee for President, 1948 Elected Governor of New York in 1942 Republican nominee for President in 1944 against FDR & narrowly lost First Presidential candidate born in the 20th century (1902). Easily re-elected in 1946- largest majority in the state's history up to that time Moderate who worked to steer the GOP away from isolationism and reaction In his Second Inaugural Address as Governor in 1947, he stressed that "Government can have both a head and a heart.... It can be both progressive and solvent... and can serve the people without becoming their master

1934 Midterm Elections

Republicans lost 19 seats in the House of Representatives and 10 in the Senate Usually the President's party loses in the midterm. That was not the case in 1934. Democrats increased their majority The Republican response to these defeats in 1932 and 1934 was to be even more vocal and extreme in their denunciations of the New Deal.

President Harry Truman,1945-1953

Saw the emerging Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union as an ideological one Took a hard line against the Soviet Union Set the U.S. on an internationalist foreign policy course to contain Soviet and communist expansion.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Science fiction writers from Ohio who created Superman Jewish & conscious of their outsider status in American culture Created outsider characters with alter egos-- i.e. identities they used while living in the normal world.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Set up a program in 1933 by which producers of major agricultural commodities received subsidies in return for taking acreage out of production The rationale was to decrease supplies and increase prices.

Strom Thurmond,

States' Rights Nominee for President, 1948 Governor of South Carolina, 1947-1951 Campaigned almost exclusively in the South

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Story of new teacher in an inner-city high school Challenges students and staff Confronts bully causing trouble in school Launched rock 'n' roll in film "Rock Around the Clock" (1954) by Bill Haley and the Comets was played over the film credits

William Levitt

The "father of suburbia" He purchased a 1,200-acre tract of flat, open land on Long Island, NY, & began building 10,000 inexpensive, separate standing, individual family homes. transferred the assembly-line techniques pioneered by Henry Ford in the auto industry to the housing business

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Three nights later, on 4 December, black community leaders gathered at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, and formed the Montgomery Improvement Association to launch a bus boycott among local blacks. The association chose as its head a young and charismatic minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal of the bus boycott was the judicial invalidation of Alabama's segregated seating law. In December 1956, the Supreme Court ruled the state's segregated coach law unconstitutional.

Desegregation of the armed forces

Truman issued it, but Eisenhower enforced it

Superman

1. Superman was an outsider- an alien in a foreign land-- and he hid his identity behind the persona of the mild-mannered reporter "Clark Kent" Affirmed the young, alienated, and dispossessed "Clark Kents" of society in their desire to commit to an inclusive national culture 2. Cast as a "champion of the oppressed... devoted to helping those in need!"- i.e. he used his power for good In 1st issue, he saved a falsely accused prisoner from a lynch mob, produced evidence that freed an innocent women on death row, and rescued a woman about to be beaten by her husband. 3. Often portrayed as a progressive reformer exploring the conflict between corporate greed and public welfare. In the 2nd issue, Superman crushed a conspiracy involving a U.S. senator, a lobbyist, and a munitions manufacturer who plotted to embroil the United States in a foreign war. In other early issues, Superman destroyed a car factory after finding that the owner had been using "inferior metals & parts so as to make high profits at the cost of human lives!" Later investigated the collapse of a subway tunnel & the murder of a municipal safety inspector, & discovered that the president of the tunnel construction company had been grafting off of the city by using cheap and unsafe building materials. 4. Was very popular, and really built the comic book industry Most comic books sold 200,000 to 400,000 per issue Superman sold 900,000 per month.

Origins of Comic Books

1. The emergence of newspaper comic strips in the 1890s Most featured serious narrative content but the name "comic" stuck Term relates to sequential art, regardless of content 2. The rise of the pulp magazine industry in the early 20th century Dubbed "pulp" because of the cheap paper that was used to print them Usually catered to more offbeat tastes, and were often considered lurid, sadistic, and grotesque 3. In 1929, pulp fiction and comic strips merged when pulp heroes Tarzan and Buck Rogers became popular adventure newspaper strips. 4. In 1929, Dell Publishing experimented with a comic strip that appeared in the same form as a pulp magazine- i.e. as a weekly, softcover magazine. While sales were poor, the venture inspired others to explore the commercial potential of comics magazines. 5. In 1937, pulp magazine writer Malcom Wheeler-Nicholson helped form Detective Comics (DC) Different from "funny" comic books: Original material created by freelance cartoonists More inventive page lay-outs Larger panels Heavier shading New formula-- crime fighting 6. In 1938, Wheeler-Nicholson partners Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz formed Action Comics Superman appeared that June.

Reasons for Dewey's loss

1. Truman and the Democrats waged an aggressive and negative campaign. Unfairly attacked the Republican Congress "as do-nothing." 2. Dewey failed to respond to Democratic mud-slinging 3. Almost all polls and pundits predicted an easy Dewey victory. This overconfidence may have resulted in 4 million voters staying home on Election Day.

The Bedford Boys

Bedford, Virginia suffered the nation's highest D-Day losses (in proportion to population) 19 from the 116 Infantry were killed- 3,200 was the total population of Bedford in 1944 National D-Day Memorial established there in 2001

Whittaker Chambers

Editor of Time magazine and former American communist Appeared before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1948 Testified that he had been a Communist operative in the 1930s, and had passed along top secret government documents from officials in Washington to Soviet contacts working in America.

Senator Joseph McCarthy

Elected to the Senate in 1946 Unknown nationally until February 1950 Asserted in a Lincoln Day speech in Wheeling, WV, that he had a list of 57 "members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring" who were employed in the State Department. In 1953, he became the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Made wild accusations about communists in the Army Investigated both the Army and Voice of America. Did not investigate Hollywood. Censured by the Senate in 1954

Social Security Act (1935)

Established a mixed federal-state system of old-age pensions for workers; survivors' benefits for the victims of industrial accidents; unemployment insurance; and aid for dependent mothers and children, and the handicapped. It was funded by employers and wages withheld from workers' paychecks.

General Douglas MacArthur

Evacuated in February 1942, and relocated to Australia Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Southwest Pacific Area in April 1942 Adopted an "island hoping" strategy from Australia to Japan

Film and the Depression

Film industry began in the 1910s & first "talkies" came in 1927 "[N]o medium has contributed more greatly than the film to the maintenance of the national morale during a period featured by revolution, riot and political turmoil in other countries"- Will Hays, head of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors Assoc. (1934) 60-80 million Americans attended the movies each week in the 1930s Horror and crime films were especially popular in the early years of the Depression 1931- one of the most difficult years of the Depression-was "the best year ever for monsters": Dracula- one of the highest grossing films of the year. Frankenstein Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde King Kong (1933) As the decade (and Depression) progressed, films reverberated with: The rhetoric of democracy The importance of the little guy The greatness of the American way of life Many films also emphasized family, and hope and self-confidence. In 1937, Walt Disney, aired his first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

First command and had never been in combat Believed a commander must present himself as positive and optimistic Tasked by Roosevelt in late 1943 to plan Overlord Architect of D-Day invasion Appointed commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) in late December 1943

The Adventures of Captain Marvel

First film adaption of a comic book superhero was

The Penguins

Formed in Los Angeles in 1953 "Earth Angel" (1954)- one of the first crossover hits from R&B to Billboard's Hot 100 (peaking at #8)

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Founded in 1935 by the Federal Relief Appropriation Act Projects were smaller and more local than the PWA: Musicians Artists Writers Drama Media Literacy Projects

Popular Culture and the Great Depression

Gap between the American dream and reality seemed particularly large during the Depression. Pervasive scarcity and unemployment frustrated consumption and called into question the late 19th century middle-class axiom that success follows hard work. Old heroes- individualists-- seemed out of touch with the suffering millions. People were looking for new heroes Creators of popular culture- including filmmakers and comic book writers- helped to forestall a domestic revolution similar to what happened in some European countries before WWII.

President Dwight Eisenhower,1953-1961

General in World War II Elected President in 1952- the first Republican elected since 1928 Received over 40% of the black vote—the highest percentage for any Republican presidential candidate since the 1930s

An American Dilemma (1944),Gunnar Myrdal

In 1938, the Carnegie Corporation commissioned Myrdal to direct a two-year study on the segregation regime in the American Deep South. The result was An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, published in two volumes in 1944. According to Myrdal, all Americans, even poor, uneducated, white Southerners, possessed within them a commitment to "the American Creed"— those values that include liberty, equality, justice, and opportunity for everyone. Unfortunately, unreasoning prejudice corrupted the white mind and undermined that creed. The American dilemma in race, then, was the conflict between high democratic values on the one hand and discriminatory behavior on the other. Myrdal was optimistic: "People want to be rational, and they want to feel that they are good and righteous. They want to have the society they live in, and their behavior in this society, explained and justified to their conscience." Insisted the war was changing America: It could not fight and defeat oppression abroad, only to allow discrimination to continue at home. World War II was about the "American Creed"—democracy and freedom—being spread around the world.  The world was changing because of America, he concluded, and because of the war, America too was changing. Although overly optimistic—he believed that "Negro advancement" would break down discrimination more or less automatically without violent reaction—Myrdal's work was nevertheless influential in shaping opinion around the country concerning race.

Television

In 1946, there were only about 8,000 television sets in the United States By 1960, there were 45.8 million. 90% of all Americans had a television TV Guide became one of the fastest growing periodicals of the 1950s, and American life was transformed. Instead of reading, exercising, conversing, or congregating, families now gathered before the "tube" to watch their weekly mystery or variety show. It changed the way Americans thought, dressed, and acted.

Pearl Harbor

In late 1941, Japan struck back On 7 December, attacked the United States Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii The U.S. Pacific Fleet was shattered. Twenty-one ships, including eight battleships, were either disabled or sunk. 164 American planes were destroyed, & 128 damaged Over 2,300 Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor, & over 1,100 more were wounded.

The Reuben James Incident

In late October 1941, the American destroyer- part of a "neutrality patrol"--was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Iceland 115 American sailors were lost The U.S. was bracing itself for war with Germany.

Manpower

U.S. military ranked 17th in the world in 1939 Consisted of only 200,000 regular soldiers and 200,000 National Guardsmen

The Battle of Midway (June 1942)

U.S. victory at sea that marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific The entire Japanese First Air Fleet was devastated, and Japanese expansion in the Pacific was stopped. From this point on, Japan was on the defensive.

Progressive education reforms and Depression-era unemployment

What kept a higher percentage of adolescents in high school in the 1930s.