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Levittown
America's housing crisis after WWII began to be handled by developers like William Levitt. In 1945, he became the first developer to organize the modern suburb. Mass - production techniques were used to construct these houses (located on 4,000 acres of land 25 miles from Manhattan, NY) in a ridiculously short period of time. The result: Over 17,000 homes built, with an average of 150 two bedroom, 800 square foot houses constructed per week. People paid around $8,000 for a home, but were able to have construction started with a down payment of only $100! It took less than 2 years for the entire development to be completed. Two more Levittowns of similar size were completed in Pennsylvania by the early 1950s, and copycat developers began offering similar opportunities to prospective home buyers throughout the country.
Unequal Access to "The American Dream" of Suburbia
Post WWII Housing Discrimination sanctioned by both the government and private industry. Worth Watching!
Truman
Highlights of Harry Truman's Presidency (1945 - 1952, Democrat)
1. Became president on April 12th, 1945 when FDR died, only 82 days after his inauguration for an unprecedented 4th
term.
2. Participated in the Potsdam Conference (late July, 1945) with Stalin and Churchill that occurred after Germany
surrendered to end WWII in Europe and determined that it should be split up into 4 separate zones (American, British,
French, and Soviet).
3. Approved the dropping of atomic bombs over Hiroshima (August 6th) and Nagasaki (August 9th) to force a Japanese
surrender (August 14th) that ended WWII in Asia and authorized the development and implementation of the MacArhur
Constitution which put that country on a path towards becoming a successful democracy with a thriving economy.
4. Attempted to contain the spread of communism by providing $$$ to help rebuild countries devastated by the war in
Europe (Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan), endorsing the U.S. entrance into the peacetime military alliance of NATO,
unsuccessfully aiding the Nationalists in their attempt to retain control in China, and authorizing war in the Korean
peninsula.
5. Led the relatively quick transition of the U.S. economy from one based on war to one based on consumer goods. After a
short recession, the economy picked up by the end of the 1940s due to the willingness of people to spend their savings
(from war related jobs and war bonds) on new things (houses, cars, new technology, etc...) and all the production that
went into helping Europe rebuild after the war (Marshall Plan spending).
6. Established the first meaningful civil rights gains for African Americans by ordering the desegregation of the armed
forces (1948) and doing away with racial discrimination in Federal employment.
Truman's Post-WWII Presidency (1945 - 1948)
This 3:40 clip clip discusses how Truman became VP under FDR (his 3rd different VP), FDR's death and Truman's lack of communication with FDR while he was alive, a bit about his background, his motto ("The Buck Stops Here"), the end of WWII, a downturn in the U.S. economy immediately following the war, and the GI Bill of Rights.
This 3:10 clip discusses his plans for how to improve the U.S. and the unwillingness of Congress to go along with it, leading to high unemployment and a lot of strikes. The Rail Strikes (and the threat to draft all striking workers into the military) and Taft-Hartley Act are discussed in detail.
This 2:45 clip has 2 parts. The first 1:45 covers Truman valuing Civil Rights (1st President to address the NAACP, desegregating the armed forces and federal govt). The last minute covers the 1948 Dem. Convention... specifically Dixiecrats in the South (and their candidate Strom Thurmond) being unhappy with the President. because of these beliefs.
The 1948 Election and Truman's final 4 years in office
For a picture of the Chicago Tribune front page story the day after the election announcing Truman had mistakenly lost the election (with a brief description of what happened), click here.
This 3 minute clip has parts. The first minute covers his unlikely victory over Republican Candidate Dewey. The next minute covers his promise of a "Fair Deal" for all Americans (but difficulty in getting anything accomplished because Congress didn't agree and foreign policy stuff took up most of his time). The last minute covers his decision to not run for another term in 1952.
The 1952 Election - Excerpts from Dick's "Checkers" Speech
Republican candidate Eisenhower was clearly ahead in the 1952 presidential election race for a variety of reasons (McCarthyism and Truman being unpopular being leading reasons). The only thing that had a chance to derail his presidential election bid were accusations made against his Vice Presidential running mate Richard Nixon. These involved Nixon allegedly taking illegal campaign contributions from political donors. Nixon went on TV and denied these accusations with a famous Speech. I plan on showing the part 2 minutes to 3 minutes and 15 seconds of the 1st clip... and all of the 2nd clip.
Eisenhower
Highlights of Dwight Eisenhower's Presidency (1952 - 1960, Republican)
1. Won over 55% of the popular vote in both elections over Democrat candidate Adlai Stevenson. His previous military
experience (leading the Allied forces in Europe and Africa during WWII) made him a desirable candidate in the eyes of
the public during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and threat of communism spreading around the globe.
2. Concluded peace talks in Korea separating the peninsula into 2 countries (North - Communist, South - Democratic) at
the 38th parallel in July of 1953.
3. Introduced his Domino Theory in mid 1954, where he said that if the Soviet Union was successful in helping the
government of one country become Communist (like they tried to do with South Korea), it would become increasingly
easier for hem to help the governments of other countries in a region. Basically... they would all begin falling like a row of
dominoes.
4. Issued the Eisenhower Doctrine in 1957, which called for the U.S. to defend any Middle Eastern nation from Soviet
aggression in an attempt to contain the spread of communism there.
5. Sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 to make sure black students could enroll and attend classes at a
previously all white Central High School. This decision was made to force states to comply with the Supreme Court's
ruling in Brown v. Board of Education 3 years earlier.
6. Authorized U - 2 spy plane flights over the Soviet Union to occur from 1955 - 1960 which took detailed photographs of
military developments. Ended when a U.S. pilot (Francis Gary Powers) was shot down over the Soviet Union and
increased tension between the 2 superpowers heading into the 1960s.
experience (leading the Allied forces in Europe and Africa during WWII) made him a desirable candidate in the eyes of
the public during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and threat of communism spreading around the globe.
2. Concluded peace talks in Korea separating the peninsula into 2 countries (North - Communist, South - Democratic) at
the 38th parallel in July of 1953.
3. Introduced his Domino Theory in mid 1954, where he said that if the Soviet Union was successful in helping the
government of one country become Communist (like they tried to do with South Korea), it would become increasingly
easier for hem to help the governments of other countries in a region. Basically... they would all begin falling like a row of
dominoes.
4. Issued the Eisenhower Doctrine in 1957, which called for the U.S. to defend any Middle Eastern nation from Soviet
aggression in an attempt to contain the spread of communism there.
5. Sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 to make sure black students could enroll and attend classes at a
previously all white Central High School. This decision was made to force states to comply with the Supreme Court's
ruling in Brown v. Board of Education 3 years earlier.
6. Authorized U - 2 spy plane flights over the Soviet Union to occur from 1955 - 1960 which took detailed photographs of
military developments. Ended when a U.S. pilot (Francis Gary Powers) was shot down over the Soviet Union and
increased tension between the 2 superpowers heading into the 1960s.
Eisenhower's Famous Campaign Ad
Eisenhower's Presidency
This 3:45 clip covers Eisenhower's career in the military, his 1952 campaign, and accomplishments in office