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Category Archives: Social History
The Birth of Consumerism – Loss of economic freedom?
The 1950s marked the beginning of a cultural change called consumerism. The new culture convinced Americans the need to buy new homes, cars, appliances, credit-cards and even succeeded in redefining ‘freedom’. From the pre-world war meaning of freedom, which was to starting to focus on anti-segregation policies, the meaning of freedom shifted to consumption. Foner does not go into much detail but does make it a point to mention that this new idea of consumerism, being the goal of freedom, resulted in American’s being comfortable with living in never-ending debt.
I believe Foner is right in that redefining freedom; consumerism began an a culture Americans are still struggling to deal with. Consumers in American to this day live under the pretense that comfortable means ‘buying more than you can afford’. Although consumerism has succeeded in redefining freedom, it has failed to redefined what the realities of such life-styles are. The fact that debt became a part of life ‘comfortable to live with’ is shocking. As a result we live in a country that is experiencing an economic recession, loss of jobs, a growing national debt and increasing deficit in international trade. Foner even mentions that the goal of women obtaining jobs was not to help the family out of poverty rather to promote the ‘family’s middle-class-lifestyle’. A life-style that put more families in debt. Of course there are exceptions to all this and the middle-class ‘revolution’ did promote better living conditions in America. But it has come at a cost the US is still struggling to deal with – an ever expanding national debt. I fail to see the freedom or comfort of consumerism because reality says otherwise.
National and Individual Debt Clock
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on public bus in Montgomery, Alabama
On December 1, 1955 African American Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. She was arrested by police and charged violating the part of the Montgomery City code that dealt with segregation law, even though she had not technically violated the law. Rosa was later bailed out of jail by Edgar Nixon, president of NAACP.
After her arrest, Montgomery blacks announced boycott of the buses. The boycott was led by the president of Montgomery Improvement Association, young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Under his leadership, the Montgomery bus boycott had lasted 381 days. The Supreme Court ruled in November 1956 that segregation on transportation was unconstitutional.
The Rosa Parks incident sparks African American’s quest for freedom and equality. It is not only a single history event. Through her arrest, the Montgomery blacks under the leading of NAACP and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. united other southern states’ blacks to protest segregation policy. The success from the Supreme court’s ruling gives MLK a new way to fight for desegregation, that is non-violence movement. MLK distinguishes himself in this boycott. More blacks follow him and it begins MLK’s rise to battle for the civil rights.
This image is from http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html
Supreme Court orders school desegregation
From my point of view, the most significant change that took place between 1953 and1960 in United States of America was the decision to prohibit school segregation. It all began with Brown vs. Board of Education, a judicial case where the Supreme Court decided that laws separating children by race in different schools contravened the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1955).
This case was the apogee of a decades-long struggle by African Americans against segregation and other discriminatory laws. This was the beginning of a brand new American society where people were equal no matter what color their skin was.
Overall, I am confident to say that the Supreme Court made an excellent decision by banning segregation in public schools. There is no doubt in my mind that this important event changed United States of America forever and made it a better country to leave in where all the people have equal rights.
This picture was taken from: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/brownvboard/brownnews.jpg
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
In June 11, 1963, during a national television address about civil rights, John F. Kennedy stated: “We preach freedom around the world…, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other, that this is a land of the free except for Negroes?” (Foner 921) Kennedy was killed few months after this presentation without enacting his civil rights bill, in which, among other points, he proposes the right to vote to blacks. One hundred years before Kennedy’s speech about civil rights, Abraham Lincoln expressed in his last public address his support to black suffrage. Like Kennedy, Lincoln was assassinated few days later.
After many years of struggle and opposition to the idea of giving blacks the same rights that whites enjoyed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a major conquest that black people needed in order to fortify their participation in political life. Therefore, from my point of view, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the most important legislation of that time. Not only presidents or politicians like Robert Kennedy were assassinated, but also popular African American civil rights activists like Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed.
The Civil Rights Movement
Civil Right Movement in the 1960s has marked a turning point in American history. To many African Americans, they remembered the 60s as an unforgettable and a crucial time period. In the 1960s, African Americans were fighting non-violently for their freedom in American soil. Due to the unification among African Americans, the non-violent demonstrations had slowly drawn American attention on racial issue. During Kennedy’s presidency, he banned discrimination in general. Later during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency, he passed the Civil Rights Act that further emphasized on banning racial discrimination. (p. 922). Over all, the Civil Rights Movement was not just a milestone to African Americans, but to all other races in America, as well as to those non-white future generations’ children.
In my opinion, I think Americans are responsible for the change. During the 60s, majority of African Americans and some other races were participated to fight for equality and freedom in America. One of the significant demonstrations in 1963 at Birmingham pushed President Kennedy to do something for the Civil Rights movement. Due to many demonstrations, President Kennedy finally called a law banning discrimination. (p.921) After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson followed President’s path further. He passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964. (p.922) In the 1960s, minorities continued to fight for their equality and freedom. Their persistence and unification brought the attention to America as a whole. If there was no demonstration, if there was no freedom fighter, the American minorities’ voices could never be heard.
Posted in 1960-1968, June 14 assignment, Political history, Social History
Tagged 1960s, Birmingham, Civil Rights Movement, racial discrimination
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Rosa Parks story.
On December 1, 1995, Rosa Parks had been arrested because she was a black woman and she refused to yield her seat on a city bus to a white passenger in Montgomery. Her arrest led to Montgomery bus boycott. Thus, African Americans’ inequality and racial justice had been issued internationally, and the civil right movement arose throughout the U.S as a whole.
Inequality and the gap of the wealth between whites and non-whites had been growing significantly even though America had turned to the golden age of its economy since the end of WWII. Ethnic discrimination of employment and housing was severe, and segregation and exclusion against blacks in pubic institutions enhanced their demand of equal rights movement. Parks’ event is a strong stimulation to enlighten people to desire their equal rights more seriously than before. This civil movement continued to 1960s. The congress finally passed the Civil Right Act in 1964 to prohibit racial discrimination by the law.
Parks’ event and the Montgomery bus boycott is definitely a huge turning point of America history so as to have people equal rights. Therefore, we can have real freedom now in America.
This image is from http://virlib.brinkster.net/aca/ACAIMAGES_DVD/DVD_Rosa_parks_story.jpg
Posted in 1953-1960, June 14 assignment, Political history, Social History, Uncategorized
Tagged civil rights, parks, rosa, segregation
3 Comments
The Feminine Mystique
Feminism is a movement that stands for equal rights for women and men. For example: right to greater access to education, same pay for female and male, a right to plan a family or to initiate a divorce. It first appeared in 1890s, but when USA entered 1960s there was a lot of places where sexual discrimination was visible. Most of political offices were held by man, universities still limited number of female students, or in few states woman’s earnings were controlled by their husbands.
Public debate over feminism started in 1963 with publication of Betty Friedan’s manifest The Feminine Mystique. It wasn’t her first attempt to raise a discussion about women’s rights though she wasn’t first to do so.
In 1960s legislative process accelerated a little and few laws were passed. Congress passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, and The Civil Rights Act in 1964. Both were standing against sexual (and/or racial) discrimination. In 1966 the National Organization for Women (NOW) was created to help women fight against inequalities.
Sometimes I wonder if our great-grandmothers hadn’t been fighting for their rights were would women be now? Could we make our own decision or we would have to ask for men’ permission? There are still a lot of countries were women’ rights aren’t obeyed, but I believe it will change soon.
Posted in 1960-1968, June 14 assignment, Political history, Social History
Tagged Discrimination, feminism, human rights, Woman's rights
4 Comments
The Right to Privacy
Many constitutional scholars believe that a right to privacy is in the Bill of Rights. Such scholars also point to the Ninth Amendment as evidence that the framers believed in the existence of liberties not specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights: “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
The Supreme Court agreed with this position in Griswold v. Conecticut (1965), in which it ruled that a constitutional right to privacy exists when it struck down law making birth control illegal.
Picture from http://cldg.org/9.html
Posted in 1960-1968, June 14 assignment, Political history, Social History, Uncategorized
Tagged bill of rights, griswold v. conecticut, ninth amendment, right to privacy
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Baby Boom
The Baby Boom appeared when the s
oldiers came back to their home from the war. The term “Baby Boom” usually refers to the dramatic post world war ll baby boom between 1946 and 1964. According To Wikipedia, there are an estimated 78.3 million Americans who were born at this time period. You can see the graph on the right side of the post how it grew dramatically in that time period.
This event is very important because it changes the market and the society. First, the market has greatly impacted by the baby boom because as more babies born, there will be more baby supplies and more hospitals for babies. And as time passes, the baby boomers will grow and the market will lean more into teenager interests such as bags, club, and so on. Finally, when they get older, and become elderly, there will be more nursing homes.
Second, it also chaged our society. As baby boomers became teenagers and young adults, they wanted the society to be changed. There was a movement to get away from conservative 1950’s and eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking and actually changed the hackneyed American life. Boomers’ new ways of thinking affected education, lifestyle, laws and entertainments. Many of revolutionary ideas which began by Baby Boomers are still continuing to develop these days.
Posted in 1960-1968, Cultural History, Economic History, June 14 assignment, Social History
Tagged american, Baby Boom, movement, post war impact
1 Comment
Civil Rights Movement
The single most important change in the 1960’s in my opinion is the social change that arose due to the Civil Rights Movement. Starting with the Greensboro sit-in, the spark ignited a change. The blacks not only fought for termination of racial segregation, but also for social equality. Although it had a rough start with violence from the authority and the constant tension between the activists and the government, it served as a turning point in the American History.
With many organizations established, different races began to unite and protested in different means. Most activists practiced nonviolence ways of demonstration under leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The Civil Rights Movement re-established the meaning of Constitution for some group of people. It served as a turning point in the history of African American as they became more accepted and gained their freedom.
