AMH2020 Final Exam Revkew pt. 2 Flashcards
what happened to american culture in the 1945-1961 period?
it was all about proving they were better than the soviet union
________ became increasingly important, causing culture to become more situated around them
suburbs
suburbs
middle class residential communities outside of a major city
why did suburbs increase in popularity in the post WWII period?
it was a result of widespread post war prosperity
middle class expansion caused an increase in _______ ________
home ownership
what was the result of a new commuting society?
sharper distinction between work life and home life
how did new home building methods affect home prices?
it made them more affordable
the baby boom ______ family size
increased
what was the GI bill?
resources for returning WWII veterans
- encouraged higher education (widened the middle class and increased home ownership)
- low interest rate home loans
push factor
something that pushes people out of where they currently reside
white flight
name for the phenomenon that occurred when diversification in cities became a push factor for white residents
suburb culture heavily focused on _______.
consumerism
the consumer republic
⭐️ consumer culture was highlighted for the exam
why did consumerism become a political issue during the cold war?
it was a way for the US to prove its superiority and show the nation’s prosperity through capitalism
what did consumerism do for the nation’s democratic values?
reaffirmed them with the idea of freedom, choice, and civic responsibility
american conformity
based on consumerism (this is how it was justified and why it was considered better)
consumption was viewed as a _______ process.
democratic
soviet conformity
based on work
why was soviet conformity seen as undemocratic?
everyone was a worker so they were all the same (no classes)
how did william levitt transform how communities were built?
by mass producing homes through minimal variation (reduced time and price)
what was the result of levitt’s production method
cheaper homes = offered the american dream to a wider variety of people
why did TVs take off in the 1950s?
they became more affordable
by 1960, ____ of households had at least one TV set
0.87
what were the 2 distinct ways that the TV participated in consumerism?
- it was a product to be purchased
- its advertisements and character lifestyles (from shows) encouraged further purchases
what was the purpose of the joint exhibition between the US and the Soviet Union?
to show off their products and prove superiority
what did each side bring to the exhibition?
- Soviet Union: rockets and space exploration equipment
- US: a full-functioning suburban home
the kitchen debate 1959
when the Soviet Union leader and richard Nixon started arguing in the kitchen of the house
what was Nixons debate?
that consumerism was what made the US superior
what started in the 1960s in response to conformity?
researcher started pointing out the inequities between suburban and urban america
what was “the Other America” about?
how urban poverty was getting worse and being locked out of prosperity
what was the consequence of suburb increase for cities?
loss of tax revenue and urban decay because city services are funded by taxes
how did urban decay affect people living in cities?
they suffered economically because they didn’t have the means/opportunity to move out
what happened in 1975?
NYC almost declared bankruptcy
american culture stressed the ______ family.
nuclear
the “homophile” movement
first gay rights movement
the Kinsey Report
book by Alfred Kinsey that furthered the conversation about sexuality by documenting the spectrum of sexuality in the US
who were the Beats?
Allen Ginsburg (poet) and Jack Kerouac (writer) - they pushed against american culture at the time
what did the Beats believe?
that consumerism was hallow/shallow and that people should instead collect experiences
rock n roll genre of music was ________ at the time
transgressive (parents did NOT approve!)
what was rock n roll a combination of?
rhythm and blues (race music) and hill billy music (early country)
why was rock n roll so upsetting to many?
it was a fusion of black and white music genres
why was rock n roll so non conformist?
- it bridged the racial gap between listeners
- the performers were provocative
why did advertisers target teens?
teens were very prosperous after the war
culture was set by ______ and ______ ______
teens, young adults
what was the paradox did the civil rights movement produce?
the US was simultaneously reaffirming democratic values while dealing with a movement that questioned them
why did civil rights activists focus on education first?
it seemed like a good place to get an early legal victory
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas 1954
large combination of lawsuits brought by the NAACP arguing that segregation was “inherently unequal”
who was the lead NAACP attorney on Brown v. Board?
Thurgood Marshall
what did Marshall have to prove?
that no matter how equal the resources were, the outcome would always be unequal
why was this case purposely focused in Kansas?
it wasn’t in the Jim Crow south so there was a higher chance for victory
what was the NAACP’s goal in Brown v. Board?
overturning Plessy v. Ferguson (established “separate but equal”)
what was the Brown v. Board ruling?
in favor of Brown - court unanimously agreed that separate was NOT equal
segregationalists
southerners who refused to integrate their schools
who was the school integration battle between?
southern state gov’s and the federal gov
the little rock 9
9 black students who enrolled at central high school in 1957
what happened when the little rock 9 went to the first day of school?
they were met by an angry mob
how did Arkansas’ governor react to the mob?
he supported them, calling in 1,000 national guardsmen to prevent the little rock 9 from entering the school
why was the governor’s actions illegal?
he resisted a federal court mandate
what was president Eisenhower’s reaction to the governor’s actions?
he federalized the national guardsmen and called on 1,000 more troops to escort the kids
federalizing national guardsmen
when the troops take orders exclusively from the president
what did the little rock 9 situation show?
integration would take confrontation
what was the goal of civil rights protests?
dismantle Jim Crow broadly
2 main methods of protest:
- Boycotts
- Non-Violent Direct Action
boycott
when a group of people collectively agree to stop purchasing a product, using a service or patronizing a business
what was the goal of boycotts?
use collective power as consumers to get a policy changed
non-violent direct action
- “Non-violent” = peaceful and not allowed to defend yourself
- “Direct action” = goes directly to the source of the problem
why was the significance of non violent protests?
they clarified who the oppressor was (the one committing violence on a non reactive individual) and gave the protestors the moral high ground
what was the goal of non violent direct action?
bring awareness and be disruptive to the usual way that people use that space
what was the driving force behind civil rights protests at the time?
the murder of emmett till (1955)
what happened to emmett till?
he was kidnapped, murdered, and mutilated by Roy Bryant after an alleged “inappropriate” interaction with his wife
what was emmett’s mother’s request?
an open casket funeral (exposed the truth of racial violence in mississippi
what emerged shortly after emmett’s murder?
the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott (1955-1956)
what inspired the bus boycott?
the arrest of pregnant 15 year old Claudette Colvin after defying the segregated bus system
why did Rosa Parks become the face of this movement?
the NACCP didn’t see claudette as a good representative of the movement
Rosa parks was an existing ______ and a _______ for the movement
activist, volunteer
how long did the bus boycott last?
over a year
what ended the bus boycott?
the supreme court outlawed the montgomery segregated bus system
what was so significant about the bus boycott?
it took a lot of planning and widespread support from the community (claudette’s decision was a trigger/gateway for an approaching movement)
what was another result of the bus boycott?
Martin Luther King Jr. became a leader in civil rights and the spokesperson for the boycott
southern christian leadership conference
MLK’s civil rights organization
why did the movement attract an older demographic?
younger people were impatient with the pace of change
the sit in movement in 1960 was an example of ____ _____ protest
direct action
how did the sit in movement come about?
organically (on its own, without planning)
what sparked the sit in movement?
4 black students in Greensboro NC decided they were going to integrate the lunch counter at Woolworth’s department store
what happened during this attempt at integration?
they sat there for 4 days in a row until their numbers reached 200
what marked successful integration of the lunch counter?
when the waitress served them on day 4
how long did it take the sit in movement to spread across the south?
only a couple months (reached Texas by April)
this movement was exclusively led by ________ people
young
why were sit in protests so effective?
if businesses just gave in and quietly served them, they would leave
why did sit ins make policy change easier?
it was the individual business’ decision
what was the result of the sit in movement?
local change
who did the sit in movement become dominated by?
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
organization that helped other students conduct their own sit ins by training people in non violence and helping plan/organize
what was the SNCC’s main goal?
giving other young people the tools to do it themselves
who was the advisor for the movement?
Ella Baker - long time activist who had worked with MLK in the SCLC
why did Ella Baker stop working with MLK?
she became very disillusioned
what did Baker advocate for?
strong people don’t need strong leaders
what was the switch that occurred in SNCC?
they started as a nonviolent biracial group and turned into an all black group who used black ideology and defensive violence
what was the biggest question asked by the SNCC members?
why they had to suffer to achieve equality guaranteed in the constitution
