Haley O'Hora

Lauryn Boag

Michael Schmatz

Calli Perry

Brandon Horsch

 

 

MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?

 

           

• Business & the Economy - Calli
• Education - Calli
• Fashion - Calli
• Film & Theater - Lauryn
• Food &  Drink - Lauryn
• Print Culture - Brandon
• Sports & Games - Brandon
• Music - Haley
• Day-to-day life ("The Way We Lived") - Michael
• Government & Politics - Michael
• Leadership- Michael
• Law &  Justice - Brandon
• Religion - Haley
• Title Graphics - Brandon
• Answer the MYP Unit Question after doing all this research.  This is the most important part of the project! Lauryn and Haley!

            

 

     The 1990s were a rollercoaster, economically. The beginning of the decade was rough, and it began in a slump. Around the middle of the decade, though, was the “dot-com revolution”, which was when many people began working with the Internet, and this brought the economy back up. The term “dot-com” came from the end of the web addresses the companies used at the end of their web address. There were a few places that grew the most from the use of the Internet, and those were Silicon Valley in California, Seattle in Washington, and New York City’s own Silicon Valley.

     Many people doubted that the revolution would keep the economy good for long, but it actually held itself and the country up. Many companies that were already big began to flourish with the expanded use of the Internet, and they could become more powerful with the use of it. Google was created and it let many people explore things outside of what they could do in person, such as finding information on companies across the United States.

     The Internet and the rise in the economy didn’t result in the same way everywhere, though. Workers who were higher on the ladder had higher salaries. Women advanced in the area of working, but were still not allowed to have higher positions, which lead to many women becoming entrepreneurs. Multinational corporations dominated the charts in the beginning of the decade. There were eight main groups, and seven of them were from the United States, that were in the top 25 corporations in the entire world. Americans grew accustomed to this new, high-tech way of life, and it prepared them for the years ahead where technology is the basis of everything.

 

     The Nineties were a time of increased violence. School shootings became more common than ever, mainly in high schools, but happened at middle schools as well. Rap music is said to have had a possible effect on these rates because the rap talked about violence and bad things. Parents were worried when they had to start sending their children to school after summer breaks, never knowing what could happen of if their child will come back home safely everyday. The media covered many of the school shootings during this time, which worried Americans, especially at the end of the decade, with the shootings at Columbine High School.

 

[Security video screenshot from the Columbine shooting]

 

     Some schools decided to take a portion of their yearly supplies budget to spend on buying metal detectors and paying police officers to keep watch over the school grounds. Random locker checks were not uncommon in many high schools throughout America. Other school money was spent on improving education, but some parents still did not want to risk sending their kids to public schools, so homeschooling and charter schools were popular choices, as well as the use of school vouchers (a way to get their kids into private schools without paying the normal tuition). Out of the 40 million people in the U.S. at the time who were of a school age, 30 million were enrolled in public schools. Most of those parents said that if they had the money, they would send their children to private schools to keep them safe.

 

     The battle of Evolutionary Theory and whether it should be taught was a well-known controversy throughout the decade. Some parents and religious groups did not want it to be taught because they wanted the children to believe in creationism and the Biblical accounts of how we were created, but the issue was still not solved when the 90’s were over as to which way it would be taught.  

 

 

     In the 1990’s, fashion went through a transformation.  The creation of casual Fridays in the corporate world, and self-expression in the young adult world, turned the fashion world on its head. Casual Fridays were started in the early 90’s and stuck both because the workers felt more comfortable in their clothing than in business attire, and also from marketing, such as Levi Strauss presenting trousers and pants that were acceptable in the workplace. Women dressed in dresses and nice clothing when going out, since they had to look presentable. Color was worn more, too - not only values of black and white.

     Generation “X”, or the young adults, greatly influenced the fashion scene of the 90’s.  Self-expression was shown through the clothing worn, hairstyles, and body piercings and tattoos.  Thrift and vintage stores were the rage, and people would buy from them and mix those pieces with items bought at other stores such as Old Navy, the GAP, or even Abercrombie & Fitch, all of which had a logo or the store name printed on their apparel. The "grunge" look was popular among teens, too, getting inspiration from bands such as Nirvana.

 

                                   

 

 

 

     Hairstyles for men were mainly short cuts, whereas women had more of a variety that they could do with their hair, and it ranged.  Body piercings and tattoos were popular, also. People of all ages had piercings, but it was mainly a younger thing. Tongues and eyebrows were the main places to be seen with piercings, and tattoos were anywhere, mainly the arms.  One specific fad of the 90’s were the “Goths”, who dressed in black and focused on being like the characters in the novels they read.

  

                                            

                                       Popular hairstyle                                        Chart of piercings

                                                     

Arm Tattoos

 

     During the 1990’s action films became increasingly popular. Directors were continuing to use special effects to appeal to the viewers. Some examples of popular action movies made in this time were Jurassic Park and Independence Day. More and more people began to watch horror movies as well as they became more original and therefore renewing the interest in this genre. Movies like Scream and The Blair Witch Project were popular. Animated family movies like The Lion King and A Bug’s Life were also well liked during this time.

 

 

 

             

           

 At the beginning of Clinton’s presidency in 1993 the country was in a rough economic time.  The movie Forrest Gump sent out the message that you should not live in the past and move on with your life. This was a popular belief of the time. Disney movies like The Lion King taught the importance of family responsibilities. Although often compared to Bambi (1942), the death shown in The Lion King was much less explicit and parents even questioned if having deaths in family movies was wise in the first place. The comparisons between these two films demonstrate the changes from the 40’s to the 90’s.  

 

 

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Literature - 

In the 1990s, print culture changed drastically.  Books on tape were easier than paper books, as the story was read to the listener, allowing them to “read” while driving, or in the comfort of their home.  With the rapid popularity of the Internet, newspapers began publishing articles online, and publishers began selling their books online to the public as “e-books”, which provided a download of the book to the reader almost instantly.  Popular books of the decade include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

 

Searching with ease - 

For the first time, people can search the internet to find exactly what they want, Google is born.  Originally called BackRub, and developed as a search tool for Stanford University, it is launched onto the World Wide Web as Google, a play on words of the mathematical term “Googol” which is the number 1, followed by 100 zeroes.  Google developers liked the name because it represented the limitless amount of information that could be found by simply using their website.

 

 

 

 

 

Top Athletes - 

 The 1990’s featured the man who is considered the best athlete of the 20th century, Michael Jordan, NBA superstar.  In the 90’s alone, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, No team had done this well in years.  Tiger Woods also grabbed fame in the 90’s when he became one of the world’s greatest golfers in the history of the sport. Women’s sports also took off as the US women’s soccer team took the women’s World Cup in 1991, and again in 1999.  

Extreme sports - 

Aside from professional sports, the 1990s debuted “extreme sports” for thrill seekers, and in 1995 the X-games were launched, a competition of extreme sports broadcast almost as an alternative Olympics.  By 1998, Olympic sports had grown to include Snowboarding, and other extreme sports, hoped to follow.

Hobbies and Games - 

Another game sidelight, miniature war gaming, grew in popularity during the 1990s.  1993 debuted the re release of the popular model series Warhammer 40,000.  The pewter figures were cut apart, assembled, and painted by gamers across the country.  It became the most popular miniature war game in America.

http://www.gamehobby.net/images/products/warhammer_40000_2nd_edition.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.gamehobby.net/gw_product_history.html

 

 

The teen market dominated the 1990’s music. In the early 1990’s grunge rock and gangsta rap were popular and teen pop, other rap, and alternative music was popular in the later 1990’s. Music such as grunge rock and gangsta rap was loud with painful lyrics, thus reflecting troubled and hopeless lives. New harsh sounding musicians came out, with bands such as Nirvana. Nirvana'a single, "Smells Like Team Spirit" was a big hit. Nirvana quickly became very popular with teens. Some musicians used their music to speak to the people. A group called Marilyn Manson used death metal to speak to the displeasure of the youth.

 

                                                                               

 

 

Possibly, to escape the harsh time, people listened to Mariah Carey, whose songs were full of love and longing. Carey was popular, and had more number one hits than any other female vocalists. Additionally, country music was reborn in the 1990’s. Artists like Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and LeAnn Rimes brought pop and country together to avoid the Bluegrass Country sound.

 

Bands like NSYNC, New Kids on the Block, and the Backstreet Boys were boy bands that became big with teens. However the most popular teen singer was Britany Spears, who was only 18 when she became popular. Her album, Baby One More Time that many Americans are still familiar with today made Spears famous.

A montage of Britney Spears, N*Sync, and the Backstreet Boys, all of which were

extremely popular in the 90s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1990s were a time of immense change, and as such the changes in lifestyle are gargantuan. The widespread adoption of the internet would allow Americans to communicate in ways and access amounts of information that had only been dreamt about in the past. Due to the shifting racial makeup of the nation, new questions were raised and new issues presented themselves, as epitomized in the trials of O.J. Simpson and the controversy thereof. Social issues such as education, family structure, the emergence of new diseases, and employment all put themselves on the center stage. The events that would take place in the 1990s concerning these aspects and more would undoubtedly shape the America we know today.

 

One of the major driving factors behind the massive social change that shaped American culture was the radical advances in technology, which included the widespread introduction of the internet. Computer ownership more than doubled in the decade, and the fact that at the end of the decade 80 million Americans regularly browsed the internet. While the wondrous advancement of technology itself was seemingly a miracle(e.g. how one could cheaply own more technology in a pocket calculator than was used to send a man to the moon), the way that Americans utilized said technology was the true factor that shaped the nation. Using the internet, Americans could now communicate faster, read about topics and worlds they had no other way to expose themselves to, could purchase goods cheaply and easily through internet sites such as Amazon and eBay, and had a way to shape not only the culture of the society in which they lived but to also shape the emerging culture of the Internet. Americans embraced the newly developed technology so much that discussion now emerged on such issues as privacy, economic problems as is evident in the dot-com bubble, and over-reliance on technology which manifested itself in the unfounded worldwide furor and panic surrounding the Y2K: an event due to a flaw in computer software design concerning binary expression of dates which many believed would shut down electrical grids, detonate nuclear missiles, and cause worldwide havoc. The massive influence that the aformentioned technology would have on the lives of Americans was evident in the latter half of the 90s, and continues to exert itself in society today, as is evident in the massive international cultural impact of such phenomenons such as YouTube, Google, and Wikipedia; the technology that shaped the 1990s continues to shape the world today.

                                                                                                       

A commercial depicting popular belief surrounding Y2K

Perhaps the most pressing social issue of the 1990s was the question of how race affected America and what problems it caused. The ethnic makeup of America was shifting from a mostly white, Christian nation to one of a majority of non-caucasian people. Many things influenced this transformation, but increases in immigration and intteracial marriage are the driving factors. When surveyed in the middle of the decade, 90% of Americans claimed that racial problems were not serious enough for the Government to investigate. However, there were increasingly large racial issues and tensions. These tensions could be found in many places, however a great example is the trial of O.J. Simpson. Many people questioned to what extent race influenced the choices of the jury, and racial tension resulted. While there was a societal shift to helping the disadvantaged minorities in American society, many people felt that this help was disadvantaging themselves instead and as a result, 67% of Americans opposed affirmative action taken by the government on issues of race. While many people wanted to believe that all Americans were equal no matter what background they possessed, the question of race was omniscient and therefore warranted great attention in the decade.

In terms of more racially independent social issues, many arose such as education and family structure. The children of the United States attracted a large amount of attention due to the focus on the disadvantaged, which included children. Children not only sparked debate about education and their rights, but also gained notoriety due to the large amounts of fads they followed during the decade. The aforementioned increased availability in technology resulted in many children playing videogames, and obsessing over things such as Pokemon, a Japanese invention which reflected the increasing internationalization of America. Education was made a top priority of the Clinton Administration, and this focus would continue into the next decade with the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act introduced by George W. Bush. Child rights also increased, reflecting the trends towards equality of all and openness, which also can be observed in the internet and resolution of racial issues. Perhaps this change, which starkly contrasted the hierarchal family structure of ages past, was a result of the changing family structures of American society. There was a noted increase in stepfamilies, with the number increasing to 5.5 million in 1999. These social issues all reflected a change from the decades past, and a move towards liberalism which is prevalent in many other aspects of American culture as well.

 

 

 

  As it was the decade succeeding the Cold War, the 1990s represented, for the most part, a more relaxed political environment compared the the decade which preceded it. Near the beginning of this decade, the President at the time, George Bush decided to interfere with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by instigating Operation Desert Storm, or a military conflict of a group of Western countries known as the Coalition fighting against the Iraqi offensive forces, led by Saddam Hussein. Due to the discrepancy in power, the Iraqis did not last very long in the conflict, pulling out of Kuwait relatively quickly. The Iraqi forces lit nearly 780 oil wells on fire, causing a great economic problems for the country, whose economy relied on oil. Saddam Hussein remained in power as leader of Iraq. The motivation for this conflict was generally accepted to be defense of a country who did not provoke any kind of attack, however parallels are often drawn to Adolf Hitler's wild land grab in World War II.

 

After this conflict, American politics mainly focused on issues of the interior. President Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, and proceeded to lend his efforts to maintaining peace and resolving conflicts world wide, as well as trying to introduce reform to the government in areas such as healthcare. Also, Clinton worked hard for equality of all people, including gays and lesbians, for which he enacted the controversial “Don't Ask Don't Tell” policy for homosexuals in the military.

 

 

 

 

 

  The 1990s commenced with the leadership of President George Bush, who had garnered the United States out of the Cold War era that preceded the decade. The last major challenge that Bush would be known for would be Operation Desert Storm, a movement to repel the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from the country of Kuwait which he invaded. Although Iraq was forced out of Kuwait, Saddam remained in power.

 

Early in the decade, however, the leadership changed from Republican to Democratic with the victory of Bill Clinton in the Presidential elections. Clinton, trained at Yale as a lawyer, had experience only in a few gubernatorial terms in Arkansas. However, Clinton would soon prove his worth by effectively dealing with various military conflicts. Although some of his legislation failed, such as his attempt to create a program of universal healthcare, Bill Clinton proved himself by maintaining the status of the United States as a world power and fostered a booming economy. He was elected for a second term in office in 1996.

 

His relatively successful presidency was marred by scandal. Clinton had an affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. He initially denied having any scandalous relations with her, however it was soon clear that this was not the case. Clinton faced impeachment, yet fortunately mitigated his removal from office. Although his reputation was marred, Clinton ruled the nation effectively for the remainder of his term, being responsible for achievements such as improved trade relations with China.

                                                                                                           

 

 

 

The Microsoft Monopoly –

   

 In the 1990s, computer software giant Microsoft controlled 90% of the computer market.  The Microsoft Windows™ operating system was the most common operating system in the world.  Microsoft began bundling its browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer) with computers sold at no additional charge.  The courts claimed that the system was a direct attack at long-time windows browser developer Netscape (now known as America Online or AOL), and that the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser caused system damage that harmed consumers that purchased Microsoft Windows™ operating computers.  The courts also claimed that Microsoft broke antitrust laws established in the late 19^th century.

    After the case went on for several years, the court came to a final ruling on United States of America vs. Microsoft Corporation.  It was ruled that Microsoft’s distribution of Internet Explorer provided easier access to the internet for general computer users, and familiarized the internet with the general public.  However, the Federal Government did not let Microsoft go lightly.  At one point, the original charge was guilty and Microsoft was going to be split into smaller companies.  These charges were finally dropped, but only if Microsoft shared their browser technology with other companies, allowing for a choice in browser. 

"Microsoft Monopoly." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 10: 1990-1999. Detroit:

Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 May 2010. 

 

 

 

 

In the 1990’s many different events were happening in the religious world. As in previous decades Protestant and Catholics dominated the religious world. There was also an increase of super churches- churches that had thousands of members, family programs, uplifting worship services, and relatively little concern for theology.

                                                                                                                    

     New spirituality came in to view in America. Americans wanted to discover a better spiritual life thus leading them to return to churches and to the exploration of spiritual alternatives. Spiritualism was thought to have and affect on everyday life. One example, “corporate spiritualism,” became a well-known way to motivate the workplace. It emphasized their responsibility to their employer and God, and to their own self-fulfillment. Evangelical Christian entrepreneurs believed that in order to have an economic success, it was vital the religion be involved. They made a strong connection between American society, Capitalism, and God.

 

     On the other end, American culture had lost some of its ethical habits. Bill Clintons moral decline led to the increase of public acceptance of homosexual and other alternative lifestyles. Violence was also influenced by religion in the 1990’s. Some anti-semitic and racist hate groups used the bible to justify violence. They murdered doctors who performed abortions saying that their actions had been obedient to the laws of God. Others attacked homosexuals were defended by a punishment for s sinful lifestyle. Other main events such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the attempt to take control of Branch Davidian, and the Columbine high school shooting all had religious influence undergoing in these events that caused numerous deaths. 

 

Oklahoma City Bombing 

 

 

Positive Political Cartoon

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This comic illustrates Americans farmers leaving the harder days of the 80's to go to the better days of the 90's. 

 

Negative Political Cartoon

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The American citizens were afraid that their own government was withholding information about the gulf war from them. The government was suspected of not telling the media everything and keeping secrets from the American people.

 

MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?

 

     The culture of the 1990s reflected post World War II America in the aspects of fashion, film and theater, sports and games, music and religion. People were becoming more laid back. This often showed through the clothes they wore, as more businesses accepted casual clothing in the working environment. Personalities were shown through clothing choices and body piercings. Generation “X” was the group of young adults who controlled the latest fashion trends and the popular music. Through their fashion statements, self expression was demonstrated. For example, taking after the popular “grunge” music, the “grunge” look was commonly worn in this time. The popular movies from this time sent out messages that were well liked beliefs of this decade. People began taking more risks, by participating in more extreme sports. The harsh sounding music was a way for the teens to express the hardships in their lives. The people of this generation became more accepting of lifestyles other than their own, with Clinton’s presidency.

 

     Different events occurring in the 1990s helped mold America into the country that it is today. After the Cold War, people began to relax. But in the early 1990s the Gulf War began, and although the United States was not involved in this war for very long, they were soon successful. After the fight in Kuwait, America began to focus on the problems within the US itself. Clinton’s election as president led to a more accepting social environment, for instance with legislation written benefiting gay rights. This decade focused a lot on the necessity of equal rights for all American citizens, trying to shape America to become a place of more social freedom. With the increase of social freedoms, the amount of violence increased as well. This increase of violence was seen through the Columbine High School shooting and the Oklahoma city bombing.

 

     The leaders of this time period were very influential in shaping America. George Bush brought America out of the Cold War, allowing the start of the new decade to be a calmer one. Bill Clinton proved to be a strong leader by helping America to stay a prominent world power and to maintain a strong economy. Even through a harsh scandal, Clinton remained a solid leader and helped to improve the relations with countries such as China. These leaders helped shape America to be prosperous and gave the citizens a stable lifestyle with the promotion of its economy and the ability to be a world power. It is for the aforementioned reasons that the culture of the 1990s reflected post World War II America in the aspects of fashion, film and theater, sports and games, music and religion.

 

 

Works Cited

"Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union.." The American Presidency Project. 2009. University of

     California. Web. 17 Jun. 2009 .

 

Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 3: 1940s-1950s. Detroit: U*X*L, 2002. Print.

 

Cooke, Jacob E. "Washington, George." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3^rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 1- 21. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Farmington Hills: Gale. Web. 30 Apr. 2008. 

 

"Europe Divided on Familiar Lines To Two Speeches." Prescott Evening Courier 54(1948): 6. Print.

 

"Family Life." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 10: 1990-1999. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 June 2010