Frank Wang, Alishah Chator, Anita Sulibhavi, Keyara Newkirk, Ying Wang

 

 

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

 

The 1940s

                       

 

Business & the Economy

 

     American businesses, labor, and government all helped win World War 2, on the Home Front and on the various theaters of war. During the beginning of the decade, American businesses and labor were both suffering the after effects of the Great Depression. However, the rise of the Axis Powers around the world spurred American government to produce war materials for the Allies and America itself. Government played a large role in helping business and labor get back onto their feet, funding and subsidizing businesses necessary for the war effort, and in some cases, taking over businesses and labor outright. Government action in rationing and the creation of the public/private sector of the economy all helped to break the cycle of depression, produce war goods, and win the war.

     After the war, America was the strongest power in the world; the rest of the world was in turmoil, broken by war's destabilizing effects. America needed to make sure that a war of this scale would never happen again. To meet that end, America launched the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 to create an international finance system, the IMF, the World Bank, and the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade, to ensure that America would remain integrated with the rest of the world; it also launched the Marshall Plan to help Western Europe recover, helping America gain wider markets and maintain a peacetime army, as opposed to a wartime one.  

 

 

Education

 

     At the beginning of the 1940s, elementary, middle, and high school education was limited and of poor quality. In July 1941, John Ward Studebaker "estimated a fifty thousand teacher shortage across the United States"; in that time teachers were poorly trained, poorly paid, and of poor status; The military, drafting soldiers for WWII, "rejected some five million volunteers due to educational and nutritional deficiencies". Educators in government and out of government began planning the modernization of the US education system, which began after the close of WWII.

     After the war, government spent more money and enacted new bills to help modernize the US educational system. Universities, colleges, and community colleges also benefited from increased government spending, notably the GI Bill, which allowed returning soldiers to attend colleges, and made higher education a possibility for many more Americans. Universities received millions of dollars in federal aid and grants during and after the war, for their cooperation with the federal government during the war. Some problems still persisted, however; segregation was still prevalent, and the status of teachers has not improved dramatically after WWII. However, the changes that America implemented helped prepare America for the competitive and prosperous future that lay in hold. The effects of a dramatically improved education system can be judged by the increased spending and better teachers allocated for education in America, which can be seen in the IA and in many other schools nationwide.  

 

 

 

Fashion

 

     Fashion in the 1940s was limited by WWII. The government, in an effort "to save every yard of cloth", discouraged fads and "wasteful" clothing that was not needed. Fashion for women became simpler in style, as metal used in buttons, cuffs, zippers, and other accessories was used in the war effort; fashion for men disappeared altogether, causing a shortage of men's clothing after the war. Metal used in cooking pots and other household items became scarce; ceramic and plastic became popular. Plywood siding also became popular during this time period. Of particular note was the start of the prefabricated house trend; houses built in factories and shipped on site. This led to the development of suburbs and highway systems, both contributing to problems in the current years (environmental issues, space, waste, etc.). Modernism, the International style, the Guggenheim Museum- all were developed int he 1940s. 

     Also of particular note is the role war played in the determination of the fashion hubs of the world. Because France was under occupation, and many countries in Europe were under the cloak of war, America played a bigger role on the front stage. Nazi oppression compelled many French designers to immigrate to the U.S., which helped the U.S. gain crucial knowledge in the field of fashion. In January of 1940, the ambitious mayor of New York, La Guardia, "sponsored a press event, 'New York Fashion Futures, in an attempt to secure New York as the fashion center of the world", evidently illustrating that while the war is going on, fashion will not stand still. New York is still a strong hub of fashion, and many designers still project their designs on the world stage through America. 

 

 

Film and theater-Keyara

     In the 1940's Hollywood had become the other entertainment factor of the 1940's. On Broadway, like the musicians of that time, many actors believed that because of the war, plays and movies should be more light-hearted to make sure that the American movie/theater viewing mass was still satisfied and leaving with a smile on their face. Popular Broadway shows of that time such as "Panama Hattie" , "Let's Face it", and "Something for the Boys" , were very successful plays, that of which two had to deal with the underlying theme at the time which was war. Because of WWII going on, it was common that movies and plays had something to do with war, whether it be cheating husbands who were off at war, or just making light fun of the things that only soldiers know about, war was a key part in the entertainment offered to the American public.

                                                

     In compliance with trying to make America a little bit happier after viewing their plays and movies, the film and theater was also designed to lead people to believe that the war was not that bad, if American's did not believe that the war was really that bad, then the over all mood of American's lightened. But even though directors and screenplay writers believed that songs and dances would be all that the American's would need to become happy again, they were completely and utterly wrong. Film and theater progressed largely to become one of the most sought after forms of entertainment. And one of the most popular Broadway shows to this day was created, Oklahoma by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.

     Just like music, film and theater became the thing that many people resorted to for entertainment and light hearted fun. It paved the way for new innovations in the film and theatrical genres of America, and soon after that movies became a very popular activity. So although extremely fun, film and theater was another major role in the WWII and post-WWII.

Food &  Drink-Frank

 

Print Culture-Frank

 

Up until 1946, the print culture of the 1940s was primarily news from ongoing World War II. Many reporters were in foreign countries and reporting back to the United States. Newspapers played a key role in bringing WWII to many Americans.

 

     The 1940s were known as the “golden age” of the comic book. Marvel Comics created a line of super heroes such as Captain America who were embodiments of American patriotism. Readers in America could read up about their patriotic heroes such as Captain America fighting Nazis and other antagonists. Comics of this era could be seen as a unifying force of American patriotism. On top of comic books, there was also an expansion of children’s books. In this era, classic stories were produced such as Lassie, the Lone Ranger, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

 

 

 

    Marvel Comics began making comic books depicting many famous superheroes such as Captain America fighting head to head with the Nazis. These Comics were very popular during the 1940s and seemed to created a sense of "Patriotic Unity".

 

      For adults, there were paperback novels. These paperback novels became extremely popular. This popularity led to the downfall of other types of literature such as pulp magazines. This new era of paperback novels and comics could represent the new emerging America. Like these changes in print culture, America was undergoing many changes as it embraced new developments and cultures, while doing away with the old.

 

 

 

Sports &  Games-Frank

 

     At the start of the 1940s, the sports world suffered greatly. Many athletes had joined the war effort, and as a result, many sports were dropped in many different colleges. For example, in by 1954, 200-plus colleges had already abandoned their college football programs. This shortage of athletes was so bad, that in 1943, Major League baseball was almost cancelled. In addition, sport equipment and facilities were taken down for their materials. As a result, for the first time ever, freshmen were allowed to join varsity level sports in college football. Another positive change was that female athletes found themselves stepping up to the plate as male athletes went to war. During this period, the All American Girls Baseball League was formed. Although this league did not last very long after the war, it was very popular during its time.

 

 

     After the war, the sports world underwent a large transformation. Sports became much more popular. As attendance at sporting events increased, so did the players’ salaries. As television brought sports into the homes of Americans across the country, sports was soon associated with big business and money. As a result, players started earning more money, and sports in general became more organized. In 1949, the National Basketball Association was set up to organize both teams and players on a national level. In addition, player salaries increased dramatically. At one point, Joe Louis was earning over 100,000$ a fight. Another change to sports during this time was the introduction of player unions. In 1947, players for the first time had a minimum salary of 5500$ established, and also had pension funds in place to support players who could no longer play the game due to age or injury. After the war, the sports world made a huge comeback as more and more revenue entered the teams. With the integration of the sports world into the entertainment industry, this income would only increase. 

     

     Once sports had become part of the entertainment industry, many organizations modified the rules so that the games would provide maximum entertainment value. Critics claimed that this was ruining the game, but these same organizations provided better facilities for the players. Players became celebrities and had large amounts of merchandise modeled after them. As sports became more and more popular, the diversity in sports also increased. Revolutionary players such as Jackie Robinson began playing on what used to be all-white teams. Throughout the later years of the 1940s, sports were constantly on the rise both popularity-wise, and money-wise. Sports could be seen as a symbol of America after both the war and the depression.

 

 

Jackie Robinson was the first African American professional baseball player. He played for the Dodgers despite animosity and even death threats from people who did not support him. Soon after Robinson, many other African Americans saw themselves becoming proffesional athletes.

 

Music-Keyara

 

 

 

     In the early 1940's Big Bands ruled the music scene, people like Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman were the leaders of many of the famous Big Bands. Eventually America was introduced to many solo singers from the Big Bands, such as Frank Sinatra,Dinah Shore, and Perry Como. Genres of music, such as bebop, rhythm&blues and jazz began to emerge from the Big Band sound towards the end of the decade. Many of the singers of these genres were African-American, such as Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzie Gillespie (who did not sing, but played the trumpet, which, in the 1940's, was a very popular instrument to play). Music became a national pass time because of the newly invented radio , which created a large span of places that the music could be played at.

     During the WWII many of the music was designed to be reflective of pain and struggle of the war, yet still upbeat and moving to let American's know that the best way to push through the war was to keep on living and look at things the best way possible. Music was a new outlet for the American people, with soul-moving jazz and the entertaining styles of the Big Bands, America was encountering a new frontier of music that would carry on in the musical veins of America for many years to come. Also a new and different type of music came back to the masses, although not as popular as Big Bands and the Jazz and Bebop. Creole and Cajun music was also becoming a new thing to listen to , combined with things such as hiphop, rock and roll, and others the Creole/Cajun music was a gateway into America's heart and soul, with the combination of the different type of genres, taking a little bit of everything to make something great.

     Along with these new and innovative music genres, one of the largest and still quite popular today was called Bebop, (created by Dizzie Gillespie), this style of music could be described as a very fast moving lick of music combined with a new type of singing. This singing was call "Scatting" , a combination of soulful do-weeps and do-wops to fit rhythmically into the music. After a little bit though, the focus on the Big Band became lesser and less, and the attention became solely focused on the voices that led the Big Bands. Like previously mentioned, Frank Sinatra a very successful singer in the late 1940's was known for his smooth, sultry voice that could be heard around America at any given time.

     Unfortunately though, this era of music was also during the time when racism was thoroughly involved with mostly every aspect of American life. Many African-Americans led the new frontier of music, but were not really accepted in the nation because of blacks. Due to this minor set back, people like Elvis who could produce the same sound were used instead, but the same music was spread throughout America. This era of music happened to be one of the most unique and special era's in America's musical history, unique because of the many thing things that were introduced, and special because the up-beat tempo's of the music and the upbeat attitudes of the musicians helped aid America through the hard times of the war , and kept hope and happiness alive during one of the darkest times.

 

 

"The Way We Lived"-Anita

Due to World War II, and the Great Depression, many Americans were still facing poverty and harsh living conditions. This depression caused fear and anxiety among people, and led to people acting with great caution throughout this whole decade, even through economic booms. All resources were going towards the war during the first half of the decade, so resources at home were scarce. Things such as meat and other foods were rationed off and some goods had even ceased to be manufactured. Once the war was over, economic stability returned slightly, and things got a little more optimistic for people. The one thing though, was the fear of communism and the red scare which began after the war ended. This caused people to lead very conformed and strict lifestyles.

     Many old stigmas and views of people of other races began to break during the 1940's. The U.S.A saw Hitlers idea of race purification and it terrified them. People started disowning the idea that white human being are better than everyone else after seeing the harm and man-slaughter conducted by a white man himself. Immigration from other countries began to be encouraged, and diversity began to be encourage, and bragged about in the United States, rather then avoided and unwanted. Despite this new idea in diversity and taking pride in having so many different races in the United States, discrimination against other races continued, though it got better from previous years. For example, there was still discrimination of African Americans everywhere, including the work place where they were paid significantly less than the white man doing the same exact job. Another example is the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II and even after. 

     During this decade, a major change society faced was the major introduction of women into the working society. Before World War II, many women had worked due to the depression. Although many women had proven that they could work and still take care of their children, it was discouraged that women work because it undermined a man's masculinity and ability to provide for his family. Some people said that it caused children to be brought up in more harmful ways. Even laws and government was geared toward keeping women out of the workplace, so they faced a lot of discrimination. During World War II, most of the men had to go off to serve in the war, leaving the women not only to manage the house, but also to manage work, manufacturing, and more. Suddenly, the government decided to motivate women to work because they realized they needed women to work to keep society in the states functioning. The hypocritical thing is, as soon as the war ended, the imagine of a stay-at-home-mom was once more made the ideal view of a woman, and thus they were back to square one. The important thing here is that women really got introduced into the work force, and many stayed in the work force. After this time, women started looking more and more for jobs and starting to also provide for their families. 

 

 

      During the war, many put off marriage, and those who were married put off having children due to the economic hardships and also the fact that many men were away from their families during this time. The future was very uncertain. Once the war ended however, many people resumed getting married and having children. All these couples having children at the same time gave rise to what are commonly known as "The Baby Boomers". As these children grew older (all at the same time) there were many problems faced with the overpopulated age group. There were however, plenty of good things that came out of it. The increased population made things made for that age group in demand constantly. For example, when they were babies, diapers were in demand. When the children started school, school supplies were needed in greater quantities. This helped businesses. In addition to this, the growing number of families meant that more and more people were moving into houses. This helped create and popularize living in suburbs, which was a big part of everyday life in the 1940's. Another large reason for the ever-popular suburbs however, was due to the Cold War. The United States was constantly afraid of being hit by a bomb or missile from Russia during the Cold War. It was advised that people depopulate cities, and not all cluster and live in concentrated areas, because those concentrated areas may be the aim of a nuclear attack. This caused a lot of the population to disperse from cities to suburbs around cities. More roads were built from suburbs to cities too, making the city accessible if needed, but also providing an escape to suburbs in case of an attack. 

     Basically, during this decade people lived strictly during the first five years, and more relaxedly but cautiously during the last 5 years. War was ongoing during this decade, whether WWII or the Cold War, it was a time of hardship, but also improvement for the nation. Social changes were immense as were lifestyle shifts in the sense of income and luxury.

 

Government & Politics-Anita

 

     The 1940's was an important era dealing with the government and politics of the United States. Half of the decade was spent in war, until around 1945. It was during this first half of the decade when the United States began asserting itself vigorously as a world power. Agencies such as the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and the National Security Counsel were established during this time, due to the "threat" facing the United States from the Soviet Union. These examples of agencies from the 1940's continue even today, as an important part of our government. Overall however, one of the most influencing and powerful factors of the 1940s was World War II itself.

 

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     The United States originally had an isolationist policy, meaning they decided to not involve in affairs outside their own borders. World War II changed this policy, due to the man slaughter and injustice that was taking place across the world. On June 10th, 1940, the official change was made from isolationism to "non belligerency". In other words, though the USA opted to stay out of war, they did not necessarily remain neutral. Many government officials began to take a more holistic view of the world, in order to prevent future catastrophe similar to World War II. The United States began getting more and more involved in the war. It began the "Lend-Lease Policy". Under this policy, the president could lend virtually anything to countries it wanted to aid in the war, such as ammunition, guns, airplanes, tanks, etc. while still remaining "neutral" in the war. Though the USA claimed to be neutral, in the act of helping specific countries they were essentially picking a side and looming closer and closer to joining the war. In addition to aiding countries, President Roosevelt began asking congress for more and more money for defense. For example, on January 3rd, 1940, President Roosevelt asks $1.8 million from congress for defense. Between June 11th and June 13th of 1940, congress passed the Naval Supply Act and Military Supply Act, in total allocating $3.3 million for defense endeavors and projects. These were some of the few examples which hinted at the United States joining World War II. This was also a time when FDR, like Barack Obama today, was trying to promote bipartisanship in congress. In this spirit, he appointed two republicans to his cabinet for war preparations and such. These two republicans were Herbert Hoover as Secretary of State, and Frank Knox as Secretary of the Navy.

     Time passes and the USA continues to indirectly involve in the war.The United States government decided to further involve in the war, stretching out the Lend-Lease policy to Britain. Roosevelt begins to declare to the people that the United States was in a state of emergency, somewhat encouraging and stirring on a war movement and spirit in the citizens of the USA. In 1941 on June 22nd, Germany declared war on the Soviet Union. As a response, the United States gave the Soviet Union Lend-Lease assistance. Throughout 1940 and 1941, the United States had been trying to shut down nations they were opposed to in the war within the borders of the USA. Trade with Japan had first decreased, then had been completely stopped. Sale of Japanese goods in the United States were frozen. Italian and German consulates in the USA were closed by the government, which meant that Italian and German immigrants had no embassy to go to, thus no contact with their home governments. The rights of German and Italian citizens were basically unprotected after the shut-down of the consulates. Ironically, around the same time, the United States was working on preserving equality and anti-racism in the workplace. on June 25th, of 1941, the Fair Employment Practices Committee was created, to prevent discrimination based on race, social status, or family past, but only in defense plants. 

     Going with this peaceful and accepting tone, on December 6th 1941, President Roosevelt directly addressed Japanese Emperor Hirohito to maintain a peace between the USA and Japan. Unfortunately, the next day on December 7th, Japan Pearl Harbor and other U.S. bases located in Guam, Hong Kong, and more. This devastating event ruined the lives of many and the next day, President Roosevelt brought a war proposal to congress, against Japan which was almost unanimously passed. The following is Franklin Delano Roosevelt's address to congress on December 8th, 1941, where he implores congress to declare war on Japan, his last statement in his speech being:

 

"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire."

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 

 

Little did the Japanese know that a few months before the Attack on Pearl Harbor, on June 28th, The Office of Scientific Research and Development was developed. They had already begun developing the radar, sonar, and most importantly, the atomic bomb which would eventually lead to the devastating end of the war against Japan, with bombs being dropped mainly on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two major cities. 

     Immediately after the USA declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy both declared war on the United States on December 11th. By the end of December, FDR had passed a draft, which in essence involved every capable man in the war effort. The war effort was in full motion now.  

     Focusing on government at home, despite President Roosevelt's war efforts, Democrats were losing votes and seats in congress. The elections of 1943 gave rise to a lot more Republicans in congress, thus starting to make the Democrats a minority. FDR however, continued to lead the war movement. On a positive side, the war had virtually gave jobs to almost everyone who wanted and needed one, so the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) were discontinued by the government. President Roosevelt also continued fighting discrimination in the work place, issuing an order to include an anti-discrimination clause in all government or industry contracts pertaining to the war. An important factor to notice is that up until now, all anti-discrimination movements were only applied to areas pertaining to the war. As a historian, one can argue that this was to ensure there was efficiency in anything concerning the war effort, or FDR wanted all people's talents, regardless of race, to come into play to better equip the USA for war, or it was in a movement to keep peace with the existing USA allies who had citizens living in the United States at the time and maintain good relations. Either way, it was a smart move on the part of the government because they were satisfying more peoples wants while accomplishing their own means 

     1945 was the climax of everything, concluding the first half of the decade while also bringing to a close the greater part of World War II. FDR is elected into his fourth term as president, in time to watch the end of the war. Berlin is bombed and invaded and the Philippines is taken back from Japan by the USA. All is going well, but President Roosevelt suddenly dies in office on April 12th. Truman is sworn in as president. A few weeks later, on April 30th, Hitler commits suicide, realizing that capture by the United States or its allies was inevitable. Finally, on May 8th, Germany surrenders thus ending the war in Europe. Japan however, continues to attack the United States. Fortunately, the atomic bomb that researcher's  began working on a few years earlier was complete. On August 6th, the government made the decision to use the atomic bomb for war purposes, despite the devastating effect it could have on a society. An atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, and on August 9th, one is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. In total, about 90 thousand citizens perished. Japan announces its intentions to surrender, and on September 2nd, they finally surrendered, thus ending World War II. 

     Throughout the decade, there were other important government actions implemented not related to the war, both in the first and second half of the decade. All Chinese Exclusion Acts were repealed on December 17th, 1943, which essentially ended the restrictions on Chinese immigration to the United States, and also gave them fairer opportunities in business. This was en exampe of how though the United States government tightened freedom on certain groups of people, other groups of people were given more rights by the government. Apart from civil movements, there were difficulties in the railroad industry. In 1943 on December 27th, all railroads were seized by the government  because of railroad strikes that were deemed illegal. On January 19th of 1944, approximately 3 weeks later, the government finally returned ownership of the railroads to private businesses. In 1946 however, the nations railroads were shut down by the trainmen and the locomotive engineers. Difficulties with the railroads continued, and in 1948 there was a national railroad strike. This provoked the government to interfere by sending the army to run and control the railroads. This relates back to how in this decade, the Laissez-Faire policy of the government was discontinued. After the depression, many realized that at times, the government needs to involve in the economy in order to regulate it and make sure it stays stable enough for people to survive.

        Other important acts were implemented in the 1940's that still have an impact today. Firstly, in 1944, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) was created, as well as the World Bank, by the government. The United States was very involved in the IMF which gave it post-war economic control. The IMF basically ensures world economic stability, and correct exchanges between different currencies, while also ensuring fair world-wide trade. Another important act was after World War II, when Truman announced his recovery plan, part of which included national health care insurance. On November 19th, 1945, Truman requested congress to enact a health-insurance program that would encompass all people. Though this was accomplished, the health-insurance coverage was not very fair to all people. Another important step taken, during the presidency of FDR, was the passing of the Serviceman's Readjustment ACT (nicknamed the GI Bill of Rights). This allowing people to buy homes post-war while taking out low-interest loans. In addition to this, it provided funding for education. There was an incentive for people to buy houses, encouraging the formation of suburbs. Also, until this point, people had to pay for school entirely by themselves, so by providing funding FDR gave many more people the opportunity for a higher education. Adding on to this, in August of 1946, the Fulbright Act was passed by congress, which gave scholarships to USA students to study abroad, and students from abroad to study in the USA. Lastly, the United States finally grants independence to one of it's long held territories, the Philippines. They were only given political independence though, because the United States still was able to have ships and planes on Philippine land and different air and naval bases. 

     The bombs developed during World War II could potentially serve to wipe out millions of people, and could be used for the wrong purposes which is something the United States government realized. In order to prevent this, the McMahon Act was passed so that there was control over atomic development. During this time, the increase in Republicans continued, and on November 5th of 1946, Republicans officially gained control over the House and the Senate. Around this time, people were starting to get uneasy about the growing power of the president. FDR had served four consecutive terms, and done as he pleased. In order to ensure that no one president gains complete control by winning every election, an amendment was added to the constitution saying that a president could serve no more than two four-year terms as presider, or a total of 10 years in office. People also started to wonder, after the sudden death of FDR, who would be president in case of the vice-president's death? A new act made it so in case of the death of the president and vice president, the speaker of the house would stem into the role of president These two acts were passed in 1947. In addition to this, the whole infrastructure of the United States Defense Department was altered and changed, and a cabinet member is added, the Secretary of Defense, in order to have a specific department dedicated to the defense of the nation.

     American's still had a perceived threat, but now from Russia, the Soviet Union, and communism. The government took all measures necessary to stifle any communist movements going on in the United States. In 1949, there were a group of communists discovered. The United States government perceived them as trying to overthrow the government. Aided by the Smith Act, they arrested the 11 men. This was the note on which the United States entered the 1950's, the fear of communism, from the Soviet's and also the newly formed People's Republic of China with chairman Mao Tse-Tung, and the fear of the Cold War between Russia and the United States. The government would use what it had learned from the 1940s in order to make smarter decisions and take better-suited actions for situations as needed. 

 

 

Leadership-Alishah

 

 

(out of space so additional vokis could not be added) "I knew it was necessary for us because the Soviets took the bulk of the damage in order to win world war two so they had to be given more in order to keep peaceful ties with them, and also at the time the war devastated Russia so bad that they were in no position to be a threat to anyone else. Therefore I feel that if one was to look at the options I had at the time, I did the best with what I had, made difficult decisions quickly, and thaat is what made me such a great leader during the 1940s." (voki avatar)

 

 

Law &  Justice-Anita

       

      President Roosevelt's influence was felt in the Supreme Court, as he had attempted to fill it with justices who shared his ideas, "stacking" the Supreme Court. Though his attempt supposedly failed, he successfully hired eight justices during his presidency, most of who reflected his liberal social ideas. Many people began to grow uneasy due to the growing power of the role of the president, this was also in part due to the fear in communism at the time. In order to ensure that no one president continues to win elections, and essentially becomes the dictator, the twenty-second amendment was added to the constitution. This amendment ensured that a president could not serve more than two four-year terms in office, or a total of 10 years in office. In addition to this, the Smith Act was passed (because of fear of communism, the red scare). This act declared that it is illegal for any group to speak of or attempt to overthrow any form of government in the U.S.A by force. It was also illegal to join any cause or group which promoted overthrowing a government by force. Though the Supreme Court declared this law constitutional, many people believed it was not fair however growing fear of communism led to the act staying in act. Later in the decade, in 1943,the Supreme Court declares that the FCC (Federal Communications Committee) had the right to restrict broadcasting on radios and televisions if they wanted. Many people believed that this infringed on their rights, such as Freedom of Speech, however they could not due much about it.

     World War II also had a major impact on the justice system in the United States. There were negative sides, and positive sides. On the negative side, many had anti-Japanese feelings, aimed towards the Japanese living in certain parts of the United States. Due to this sentiment, many Japanese-Americans were displaced from their homes and placed in "concentration camps". They had their property taken from them and they were not given equal rights, trials, or much representation, and the Supreme Court did not declare this unconstitutional.

 

           

 

On the other side however, many people spoke out against the treatment of the Japanese and demanded that they have justice. Another thing going on at home was crime. U.S citizens were beginning to demand more of a focus on law back at home. The increased demand was due to the fact that more and more people were hearing about the crimes in the United States due to new inventions like the radio and television. The Supreme Court was so focused on crimes being committed overseas, that they did not give adequate attention to big crimes at home, such as mass murder crimes, and large riots. The thing was, many crimes overseas such as the mass Genocide and man-hunting of the Jews by Nazi-Germans led to fear among people of what was going on. The United States felt compelled to do something, therefore they held all these war trials for war crimes. Due to the nature of this war, it was hard to try war crimes. By nature of the war, it is meant that up until this point, wars had been fought with certain rules to uphold, and certain techniques. For example, soldiers would line up and shoot at each other with face to face combat, and very rarely were there innocent civilian casualties. World War II, however, introduced a new type of war, a war where underground deals were made and secret attacks were launched from the sky in airplanes. The huge difference was,  not only were soldiers targeted. Now, wars were being fought through the killing of innocent, unarmed civilians. The nature of this war made it hard to hold fair war trials, however the United States continued to hold these war trials because they needed to feel like they were doing something, and they also wanted to show their power as a world, encouraging people to see an imperialistic view of the United States. This is when law began to take a more holistic view of the world, and interfere in other country's affairs when they felt as though something was immoral or unconstitutional. 

     Laws and opinions were being changed at home also. Rights were being extended to all people, despite race or color, and even the law was beginning to side with equality over discrimination. There are many examples of these types of ruling. In Morgan v.Commonwealth of Virginia the law ruled that seating on a bus cannot be segregated based on race. In 1948, the Supreme Court rules that students who wish to study law cannot be discriminated against based on race. Even in the sense of voting, people of other races were beginning to get rights, as seen by Smith v. Allwright. In this case, it was ruled that African Americans cannot be denied the right to vote in the Texas Democratic Primaries. The following is amendments used for backing of the ruling that the man should be allowed to vote although he is of color (taken from the actual writings from the case):

 

 

A colored citizen cannot be denied the right to vote.mp3

 

These were the beginning steps to a more equal American society. In addition to giving rights to different races, respect was also given to different nationalities and religions. Originally, religion could be taught in school, and a student could be expelled for not confessing their loyalty to the American Flag. The Supreme Court, during this decade, rule that a student cannot be expelled for not saluting to the flag. In McCollumv. Board of Education, it was declared that religion could not be taught in school because it infringed on people's right to freedom of religion. In addition to the equality being spread, all people now had the right to a fair trial by a jury, which could be made of anyone regardless of skin or race. This new sense of justice in the U.S.A was influenced by the post-war ideals. Americans got rid of the isolationistic and saw the world in a more full manner. The Supreme Court, made of younger and more liberal justices who reflected FDR's views, sided with anti-racism and desegregation, thus influencing the people of the United States. 

  

Religion-Alishah

     The 1930 to 1940’s were hard on Americans. The seemingly never-ending stream of inflation, debt, corruption, and war demoralized many, if not all Americans. Due to this many Americans became cynical and churches lost many members. However, in 1945, following the end of World War two, many Americans had their faith restored. During the period following WWII, what occurred throughout the nation was nothing less of a religious revival. In the years following 1945, church memberships increased tenfold, which boosted churches’ income, which lead to $409 million spent on construction of new churches and renovation of current ones. Religion gained so much popularity after the war that polls in 1945 showed the majority of the public held religious figures in higher regard than political ones. In the 1940s several different types of religions grew and religion itself was affected by several different factors.

     As the largest faith in America, Protestantism grew the most in the 1940, but since it encompassed so many people, it had many different denominations. With millions of people in each branch of the religion, it had the most influence on the nation. However after the war, many of the unorthodox branches grow bigger due to social influences of the time and because many felt that the Methodists were to powerful and had too much influence.

     Since a majority of immigrant that came to America came from Eastern Europe, many brought ideas of Catholicism and Judaism to America. Catholicism quickly became one of the largest religious bodies in the nation. It also gained a lot of influence in the 1940s with 225 universities and 800 hospitals. Also, since it was centered in urban area so it spread quickly. Judaism only had 5 million members, but by 1944 it created 234 schools and had 600 local community councils.

Before the war the urban faiths of Judaism and Catholicism and the rural faith of Protestantism had bad feelings towards each other, but were isolated from each other so it did not affect any of the religions. However, after the war, the character of the areas changed, with rural people coming to urban areas and urban folk moving to suburban areas, which caused the religions to come in contact with each other. Because of this many aspects of Catholicism and Protestantism influence each other in American practice.

     During the war the church had a large role in the war efforts. On the war front, clergy entered service as chaplains and provided bibles to soldiers. However their main role was as the moral conscience of the nation. The church monitored the morality of the nation and went to political leaders to clarify the moral problems of war and made sure that the goals of the war were ethical. Others helped create the anti-war movements that pleaded that an alternative to war is found. Either way the church made sure that even if all hope was lost, people would still have someone to turn to.

     In the 1940s, after the war, the problems between different religions and denominations were forgotten and this lead to a tolerance of all beliefs. From this tolerance, came a more liberal approach towards religion with a greater diversity of beliefs being accepted. Also all three major faiths were in harmony and combined their beliefs and worked together towards the same goals. WWII depiction of the evil potential of man, and the creation of the atomic bomb caused the focus of these religions after the war to be humbleness and charity.

     One of the things that reformed religion the most was its growing popularity. After World War II the stability of the economy helped increase the number of churches and the wealth of these churches. Churchgoing became part of routine and something that brought Americans closer to each other. During this time the influence of ethnicity of religion faded away. In the late 1940s many Catholic and Jewish conservatives feared that their faith was becoming to protestant-like, but at the same time Catholicism heavily influenced Protestants. With all these different faiths mixed together in the same area, the individual boundaries between faiths grew invisible.  As the decade drew to an end, church became more of a social event rather than a spiritual one with more events planned than sermons. Many conservatives, while in favor of how the different faiths were getting along, were worried that religion was losing its value as a spiritual retreat and will simply become a social commodity. They claimed that the popularity of religion was pointless if the value of the practice was lost. However, these arguments only gained momentum long after the end of the 1940s.

 

 

 

 

Positive Political Cartoon-Alishah

    

                                                       "Real Harmony"

     This cartoon was created on June 30^th, 1942 by Dr. Seuss. The cartoon illustrates how during WWII most military leaders were discriminating against other races and only accepted white soldiers into the army. While this was discriminating and prejudicing against many Americans, it was also significantly hurting the nations military power. This was because since there were only so many white people joining the army, the size of the army was limited because all the minorities who were willing to fight were turned away. However the government finally realized that if they want to win this war, they will have to fix these prejudices. So the government made the military accept all races of people because they realized that if they want America to prosper they will have to get rid of the resentment towards other races. Therefore thanks to the war America was finally geting closer to being a nations of equality. The comic was written with this in mind, illustrating how because of the war, America was realizing just how detrimental racism is, and now they are finally starting get rid of racism in their country. 

 

 

 

Negative Political Cartoon-Keyara

     "What the President is After"

This cartoon is illustrating how during the 1940's President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted to have all the power. Knowing the Supreme Court was able to stop him in things they did not believe were right or able to help America. This picture is depicting the thumb of the large and of Roosevelt is squishing the small man who is labeled Supreme Court. Which means that Roosevelt was trying to take out the Supreme Court so that he could have ultimate power.

 

 

 

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

 

     World War II was the epitome of change in the 1940's. The effect of World War II seeped into every aspect of America society, culture, and the minds of the American people. The culture of the United States reflected post WWII in the sense that there was higher religious and racial tolerance. Also the culture of the United States was affected by the soldiers coming back from the Eastern countries. Pizza became very popular because of the soldiers who were stationed in Italy, they came back to America and craved the foods thats they were so used to eating. Thus changing the food industry as well from the outside influence of different countries that were involved with WWII. Events of World War II , such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, and persecution of Jews in the Eastern Hemisphere shaped the way Americans viewed others that were different from themselves. Leaders such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who supported the war, and others caused changes in the opinions in the American people on national issues such as the war, and led the country in to its current state.

     The first half of the decade was filled with the horrors of WWII, and the way Hitler went about his idea of racial purity terrorized people. This terror paved way for a more accepting American Society. Because of World War II, many American's began to disown the idea of whites being better than everyone else. This idea was seen everywhere, from the courtroom to Washington D.C. In court, many more immigrants and non-white Americans were getting equality and favorable rulings. Government passed many laws in order to encourage immigration and grant rights to people of all races (for example, the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Acts, and the ruling that colleges cannot reject students based on race, and buses cannot be segregated based on color). World War II also led to more religious tolerance after seeing the extreme intolerance held toward Jews by Nazi Germans. There was more cooperation between Catholics and Jews, and religion on a whole scale became more liberal and less strict. It also influenced culture by introducing women in the workplace on a large-scale, because they filled in for men fighting in WWII, by giving rise to the baby- boomer generation which gave rise to suburbs, and encouraging Immigration. United States citizens began to pride themselves on living in such a diverse nation, however there was a slight downside, as the people's individual faiths and cultures were lost in the blending of American Society. World War II also gave many unemployed people jobs, thus ending the depression and raising the overall standard of living while paving the way for a generation of cautious spenders. It influenced literature and art by creating more stark, realistic themes of the harsh truth of men and their negative characteristics. 

     The World War II as an event is what shaped the majority of the 1940s. All the manslaughter and the bombing of cities opened peoples eyes. Many had before believed the Americas to be a place of truth and goodness, but the war made many people realize that the world was not as nice of a place as they imagined. WW2 and the rest of the 1940s made America realize that to keep the peace, it had to play an active role in world affairs, something that started with the end of WW2 and continues until this day. American interventions sometimes may not be welcomed or succeed (such as the Vietnam War or the Iraq invasion), but other American interventions (such as numerous instances in Israeli-Arab relations, North Korean relations, and Iran relations) help keep the world safe and prosperous for all. The 1940s started this new policy, and its effects, good and bad, and reflected in America, its actions, and its culture.

     Intervention may not just be politically or socially motivated. In many cases America, through its own or other programs, helped other countries prosper; China is a good example of how warmer political relations can breed warmer economic relations. America's help of other countries helps America, the other countries, and wins their people's gratitude and goodwill. American goods, ideas, and talents flow to Europe and Asia, once places of complete destruction, turmoil, and misery; Europe and Asia respond the same. Cultures, once repressed or forgotten, can come to America and enjoy a well-meaning population and open hearts; American culture is exported to other countries in kind. 

     American power has to be projected to the rest of the world to make sure that trouble is kept low and the peace is kept. This may not be particularly popular, but only in countries that do not like and fear the U.S. for various reasons, for example, the U.S. disrupting their nuclear weapons ambitions or their expansionist military doctrines. Granted, many countries have a dislike of the U.S. that is rightly deserved, but on the whole, U.S. policy has been effective in meeting world needs and expectations. 

     The Great Depression and WW2 created a frugal atmosphere for many decades to come. The idea of saving for the common good became popular after the war, and lasted until the last Depression-era minds. This created more saving and investment, and greater prosperity for a major part of the 20th century. 

     The leaders of America were diverse and widespread, but they all helped to point America in the right direction. American political leaders recognized the need to stay integrated with the world, and helped to do so by creating various international agencies, with the U.S. in an influential role. They recognized the need to contain communism, yet realized that America should not start WW3, leading America into a tense but ultimately successful Cold War. American civil rights leaders realized that, even after many minority groups gave America their ultimate sacrifice, America would not give them their own wish of their people becoming fully American and accepted by America. Civil rights became more aggressive after WW2, leading to a largely successful integration of minorities into American society. Economists, teachers, fashion designers, businessmen and women, and many other people from different backgrounds, helped to shape the organic and liquid country that is called America. 

     

 

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