United States History: 1877 to the Present

The United States Since World War II

USII.7

The student will The student will demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, and political transformation of the United States and the world between the end of World War II and the present by

a) describing the rebuilding of Europe and Japan after World War II, the emergence of the United States as a superpower, and the establishment of the United Nations;
b) describing the conversion from a wartime to a peacetime economy;
c) identifying the role of America’s military and veterans in defending freedom during the Cold War, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis, the collapse of communism in Europe, and the rise of new challenges;
d) describing the changing patterns of society, including expanded educational and economic opportunities for military veterans, women, and minorities.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Begin the unit with the following questions:
- What factors led to changing patterns of society in the post-World War II era?
- What policies and programs expanded educational and employment opportunities for the military, women, and minorities?
Explain that changing patterns in American society at the end of World War II changed the way most Americans lived and worked.
Factors leading to changing patterns in U.S. society included:
- Strong economy (healthy job market, increased productivity, increased demand for American products)
- Greater investment in education
- "The Baby Boom," which led to changing demographics
- Interstate highway system
- Evolving role of women (expected to play supporting role in the family, but increasingly working outside the home)
- Role of Eleanor Roosevelt in expanding women's rights
- African Americans' aspirations for equal opportunities
- Changes in make-up of immigrants after 1965 (e.g., Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans)
Policies and programs expanding educational and employment opportunities included the following:
- G.I. Bill of Rights gave educational, housing, and employment benefits to World War II veterans.
- Truman desegregated the armed forces.
- Civil Rights legislation led to increased educational, economic, and political opportunities for women and minorities.
Explain that United States society underwent many changes as a result of WWII. Many of these changes manifested themselves in the ways individuals lived and worked. One important demographic shift was the "baby boom" of the 1950s. As young soldiers returned from war, many people felt they needed to make up for lost time. People married, hurried off to college, and started a family all at once. Many returning soldiers benefited from the G.I. Bill to help them pay for education and homes. Many families also moved from the city to the suburbs.
In order to examine these trends, have students analyze a set of graphs charting major demographic trends in the twentieth century. As students analyze the data, have them answer a series of questions, working in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class. Graphs for this session can be found in "Demographic Trends in the Twentieth Century: Census 2000 Special Reports" published by the U.S. Census Bureau and found at http://landview.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/censr-4.pdf. Print the graphs for students' use, or show the graphs in an electronic presentation. A sample selection of graphs to use are noted below with accompanying questions:
Figure 1-2. Population Increase by Decade: 1900 to 2000, found on page 13 of document.
- In what decade was there a decrease in the growth of the population? What accounted for this decrease?
- In what decade was the highest percentage increase in the population? What accounted for this increase?
- What has been the trend in population growth since the 1950s? What are some long-range societal and economic problems that might occur as a result of this trend?
Figure 1-14. Total Population by Metropolitan Status: 1910 to 2000, found on page 32.
Figure 1-15. Percent of Total Population Living in Metropolitan Areas in Their Central Cities and Suburbs: 1910 to 2000, found on page 33.
- In what decade was the biggest shift from living in metropolitan areas to living in the suburbs? What accounted for this shift?
- What is the trend in American living patterns?
- What information is not represented by these graphs? How might this missing information increase understanding about American society during these time periods?
Figure 2-4. Percent Distribution of the Total Population by Age: 1900 to 2000, found on page 56.
- What happened to the age of the American population since 1950?
- When was the largest percentage of the population under the age of 15? What explains this circumstance?
- What accounts for the aging of the American population? What are some long-range problems associated with having an aging population?
Figure 3-4. Percentage Races Other than White or Black by Race: 1900 to 2000, found on page 77.
- What are the trends in the racial make-up of the American population?
- What impact will this trend have on American society?
After students have analyzed the graphs and answered the questions, discuss their answers, and help them draw some possible conclusions regarding the data. Ask students how the data might affect future legislation concerning education, health care, affirmative action, and other social issues.
Explain to students that with increasing dependence on the automobile and the construction of the Interstate highway system, people began to move out of cities into the suburbs. Review with students the characteristics of a suburban versus an urban setting. Explain that immediately after World War II, there was a housing shortage. As a result of this shortage, construction companies attempted to find innovative ways to build suburban housing in a fast and efficient manner. The most successful of these efforts were "Levittowns," named after Levittown, Pennsylvania, one of the first planned suburban housing developments in the United States.
Distribute to students a blank bubble map, or draw one on the board and have students reproduce it. The essential concept for their bubble map will be "Suburbs: Levittown." Also distribute the worksheet entitled Levittown: Building the American Dream to guide student research. Have students research information on Levittown, using the following Web site:

Levittown: Documents of an Ideal American Suburb. http://tigger.uic.edu/~pbhales/Levittown.html

As students gather information about Levittown, they should fill it in on their bubble map. For the bubble map, CLICK HERE. For the Levittown: Building the American Dream worksheet, CLICK HERE.
After the students have completed their bubble maps, divide students into small groups, and have each group design a real estate brochure that will attract residents to Levittown. Encourage students to be creative and use colors and pictures. The brochure should highlight the following:
- Benefits of living in the suburbs
- Special features of the houses
- Community features
- Affordability
Display the groups' brochures, and have the class look critically at each to decide which one would be most effective in convincing a family to move out of the city and buy a house in Levittown.
For assessing the Levittown brochures, use the Sample Grading Rubric: Levittown Real Estate Brochure. For the rubric, CLICK HERE.
Display the transparency, and have the students consider the phrases shown. Ask students to use their texts to write a one-sentence summary of the importance of each phrase to the time period.
After the students have completed their summaries, hold a class discussion about each phrase.

WEB SITES

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/
PBS on Eleanor Roosevelt

http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/erbio.html
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

http://www.gibill.va.gov/education/GI_Bill.htm
GI Bill

http://www.higher-ed.org/resources/GI_bill.htm
GI Bill

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ht33.html
Harry S. Truman

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/
Harry S. Truman Library

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