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1950s
Historical
Overview
During the early 1970s, films like American Graffiti and television shows like Happy Days began to portray the 1950s as a carefree era before the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and Watergate--a decade of tail-finned Cadillacs, collegians stuffing themselves in phone booths, and innocent tranquility and static charm. In truth, the post-World War II period was an era of momentous changes.Key events of the period included the postwar Baby Boom and the rapid growth of suburbia. The Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and black Americans increased protests against segregation. A teenage culture with a distinctive form of music, rock ‘n’ roll, emerged. The Beat poets and writers scorned materialism, traditional family life and sexuality and tapped into dissatisfaction with the prevailing blandness of conventional culture.
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This
site was updated on 21-Nov-09.
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