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CHE - "The Negroes in America are trying to do in sixty years what the Jews in the world have not wholly accomplished in six hundred years. As a Jew I have no room in my mind or heart for racial prejudice. But...I have come to know that if we sell one house to a Negro family, then ninety to ninety-five percent of our white customers will not buy into the community. That is their attitude, not ours... As a company our position is simply this: We can solve a housing problem, or we can try to solve a racial problem, but we cannot combine the two." – William Levitt This was said by William Levitt, developer of Levittown and “father of suburbia”. As mentioned in the quote, Levitt grew up in a Jewish family with origins in Austria and Russia. After the navy lieutenant returned from the war, he encouraged his father and brother to turn Levitt and Sons into a business that could quickly make and sell houses. During the nineteen-fifties, GIs would come home from the war and need to find affordable housing for them and their families. As cities were often crowded and dirty, families wanted to raise children in suburbs. The development of Levittown paved the way for creation of more suburbs where families could have a comfortable yet affordable house with a yard, all within driving distance to jobs in the city. Levitt designed four different floor plans, and Levittowns were made up of a mix of these different designs. As stated in the quote, houses in Levittown were not sold to African-Americans; this exemplifies the still prominent racism in the nineteen-fifties, almost a century after the Civil War. This quote was directed toward those who questioned Levitt’s judgement; his excuse was that selling houses to African-Americans would take away the success of Levittown. This was significant for this time period because it openly contributes to the prominent racism in the nineteen-fifties and the need for social reform. The Civil Rights movement erupted about eight years after the first Levittown emerged; however, it was not until the late nineteen-sixties that African-Americans could purchase homes in suburbs.

ATG "No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices." -Edward R. Murrow Edward R. Murrow was an American broadcast journalist that became popular during World War II. Murrow gained further popularity with his work related to Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. Murrow hated Sen. McCarthy and knew that McCarthy was taking advantage of the United States and worked with a fellow journalist to scrutinize McCarthy’s speeches and claims. Quotes like this one were featured in many of Murrow’s radio broadcasts all across the United States and Canada. Senator McCarthy used the naïve citizens of the United States to gain his support. He called random people communists and forced his way into control. With this quote Murrow wanted to summarize the work of McCarthy and he wanted to shed light on his campaign allowing people to realize how the people who supported him were just as bad as McCarthy himself. By his rash claims McCarthy became far more of a threat to the United States than all of the other people he claimed to be enemies of the state. Edward Murrow’s fight against McCarthy was an act of bravery because by doing so he put himself at risk of losing everything he as earned by being called a communist. Very few people fought back against Senator McCarthy; however, it is quotes like this that make Murrow such a leading figure in broadcasting and journalism. The thing that makes this quote so beneficial is the time it was said and showed that Murrow truly worked to help and guide the people of the United States.

SMR- "McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled." - Joseph R. McCarthy Joseph R. McCarthy was Senator of Wisconsin, who was strictly anti-communist. He believed communists had infiltrated the United States' government and were controlling American foreign policy. McCarthy was an aspiring Senator at the time and in order to get recognition, he made absurd claims about known communist workers in the government. McCarthy's "regime" occurred during the Cold War, when Americans feared Soviet Russia and its followers. Anyone branded a communist or communist-sympathizer was unable to get a job or were renounced. McCarthy created his followers by taking the American public under his wing, encouraging people to give up names of possible communists. He argued that it was for the fate of the United States and to protect democracy. Thirty years prior, the first Red Scare had created a state of hostility throughout the country. The same state was repeated at the rise of McCarthy. History has shown that Americans will stop at nothing to protect democracy. McCarthy too advantage of this asset to make a name for himself. McCarthy presented his points of view to the American public, whose minds/ are easily mendable to anti-communist ideas. McCarthy targeted all kinds of groups. His intentions were to extract possible names from those brought to court, however, many did not disclose any names because they thought McCarthy was a joke of a political figure. The quote portrays Americans as strong figures who are able to drive out unwanted people by force. By portraying Americans as such, many Americans ruthlessly followed McCarthy because they were the playground bully. Those that didn't follow him didn't make it known for the fear of being targeted and ruined.

SLW-- “I personally believe if you try to go too far too fast in this delicate field that has involved the emotions of so many millions of Americans, you are making a mistake.” --Dwight D. Eisenhower This was a quote spoken by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in regards to the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Through Eisenhower’s actions it is very clear that he was a tepid supporter of civil rights. Eisenhower believed that black integration and complete equality of rights were issues that required a change in people’s hearts and minds and not something that federal law could simply dictate. Eisenhower did, however, enact the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the first civil rights ruling since the time of Reconstruction, to help blacks that were denied the right to vote. This quote was directed to extremists in the United States, including both those people who wanted blacks to gain all of the rights and equalities of whites and those who did not want the federal courts to grant blacks any civil rights. People reacted to Eisenhower’s approach in different ways, in that some people agreed with his views while others resorted to violence or political action. After the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education, for example, Eisenhower wanted to remain nonchalant and silent about the verdict, thus allowing for groups in the South to continue the practice of segregation. Eisenhower was trying to convey to the American public that he knew that it was his obligation to uphold law, like desegregation, but people could not expect for this practice to be obliterated completely because of human nature. In Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Eisenhower decided to use military force to resume public order and allow for African American students to attend the school but, as soon as the violence was quelled, he did not feel that it was his duty to speed desegregation. This quote is important because it reveals the true thoughts of Eisenhower on the issue of civil rights and it reveals the reality of how hard it is to change people’s views. Although segregation is not prevalent in today’s society, there are still socioeconomic and psychological barriers that inhibit minorities today. This unfortunately shows that it is unlikely for all people in the world to be treated equally because people have their own preconceived thoughts and opinions of others.

SL: "Give me five minutes with a person's checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is."

Billy Graham The author of this quote is Billy Graham, one of the original televangelists of the 1950s. Billy Graham's religious programs encouraged people to donate money back to their church in order to "connect" with their god. With the advent of television in most homes, programs diversified to include religious services and 'revival" type segments. During the 1950s, Christianity, Judaism and Protestantism experienced major revivals as anxiety over nuclear warfare drove people back to church. Combined with television's rise in popularity, pastors and reverends took advantage of new technology, with numerous religious programs that allowed young mothers and others who could not get to church because of children or work, to still remain connected with their faith. Regardless of Graham's programs' validity, his actions allowed people to connect with their church and contributed to the religious revival during the decade. Although, the idea of "selling confessions" or salvation is somewhat similar with the priests selling good works during the 1400s in Europe, Billy Graham's televangelism connected people with their faith and created greater public access for the public. This quote targeted the public by insinuating that people who contribute more financial support to the church have a greater connection with God. In essence, Graham was trying to instill in people that contributing to the Church and participating through monetary donations would make up for the fact that they watch Church on TV instead of actually attending services. This is significant because it demonstrates television's impact of society, and how religious took advantage and adapted to modern technology in an attempt to stay relevant in the 1950's changing society.

WMA

"The art of automobile design has progressed, until today it is regarded as one of the most important factors in the marketing of the automobile." – Harley Earl 1956 This quote was spoken by Harley Earl, the first Vice President of Design at General Motors. Early personally revolutionized the automobile industry by emphasizing the importance of style and diversity when designing new cars. Earl’s innovative ideas helped transform the car into a pop culture icon during the 1950s. Previously the vast majority of cars differed minimally in appearance and functionality was the largest factor in car design. This quote reflects back on not only Earl’s own impact within the automobile industry, but the entire role of the automobile as well. During the 1950s Americans were introduced to the Corvette, Cadillac, tail fins, and other new products which collectively altered the role of the car from merely a mode of transportation to a symbol of social status and more. However, this quote also may allude to the negative consequences of the new direction in car design. Through the 1960s the Chevrolet Corvair was developed, which stressed style of safety to a fault – leading to accidents, injuries, and even deaths. Despite being spoken by Earl in 1956 this quote is more relevant than ever, as it accurately predicted the current obsession with aesthetics in car design today. This quote relates most closely with young Americans and wealthy Americans whom are purchasing new and stylish cars, while older Americans may disagree with Early and claim that efficiency is still superior to looks. In general, though, this quote focuses on process of change occurring within the automobile industry at the time.

GEB “Little boxes on the hillside./Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,/Little boxes, little boxes,/And they all look just the same.” - Malvina Reynolds This song was written in the 1950s about the sense a homogenous society. From the ‘Company Man’ to the idea ‘keeping up with the Jones,’ everything everyone had was the same, just in Avocado or Yellow. This sense of a loss of individuality came about at first in the 1920s after WWI as society became obsessed with material things and resurfaced in the ‘50s. During this time, the soldiers from WWII were coming home and starting families, which requires a home. Unfortunately, homes were not the priority in the past years because all resources were being forwarded to aid the military forces in the war. So there was a huge crisis as the men came back because housing prices jumped due to the high demand and many people were forced to live at home with their parents. Then along came William Levitt. He decided to employ tactics used during the war in Japan at home to build houses. There were assembly lines and a minimum of 36 houses were built in just one day in Levittown. This solved the most immediate problem: lack of housing, but Levitt refused to sell to blacks which left a huge amount of the population in the city high rise buildings, buildings that in essence encouraged poverty. The other problem per say is since the houses were going up in such high numbers, they could not be individualized. There were only four types of model houses and the floor plan could be reverted, but that was as different as one could get. This quote directly reflects the homogenous feeling of the suburbs; every house was the same; every house was built not to last but to simply exist. The song itself is meant as a cheerless parody to mock as well as grab attention to the fact that Americans were all becoming one. They dressed the same, drove the same cars, had the same kitchen appliances, had the same houses, and had adorable babies. Not only were the people materialistic, they wanted to fit in and be their neighbor. In writing this, it is obvious that Reynolds is completely against a society in which everything is the same. The unfortunate part is the number of people who didn’t want to be identical was significantly smaller than the number of couples. The significant of this quote is just that: that people should retain their identities, not make them similar to everyone else’s.

JML- "The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family's suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure." -//Life Magazine// 1956 //Life// //Magazine// published these words in 1956. They were a women’s magazine but all of those in charge were still men so the views expressed still mostly reflected male as opposed to female feelings. The magazine’s point of view was that women were meant to be in the home caring for the family in a suburban home and looking pretty. As this was published during the mid-50s, it reflected the current, though challenged, belief that women were meant for the home and not the workplace, identifying that the ‘ideal modern woman’ was the 1950s mother and housewife. People would have first read this in //Life Magazine//. It addresses the issues of women’s role and equality for women that have recurred throughout United States history. It would be good to know that in the 1950s, this was truly the depiction of the ideal woman, but that women in the 50s had also began to challenge it by continuing to work and go to school and attempting to be both the family caregiver and career woman. It would also be beneficial to understand that this was not a new thing, that woman had challenged gender roles and equality earlier in history, such as with the first feminist movement and Seneca Falls, the 19th Amendment, and the flapper, and that in each instance, the cult of domesticity rebutted and stalled their efforts and continued to advocate woman’s sole role as being the righteous mother and wife. This was created for //Life Magazine// and thus reflected the ideal woman not according to the American woman, but according to the men in charge of the magazine. The intended audience was the American woman. The average American woman would have been influenced into becoming the ‘ideal modern woman’ or feel good about already being it. But American women who were challenging the gender norms would, on the contrary, reject the statement and be upset that //that// was the ‘ideal woman’ as opposed to a woman who was both a mother and a worker. This material was produced to encourage women to live up to the ‘ideal modern woman’ and not challenge the cult of domesticity. It was produced in 1956 because that was when some women were going against the cult of domesticity but most women were not, so that the ‘ideal modern woman’ they depicted would still be accurate and so that it would serve the purpose of keeping it so. //Life Magazine// argues that the ideal woman of the time was a fit wife, mother and caregiver, living in the suburbs, thus its message deals with woman’s role and thus how the world should work and what women’s life and values should be. The point is that the ‘ideal modern woman’ is the cult of domesticity’s ideal pretty and happy wife and mother and not the job-holding and mothering woman. This material is important because it reflects the view of woman’s role in the 1950s. It implies that women are meant to be wives and mothers not employees. This material might have enabled this ideal to last throughout the 50s.