The over-arching theme of chapter 37 is how 1950s America entered a period of conformity where middle-class America largely shared the same ideals and to do differently was a major no-no.
- American enjoyed its new prosperity and bought up loads of consumer items to go along with new homes. The “baby boom” also began.
- “McCarthyism” played off of, and added to, America’s fears of communism.
- Black—white segregation in the South became rigid. But, the foundation of the civil rights movement was laid with events such as the Brown v. Board of Education case and Montgomery bus boycott.
- The Cold War dominated culture. Incidents between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., such as America’s U-2 spy plane being shot down, added to the tension. Plus, a new “arms race” of nuclear weapons, and a “space race” to develop satellites and rockets began.
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