The 1950’s were a time of change and turmoil. At the turn of the decade, Truman approved the testing of a hydrogen bomb, which would in 1952 re-establish the U.S. as the leading nuclear power over the Soviet Union. Communism became the red scare as China had just been overtaken, and paranoid Americans passed the McCarran-Walter Act which limited the amount of immigrants from certain countries. The Korean War also broke out in 1950, and the U.S. intervened on behalf of the UN. McCarthyism took hold in the U.S. as politicians and Hollywood stars were accused of being communist. Eisenhower succeeded Truman to the presidency in 1953, and held the policy of containment. The arms race and the cold war were raging between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and new technology continuously threatened any comfort in American life. When the Russians launched the first satellite, Sputnik, into space, American confidence in their country’s superiority was shattered, and the U-2 incident further hurt America’s view of itself.

McDonalds was created in the 1950’s, and with it came the idea of franchises and assembly line food. TV captivated most of the country with shows of the perfect family, and the ads for better products. The computer industry also got its first big start in the 50’s, and the polio vaccine was developed. The baby boom which followed WW2 created the need for new housing, and identical neighborhoods sprang up anywhere there was developable land. Conformity was the new rage, yet rock n roll and the beatniks challenged the new views of society.

The civil rights movement also had huge victories during the 1950’s. Brown vs. Board of Ed. Topeka, KS declared that “separate facilities are inherently unequal”, and that school segregation must begin immediately. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and the Montgomery bus boycott showed that African Americans were no longer willing to take discrimination sitting down. Integration began with a violent resistance, but was eventually accepted.

Below is a short selection of songs from the 50’s. Enjoy!