How Was the 1950's a Period of Conformity?
- Submitted by: danielleh523
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- Category: History: American
- Date Submitted: 04/21/2011 11:49 PM
- Pages: 4
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The decade of the 1950's brought forth another era of good feelings as America thought of themselves proudly as undefeated and a supreme country. Americans gathered together as one against Communism, a fear that they considered the enemy. This collaboration distinguished the 'true' Americans from the rest, which eventually formed into a society of noticeable similarity. The 1950's was definitely a period of conformity, which can be proven by the conflict that arose as a result of those who rebelled against this cloned society.
Conformity grew from the rich soil of national fear, and lived on the phobia of change. The concept of Communism was one that had a huge effect on everyone. It was the American enemy and America wanted nothing but to destroy it, to keep it our of the minds of anyone who lived amongst them. In February of 1950, a man named Joseph R. McCarthy charged that there were unknown scores of communists in the State Department. He was unable to prove these accusations, but many American still feared it's possibility. McCarthy then charged that Secretary of State Dean Acheson was knowingly employing 205 Communist Party Members , another accusation with no evidence. Although President Dwight D. Eisenhower privately loathed McCarthy, the majority of Americans seemed to support him, thus allowing McCarthy to thrive. His next actions included the denouncing of General George Marshall and attacking the army, in which he was finally exposed as a liar and a drunk. Unfortunately by then, American culture was convinced and became one that would conform. Communism created a mass of paranoid civilians, who decided that conforming was the only way of distinguishing an honest American from a fake.
Conformity was physical, mental, and emotional. The image of the 1950's was that of the 'traditional' family, with a working father, mother at home, and children living in suburbia with their televisions and similar style. The fact that every family was basically...
Conformity grew from the rich soil of national fear, and lived on the phobia of change. The concept of Communism was one that had a huge effect on everyone. It was the American enemy and America wanted nothing but to destroy it, to keep it our of the minds of anyone who lived amongst them. In February of 1950, a man named Joseph R. McCarthy charged that there were unknown scores of communists in the State Department. He was unable to prove these accusations, but many American still feared it's possibility. McCarthy then charged that Secretary of State Dean Acheson was knowingly employing 205 Communist Party Members , another accusation with no evidence. Although President Dwight D. Eisenhower privately loathed McCarthy, the majority of Americans seemed to support him, thus allowing McCarthy to thrive. His next actions included the denouncing of General George Marshall and attacking the army, in which he was finally exposed as a liar and a drunk. Unfortunately by then, American culture was convinced and became one that would conform. Communism created a mass of paranoid civilians, who decided that conforming was the only way of distinguishing an honest American from a fake.
Conformity was physical, mental, and emotional. The image of the 1950's was that of the 'traditional' family, with a working father, mother at home, and children living in suburbia with their televisions and similar style. The fact that every family was basically...