Download America at Midcentury, 1952-1963

Ch. 27 Question America at Midcentury, 1952-1963
Ms. L. Menasian «GreetingLine»
Name:
Chapter 27: America at Midcentury, 1952-1963
Questions:
1. What is Dwight D. Eisenhower’s political philosophy? In what ways did
Eisenhower appeal to both liberals and conservatives?
2. List the pros and cons of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)?
3. Describe how life was typically depicted in the suburbs? Connect
suburbs to religious growth?
4. Explain the significance of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.
5. What are the major themes in literature in the 1950s? Give examples of
specific books and their topics.
6. How might one account for the growth of colleges and universities? Discuss
educational trends and attitudes.
7. List advancements in the area of medicine.
8. Describe the interests and pastimes of the youth culture. What fears did parents
and church leaders have regarding the influence of rock ‘n roll after teenagers?
9. What themes were on early television? Did it reflect reality? What did early
television avoid?
10. What did critics of the 1950s have to say (i.e. the Beat Generation)?
11. How were Eisenhower’s strategies of containment different from Truman’s?
12. What are Eisenhower’s achievements and what are criticisms of his presidency?
13. Explain how having more nuclear weapons would mean a decrease in military
spending? What military dilemnas did Eisenhower face?
14. What is the significance of the Eisenhower-Khrushchev summits?
15. Explain the U-2 incident and the political significance of it? What is Sputnik and
what was the significance of it? How did both lead to an increase in military
spending in 1957? What else did the government support after these incidents?
16. Connect the U.S. to the Arab-Israeli issue in the 1940s.
17. What happened and why in Richard Nixon’s “goodwill” tour of Latin America in
1958?
18. In what ways was America connected to Cuba prior to the Bay of Pigs invasion?
19. What happened in the Bay of Pigs Invasion and why did it fail? Describe
diplomatic relations among the S.U., the U.S., and Cuba in the aftermath?
20. What happened in the Cuban Missile Crisis and why is it considered to be the
most serious confrontation of the Cold War?
21. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis end? What role did Kennedy and Khrushchev
personally play?
22. What did the Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty do and to what degree was it
successful?
23. When was President Kennedy assassinated? What impact did his assassination
have on the country? What did the Warren Commission conclude regarding the
assassination? Why is Kennedy’s presidency revered by so many?
24. What did Kennedy’s New Frontier encompass? In what way(s) did President
Johnson, in his Great Society, continue the efforts of the New Frontier program?