Lesson 6: Society in transition

Moral Majority - political group in 1970s focusing on advancing  a conservative and religious agenda, such as prayer in schools and anti-abortion legislation.

Rust Belt vs. Sun Belt - a region in the Midwest and Northeast where factory production was concentrated during the 1940s and 50s, however, by the 1980s many of these factories were abandoned and left to rust. The Sun Belt is a region in the South and West where a lot of these factories moved for better weather. The move from the rust belt to the sun belt contributed to a significant migration of workers.

Kerner Commission Report - 1968 report concluding that there is two Americas -- a black American and a white America. Johnson was not happy with this conclusion becuse he had done so much for civil rights and poverty. Arguably, his own ego looked away from the report and little, if anything, from the report was ever pursued.

During the Cold War, the primary environmental concerns highlighted in the sources relate to nuclear technology. The testing of nuclear weapons, such as the "Small Boy" tactical nuclear weapon, the Soviet Union's atomic bomb test in 1949, and the U.S.'s Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test in 1954, raised significant fears about nuclear fallout and radiation poisoning. This anxiety permeated American culture, reflected in films depicting radioactive monsters, nuclear accidents, and doomsday scenarios. Simultaneously, there were antinuclear protests warning of a potential global environmental catastrophe from thermonuclear war. However, the era also saw the promotion of peaceful nuclear technologies, like fission and fusion-based energy, with Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech advocating for the sharing of atomic power for peaceful purposes.

The affluent society of the postwar era brought new environmental challenges linked to suburbanization and consumerism. The rapid growth of suburbs led to the bulldozing of significant natural areas, including wetlands, hills, and floodplains. Mass-produced suburban homes were often energy inefficient and contributed to groundwater pollution through malfunctioning septic tanks. This period also saw the rise of concerns about chemical pollution, most notably through the lens of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" (1962), which denounced the excessive use of pesticides like DDT and highlighted their threats to both ecological and human health. The book brought public attention to issues like detergent foams in water and children playing in industrial effluents, suggesting the environmental costs of modern conveniences. While an early environmentalist movement began to take shape, the prevailing reliance on automobiles and the idealization of single-family homes limited significant shifts towards more sustainable practices.

The 1960s witnessed a growth in environmental awareness, partly fueled by increased recreational engagement with nature and higher levels of education. Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" continued to be a crucial catalyst, compellingly arguing for the interconnectedness of ecological and human well-being and the dangers of pesticide overuse. Despite opposition from chemical industries, Carson's work resonated with many, including President Kennedy. This growing awareness culminated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, marking a significant moment in the environmental movement. The era also saw legislative action, including the National Environmental Policy Act (1970), which mandated environmental impact statements for federally funded projects, and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and regulate environmental issues. Subsequent laws aimed to provide greater protection for air, water, endangered species, and natural areas.

Migrations Discussed in the Readings for Period 8

In "25. The Cold War":

• It mentions that although the Cuban Missile Crisis temporarily halted the flow of Cuban refugees into the United States, emigration began again in earnest in the mid-1960s.

• The Johnson administration and the Castro government brokered a deal in 1965 to facilitate the reunion of families separated by earlier migration waves, which opened the door for thousands to leave Cuba.

• In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Cuban Adjustment Act, allowing Cuban refugees to become permanent residents. Over the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Cubans emigrated and built new lives in America.

In "26. The Affluent Society":

• It discusses the Bracero Program, which brought over a million Mexican laborers into the United States on short-term contracts beginning in World War II and continuing into the 1960s. It also notes that undocumented immigration continued.

• The chapter describes how many African Americans and other racial minorities were systematically shut out of the suburban housing boom, while middle- and working-class white American families moved to the suburbs with government assistance.

• It also mentions "white flight," where whites in metropolitan areas fled city centers for the suburbs, often resulting in resegregated residential patterns.

In "27. The Sixties":

• Similar to the "Cold War" chapter, it details Cuban emigration to the United States in the mid-1960s following an agreement between the Johnson and Castro administrations. It also mentions the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act allowing Cuban refugees to become permanent residents.

• It also refers to "white flight," where whites in metropolitan areas fled city centers for the suburbs.

In "28. The Unraveling":

• It notes that American firms fled pro-labor states in the 1970s and 1980s. Some went overseas to exploit low-wage foreign workers, while others moved to anti-union states in the South and West (the Sun Belt). This led to the decline of the industrial heartland (the Rust Belt) and the growth of the Sun Belt.

• By 1972, southern and western Sun Belt states had more electoral votes than the Northeast and Midwest due to increased population, which suggests internal migration towards these regions.

• Like the other chapters, it mentions "white flight" as a phenomenon where whites left metropolitan city centers for the suburbs.