What does this photograph indicate about the united states in the 1950s?

In February 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy alleged in a speech in West Virginia that more than 200 staff members at the Department of State were known to be members of the Communist Party. During Harry Truman’s press conference on March 30, the President characterized McCarthy’s behavior as a Republican attempt to "sabotage the bipartisan foreign policy" and McCarthy as "the best asset that the Kremlin can have." A transcript of that press conference is available at the American Presidency Project.

In this personal letter to Secretary of State Dean Acheson written the following day, Truman first sent his best wishes for Acheson’s daughter Mary, who was recovering from tuberculosis. Truman concluded the letter with a condemnation of McCarthy and Senator Kenneth Wherry, the Republican leader in the Senate:

I think we have these ‘animals’ on the run. Privately, I refer to McCarthy as a pathological liar, and Wherry as the block-headed undertaker from Nebraska. Of course, we can’t do that publicly, but there’s no doubt that’s exactly what they are.

For Truman, Acheson was a loyal and vital member of the government and McCarthy was merely a partisan bully exploiting Cold War fears. McCarthy’s rampant accusations of disloyalty and communist sympathies continued until his attempt to discredit the US Army backfired. In 1954, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy.

Read the introduction and examine the image of President Truman’s letter and the photograph of Truman’s press conference. Then apply your knowledge of American history to answer the questions that follow:

*** Note–The introduction references the press conference of March 30, 1950, which is shown in the photograph. It is beneficial to follow the suggested link to the transcript of that event http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=13755) and to concentrate on the segment beginning with the question by a member of the press corps, “Do you think that Senator McCarthy can show any disloyalty exists in the State Department?” and continuing through the question and answer segment to the President’s response, “The greatest asset that the Kremlin has is the partisan attempt in the Senate to sabotage the bipartisan foreign policy of the United States.”

Assign students in groups to research the stated positions of each of the following regarding United States national security during the Cold War: Senator Joseph McCarthy; Secretary of State Dean Acheson; Senator Kenneth S. Wherry; President Harry S. Truman.
What do you think influenced Truman, in the final paragraph of his letter, to refer to Senators McCarthy and Wherry as “animals”?
How does President Truman explain his statement that “McCarthy’s antics are the best asset that the Kremlin can have.”
Explain how both Truman’s letter and the press conference illustrate partisan political concerns over national security during the Cold War.

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You will need to know how demobilization and government policies contributed to post–World War II prosperity.
You will need to know the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to post–World War II prosperity.
You will need to know the limitations of post–World War II prosperity by examining the social, political, ethnic, racial, and cultural groups that were unaffected during that period of prosperity.
You will need to know the long-term influence of post–World War II prosperity on society in the United States by considering both the positive and negative social, cultural, political, geographic, and economic effects on society.

Terms to know include, but are not limited to:

baby boomers, birth rate, Equal Rights Amendment, GI Bill of Rights, Interstate Highway System, suburbs, women in the workforce.

What was a major result of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill)?
a. Millions of veterans received a college education. b. Women kept their factory jobs after World War II. c. Jobs were created by the Manhattan Project.

d. Veterans were exempted from gasoline rationing.

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Which development resulted from the construction of the interstate highway system?
a. increased suburbanization b. reduced air pollution c. decreased fuel consumption

d. growth of long-distance passenger train service

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How did the post–World War II baby boom affect American society between 1945 and 1960?

a. It decreased the demand for housing.

b. It bankrupted the Social Security System.

c. It increased the need for educational resources.

d. It encouraged people to migrate to the Sun Belt.

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The information below describes some key provisions of the 1944 GI Bill of Rights.

• Provided funds for education and training for veterans • Provided home, farm, and business loans for veterans

• Provided unemployment compensation for veterans

Which sentence describes how post–World War II society was affected by the GI Bill of Rights?
A. Political participation became possible for a broader portion of society. B. Economic success became available for a broader portion of society. C. Farmers neglected to utilize agricultural technologies.

D. Businesses failed to develop innovative products.

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Which development following World War II caused the urban-suburban pattern shown in the diagram?

a. increase in the number of farms

b. movement of most factories to rural areas

c. expansion of highways and automobile ownership

d. decline in the number of middle-income families

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What does this photograph indicate about the United States in the 1950s?

A. Extraordinary steps were taken to hide atomic weapons.

B. The nation had become the only nuclear superpower.

C. Much fear was created by the Cold War.