Economic Changes In America Essay

Economic changes in America had the greatest impact on American lives because the society was dependant on economic status of American citizens. During times of economic prosperity society flourished and civil rights were fought for avidly, during times of economic depression, society remained unchanging for the most part.
From the 1930’s to the 2000’s America made many societal changes, many of which were instrumental in the development of American unity and culture. Most of the societal changes in America were connected to the state of the American economy. The economic collapse of the great depression brought about an outbreak of homelessness and joblessness. This problem could have been dampened greatly if Herbert Hoover applied federal help to those homeless and jobless, but instead he refused and said volunteers would (pg. 845). When America
entered World War II it brought many changes in society, including millions of men enlisting, and even a few hundred thousand women.“With millions of men going into military service, the demand for civilian workers shook up old prejudices about gender roles in the workplace- and in the military.” (Shi and Tindall, pg.889) The decline of discrimination in both gender and race continued after WWII. After the war African Americans had a strong platform to fight for equality, for America just finished fighting Nazi Germany who sought to cleanse the world of racial impurities.
Although they stood on a strong platform to fight for civil rights, there was still violent opposition towards the civil rights activists (pg.943). A couple of years later major advancements in civil rights were made, Harry S. Truman issued an executive order to ban racial discrimination in federal government on July 26, 1948 (pg.943). The 1950’s brought about new faces for civil rights, and new strategies such as civil disobedience. This was a time where racial discrimination and segregation was being brought down on both the federal and communal levels. “The court found that the school board had acted in good faith in planning for a public school system free from racial discrimination.” (Eisenhower, pg. 287) During this time period there were many societal advancements for women, since most of the men went off to fight in WWII the women were left to pick up the vacant jobs that the men left behind. Once the war ended women were expected
and encouraged to go back to their pre-war jobs as house-wives, yet many women continued to work outside of the home, usually due to necessity (pg. 977). “Over and over women heard in voices of tradition and of Freudian sophistication that they could desire no greater destiny than to glory in their own femininity” (Friedan, pg. 273) In the late 60’s the fight for gender equality turned into radical feminism, who believed that for men and women to be truly equal in every aspect of society must be transformed, from child rearing and domestic duties to business and the arts. “The civil rights movement gained added momentum when four polite, well-dressed black college students sat down and ordered coffee and doughnuts at an “all-white” Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 1016) Although racial discrimination had been banned on a federal level, there was still a battle for equality on a more social level. It was not until July 2 of 1964 that the Civil Rights Act was passed, which banned racial segregation public places such as restaurants, theaters, and hotels. “It also gave new powers to the federal government to bring lawsuits against organizations or businesses that violated constitutional rights, and it established the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission to ensure that employers treated job applicants equally, regardless of race, gender, or national origin.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 1028) With the growing equality for both African Americans and women there were factors which changed the viewpoint of equality. One of these factors were the Roe vs. Wade case which legalized abortion, making women feel like they had more control over child bearing and over their body (1056). One of the most influential societal changes was not an advancement in civil rights or gender equality, but rather the invention of the computer. Once the personal computer became a mass consumer product and cell-phones became more developed, instantaneous communication became more economical and practical.
The economic status of the United States was constantly fluctuating from the 1930’s through the 2000’s, but even with this fluctuation America still managed to make many economic advancements. “During 1930, the national economy sputtered and stumbled.” (Shi and Tindall, pg 829) The prosperity of the 1920’s was based on a weak foundation in both the banks and the stocks, which led to the economic collapse of the 1930’s. American economy struggled until near the end of WWII, for it did not have a means to get back up on it’s feet. America’s involvement in World War Two had a great effect on the economy, for they had to provide a large amount of food and supplies to not only their own, but also to their allies. The large extent of consumer goods sent overseas to aid the militia caused shortages which brought about price inflation in America. (pg.888) “The war also transformed American life by ending the Great Depression and launching a period of unprecedented prosperity.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 913) The economy prospered after WWII due to the large federal expenditures, extensive government spending, a large military budget, and extremely productive American industries. This was a time of American economic growth for their was no foreign competition because most of the major industrial nations had been physically devastated during WWII leaving American manufactures with an international monopoly (pg. 971) “Americans had money to spend during the fifties, and they did so with gusto, becoming famous around the world for their carefree consumption.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 971) Although America flourished economically in the fifties and even through the sixties, poverty was still a problem. President Johnson launched a “War on Poverty” , he used the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to launch community-based programs such as the Job Corps training program which offered job training for inner-city youth, and the Legal Services Corporation which provided legal assistance to low income Americans. The congress also passed the food stamps act in 1964, which aided impoverished citizens afford to buy groceries.
“By the summer of 1983, a major economic recovery was under way, in part because of increased government spending and lower interest rates and in part because of lower tax rates.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 1106) Although Ronald Reagan brought about a major economic advancements, under his presidency federal debt increased more than under all of his predecessors combined (pg. 1106). By George H. W. Bush’s term as president the national debt had tripled since 1980, and because of this Bush was forced to increase taxes, which hurt the citizens but helped the economy.
From the 1930’s through the 2000’s there have been many economic and societal changes in America. The times of the greatest societal changes were usually times of economical prosperity also, because when the economy is doing well, there is time to fight for what one believes is right, and time to better the society.