The Fifties

The Fifties, based on the acclaimed best selling book by David Halberstam, is an in-depth examination of the decade of the 1950s. Blending interviews with archival footage, it creates a vivid portrait of an era that defined the image of the American way of life. Fraught with nostalgia and a yearning for a simpler time, memories of the 1950s evoke an idealistic, innocent image of a time before the turbulence of the 1960s. The Fifties looks beyond the image of the 1950s to the realities of the decade. In doing so, it reveals the 1950s as an era as turbulent as any other, one that portended the explosion of the 1960s. From hula-hoops to McCarthyism, split-level tract houses to atomic anxieties, The Fifties provides a comprehensive study of a fascinating era in American history. The Fifties would be useful for classes on American History, Women's History, The History of Science and Technology, Economics, and Cultural History. It is appropriate for middle school, high school and college.

The Rage Within

The idyllic media images of the 1950s belie the simmering unrest beneath the surface. Racial discrimination and segregation were a way of life, and events unfolded in the 1950s that brought the simmering rage to a boil. When Emmett Till's mother showed the mutilated body of her murdered son to the world, the images of complacency were shattered. Till's murder, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the violence surrounding the integration of Central High School were captured by the media, especially the new medium of television. The Civil Rights Movement unmasked the myth of equality in America, and America would never be the same.

Discussion Questions

  1. Willie Mays, one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game, reached his zenith in the 1950s. How did Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color line in the 1940s enable Willie Mays to become a hero of the diamond in the 1950s?

  2. Media images of the 1950s portray a world of affluence, family, and backyard barbecues. How are these images distorted, or inaccurate? Are they an accurate reflection of the way all Americans lived in the 1950s?

  3. The 1950s was one of the most affluent periods of American history. What is the paradox of this affluence? Why didn't this affluence apply to all Americans?

  4. Novelist Ralph Ellison chose the title Invisible Man for his book. What was the definition of Ellison's Invisible Man? How did this term apply to African Americans?

  5. The 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown vs. The Topeka Board of Education declared segregation unconstitutional in America. It eliminated "Jim Crow." What was the system of "Jim Crow?" How could a system such as "Jim Crow" thrive in the United States?

  6. What were some of the reasons for the large northward migration of African Americans?

  7. Emmett Till was born in Chicago and was unfamiliar with Southern society and mores. How did this ignorance of Southern rules contribute to Emmett Till's violent death?

  8. How did Emmett Till's death focus the attention of the nation on racial conditions in the South?

  9. How did the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement use the media to further the movement?

  10. The African American teenagers who broke the color barrier at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, were verbally and at times, physically abused. Why was there so much anger and hostility directed at these teenagers?

  11. What was the role of the new medium of television in the Civil Rights Movement?
Extended Activities

  1. Imagine that you are a journalist assigned to cover the murder of Emmett Till and the subsequent trial. Write an article for your newspaper that effectively conveys the incidents and emotions surrounding the events. How do you think your account would differ depending on the location of your newspaper?

  2. You are part of the Montgomery bus boycott. Create a journal or diary that records your experiences in the boycott and chronicles the progression of the boycott.

  3. You are the editor of the school newspaper at Central High School. Write two editorials, one for the integration of the school and one against the integration to appear in the newspaper.

Air Dates

Classroom Materials