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Realism can be found in Greek sculptures.
Realism began in Germany

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One-third of the soldiers who fought for the Union Army were immigrants, and nearly one in 10 was African American.
Harriet Tubman led a raid to free slaves during the Civil War.

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White Southerners who joined the Republican Party and helped with the Reconstruction were called scalawags.

The Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the South into five military districts ran by the army.

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As a baby he wasn't expected to live
His formal education was limited

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She is blind in one eye
Alice Walker helped the world rediscover Zora Neale Hurston

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Does not describe on single style
Modernist artists were rejected conservative values

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The war started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.

Soldiers lived in trenches.

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The stock market lost almost 90% of its value between 1929 and 1933.

Around 11,000 banks failed during the Great Depression, leaving many with no savings.

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The war was against The Allies and The Axis
There were lots of major battles

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A poorly done science experiment ended up saving millions of lives.

Wall Street was bombed and the perpetrators were never caught.

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1. schools were overpopulated and underfunded

2. The 1930's was the beginning of the biggest stock market crash.

https://childrenstheatre.org/2021/09/28/a-childs-life-in-the-1930s-compared-to-today/#:~:text=Schools%20were%20overpopulated%2C%20underfunded%2C%20and,that%20many%20schools%20were%20segregated.

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1. 1950 was the post world war boom
2. It was the dawn of the Cold war and Civil Rights Movement.
https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/1950s

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The Postwar Booms

Historians use the word "boom" to describe a lot of things about the 1950s: the booming economy, the booming suburbs and most of all the so-called "baby boom." This boom began in 1946, when a record number of babies-3.4 million-were born in the United States. About 4 million babies were born each year during the 1950s. In all, by the time the boom finally tapered off in 1964, there were almost 77 million "baby boomers."

After World War II ended, many Americans were eager to have children because they were confident that the future promised peace and prosperity. In many ways, they were right. Between 1945 and 1960, the gross national product more than doubled, growing from $200 billion to more than $500 billion, kicking off "the Golden Age of American Capitalism." Much of this increase came from government spending: The construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veterans' benefits and most of all the increase in military spending-on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers-all contributed to the decade's economic growth. Rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. Middle-class people had more money to spend than ever-and, because the variety and availability of consumer goods expanded along with the economy, they also had more things to buy.

Moving to the Suburbs

The baby boom and the suburban boom went hand in hand. Almost as soon as World War II ended, developers such as William Levitt (whose "Levittowns" in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania would become the most famous symbols of suburban life in the 1950s) began to buy land on the outskirts of cities and use mass production techniques to build modest, inexpensive tract houses there. The G.I. Bill subsidized low-cost mortgages for many returning soldiers, which meant that it was often cheaper to buy one of these suburban houses than it was to rent an apartment in the city.

These houses were perfect for young families-they had informal "family rooms," open floor plans and backyards-and so suburban developments earned nicknames like "Fertility Valley" and "The Rabbit Hutch."

Though the G.I. Bill helped white Americans prosper and accumulate wealth in the postwar years, it didn't deliver on that promise for veterans of color. In fact, the wide disparity in the bill's implementation ended up driving growing gaps in wealth, education and civil rights between white and Black Americans.

Suburban homes, meanwhile, weren't always so perfect for the (mostly white) women who lived in them. In fact, the booms of the 1950s had a particularly confining effect on many American women. Advice books and magazine articles ("Don't Be Afraid to Marry Young," "Cooking to Me Is Poetry," "Femininity Begins At Home") urged women to leave the workforce and embrace their roles as wives and mothers. The idea that a woman's most important job was to bear and rear children was hardly a new one, but it began to generate a great deal of dissatisfaction among women who yearned for a more fulfilling life. (In her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, women's rights advocate Betty Friedan argued that the suburbs were "burying women alive.") This dissatisfaction, in turn, contributed to the rebirth of the feminist movement in the 1960s.

The Civil Rights Movement

A growing group of Americans spoke out against inequality and injustice during the 1950s. African Americans had been fighting against racial discrimination for centuries; during the 1950s, however, the struggle against racism and segregation entered the mainstream of American life. For example, in 1954, in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court declared that "separate educational facilities" for black children were "inherently unequal." This ruling was the first nail in Jim Crow's coffin.

Many Southern whites resisted the Brown ruling. They withdrew their children from public schools and enrolled them in all-white "segregation academies," and they used violence and intimidation to prevent blacks from asserting their rights. In 1956, more than 100 Southern congressmen even signed a "Southern Manifesto" declaring that they would do all they could to defend segregation.

Despite these efforts, a new movement was born. In December 1955, a Montgomery activist named Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give her seat on a city bus to a white person. Her arrest sparked a 13-month boycott of the city's buses by its black citizens, which only ended when the bus companies stopped discriminating against Black passengers. Acts of "nonviolent resistance" like the boycott helped shape the civil rights movement of the next decade.

Did you know? When Rosa Parks died in 2005, she was the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

The Cold War & The Korean War

The tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, known as the Cold War, was another defining element of the 1950s. After World War II, Western leaders began to worry that the USSR had what one American diplomat called "expansive tendencies"; moreover, they believed that the spread of communism anywhere threatened democracy and capitalism everywhere. As a result, communism needed to be "contained"-by diplomacy, by threats or by force.

This policy is what drew American forces into the Korean War in July 1950. A month earlier, some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. As far as American officials were concerned, fighting on behalf of the Republic of Korea was pushback against forces of international communism itself.

The United States never formally declared war on North Korea. Instead, President Harry Truman referred to the addition of ground troops as a "police action." The Korean War armistice, signed on July 27, 1953, drew a new border between North Korea and South Korea, granting South Korea some additional territory and demilitarizing the zone between the two nations.

Cold War tensions shaped domestic policy as well. Many people in the United States worried that communists, or "subversives," could destroy American society from the inside as well as from the outside. Between 1945 and 1952, Congress held 84 hearings designed to put an end to "un-American activities" in the federal government, in universities and public schools and even in Hollywood. These hearings did not uncover many treasonous activities-or even many communists-but it did not matter: Tens of thousands of Americans lost their jobs, as well as their families and friends, in the anti-communist "Red Scare" of the 1950s.

1950s Pop Culture

In the 1950s, televisions became something the average family could afford, and by 1950 4.4 million U.S. families had one in their home. The Golden Age of Television was marked by family-friendly shows like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Twilight Zone and Leave It To Beaver. In movie theaters, actors like John Wayne, James Stuart, Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe dominated the box office. The Abstract Expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning signaled a new age in art, paving the way for the Pop Art of artists like Andy Warhol in the 1960s.

1950s Music

Elvis Presley. Sam Cooke. Chuck Berry. Fats Domino. Buddy Holly. The 1950s saw the emergence of Rock 'n' Roll, and the new sound swept the nation. It helped inspire rockabilly music from Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. People swayed to The Platters and The Drifters. Music marketing, changed, too: For the first time, music began to target youth.

On February 3, 1959, American musicians Buddy Holly. Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson died in a plane crash over Clear Lake, Iowa, in what became known as " The Day The Music Died "-an event immortalized in Don McLean's 1972 song "American Pie."

Shaping the 1960s

The booming prosperity of the 1950s helped to create a widespread sense of stability, contentment and consensus in the United States. However, that consensus was a fragile one, and it splintered for good during the tumultuous 1960s.

Sources

The Elvic Oracle. The New Yorker.
1950s Rock 'n' Roll. Rolling Stone.
The Day The Music Died. Biography.
The Fifties: The Way We Really Were. Douglas T. Miller and Marion Novak.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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The 1950s - American Culture & Society | HISTORY

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During the 1950s, the United States was the world's strongest military power. Its economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity-new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods-were available to more people than ever before. However, the 1950s also saw great conflict.

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1. this was a movement of African American history
2. It lasted from 1910- 1930
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance

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1. jazz music and dance styles gained popularity
2. The United States was the birthplace of jazz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Age#:~:text=The%20Jazz%20Age%20was%20a,States%2C%20the%20birthplace%20of%20jazz.

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1. The roaring 20's was a period of rapid economic growth and social change
2. young women who wore short skirts, short hair, and listened to jazz music were called flappers
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties

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1. The 60's was when the Vietnam war and Civil Rights Protests were going on.
2. The first man landed on the moon

https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1960s.html

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1. The first cell phone weighed two pounds
2. You didn't have to wear your seat belt.

https://bestlifeonline.com/80s-facts/

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1. The macarena was a popular dance
2. To get online you had to use dial up

https://bestlifeonline.com/90s-facts/

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Chances are, if you were around and old enough to remember the 1990s, certain terms like "bucket hat," "Macarena," and "Furby" evoke a certain kind of nostalgia. Whether you were an adult enjoying a denim-clad existence, logging on to the Internet for the first time and rooting for your favorite celebrity couples like Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow, or just a kid growing up with Super Soakers and slap bracelets, the 1990s were a time of innovation and unadulterated fun. If you'd like to take a time machine to this more innocent, pre-9/11 era, scroll on, because we've rounded up 30 astonishing tidbits of trivia that are sure to send you back a few decades. And for tips down memory lane, check out these 100 Photos That Kids Born After 2000 Will Never Understand.

Throughout the 1990s, gas prices remained around $1.30 a gallon-though it is important to consider that the overall cost of living was also cheaper than it is today: compared to the average consumer expenditures in 2016, $57,311, consumers in 1995 spent an average of $32,264. And for another trip down memory lane, check out these 25 Things Only Parents in the 1990s Will Remember.

In 2002, VH1 dubbed "Macarena" the greatest one-hit wonder of all time-mostly because it's impossible to escape the song, no matter where you are. During the height of its popularity in the '90s (the song was released by Los del Río in 1993), the former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, busted a few of his own Macarena moves at a public event in the Hamptons. And for more top throwback songs, check out the 20 One-Hit Wonders Every '80s Kid Remembers.

In 1995, more than a third of the American population tuned in to catch the verdict in the incredibly dramatic court case involving former NFL running back O.J. Simpson, and the turn of events that led to the deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. In the end (spoiler!), Simpson was acquitted of the murder charges against him, despite widespread doubt. And for more 1990s pop culture trivia, we're Ranking Every '90s Teen Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.

Before the days of lightning-speed Internet, users had to endure the painful process of connecting to the Internet through dial-up, a process that seemed to take forever. Just ask Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail. ("F... O... X...")

At the height of their popularity in 1994, pagers-now considered an entirely obsolete piece of technology-were used by 61 million people. Today, the only people you'll see using this vintage device are those working in the medical field.

Throughout the course of this sitcom's 11-season run, it won 48 Emmys and was nominated a record 117 times. When the popular show finally came to an end in 1993, 93 million tuned in to send off their favorite characters-a record-breaking number that would cement its place as the most popular television episode in the 1990s.

In the late '90s and early '00s, the Backstreet Boys dominated the charts, ending the decade strong with their incredibly popular "Millennium" album, playing on nearly radio station in the country and outselling every other record that year with sales that topped 9,446,000.

Before the days of streaming-and before even DVDs-viewers viewed their favorite films on clunky VHS tapes. (Who recalls the perils of rewinding?) During the VHS tapes' final days of popularity, Aladdin, undoubtedly one of the most popular films of the decade, sold a staggering $1,058,376,296 worth of VHS tapes.

In 1999, when more than two million children in America owned at least one of these talking toys, the NSA declared the Furby an international threat and actually banned people from carrying them. According to CBS News, they were trying to prevent the Chinese government from installing secret listening devices into the Furbys that they were manufacturing at the time.

This handheld digital pet was seen everywhere in the latter part of the decade. Caring for digital pets eventually became so fashionable (and, well, sort of practical, at least in a training-for-a-real-pet purpose), that more than 76 million Tamagotchis were sold around the world during the '90s.

The four-door Ford Taurus was the best-selling car in the '90s-and chances are that you, or at least someone you knew, owned one of these dependable and affordable cars. Throughout most of the decade, there were approximately 35,000 sales of the car per year, with it eventually losing steam in 2005, according to Cheat Sheet.

The first at-home gaming console created by PlayStation, the Sony PlayStation (or PS1) was released in 1995 and quickly became an international obsession, selling more 70 million units by January 2000-then the PlayStation 2 went live to kick off the new decade, and continued the trend, ultimately selling a mind-boggling 155 million units over its lifetime.

The first handheld console in the Nintendo series, the Game Boy made all of our nerdy fun more portable than ever. Despite contending with a number of competitors since its 1989 release, the Nintendo Game Boy outsold them all by a long-shot, selling a million units just within two weeks of its release in the United States.

Now widely considered a work of classic literature, The Alchemist by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho was nearly a flop when it was first distributed in 1988. However, upon being translated into English and published again in the United States in 1993, it became an instant success, appearing on the New York Times best-seller list for more than 300 weeks. In fact, by 2002, it was the best-selling book in the history of the Portuguese language.

Remember this thing? Though it wasn't on the market until 1999, the Nokia 3210 like served as a first cell-phone for many a millennial. Just within the first few years of sales (until a better version came along), the Nokia 3210 sold more 150 million units-an impressive feat for a new form of technology.

Though it might seem strange to those who didn't grow up in the 1990s, playing with bright lights on a screen for hours was one of the best forms of entertainment around. Though the toy had been popular since its creation in the 1960s, it peaked in the 1990s (specifically 1991, according to a poll conducted by Sunglass Warehouse) when more fun versions (like Mr. Potato Head and My Little Pony) of it became available.

First debuting on grocery store shelves in 1983, Fruit Roll-Ups were one of the most desired treats in the 1990s, by kids and adults alike. During that time, the sweet-and-sour treats also featured temporary tattoos for the tongue-a trend that was incredibly popular for a short time. According to the poll conducted by Sunglass Warehouse, the Fruit Roll-Up was the most popular snack in 1995, though sales eventually waned due to a 2011 lawsuit over the misleading marketing on the boxes of the product, claiming that they contained fruit and thus were healthy. (They're not.)

Since Barbie first debuted in America in 1959, kids all across the country have lived out their dreams through the doll, whether she's dressing her to the nines or outfitting her decadent home-which is known as the Dream Home. Not only could girls in the '90s get Barbie her very own house, but they could purchase home furnishings to complement her new digs. Contributors to the Sunglass Warehouse poll voted this toy as the most popular in 1999.

According to Forbes magazine, the creator of Microsoft was already worth $90 billion, making him the richest person in the world-an impressive feat considering that the Microsoft brand had only been around for a little over two decades. Years later, his net worth hasn't changed-though Jeff Bezos of Amazon now holds the title of richest person in the world.

Throughout most of the decade, the minimum wage for jobs without the option of tips was $4.25-though it's important to remember, again, that the overall cost of living was much lower. For example, the average family income in 1995 was $40,611, while in 2016, it was $72,707; the national minimum wage is currently set at $7.25.

Founded in Seattle in 1971, Starbucks, while not surpassing fast-food giant McDonald's in total sales, managed to successfully popularize and expand their chain by 4,000 percent by adding 3,501 stores. This expansion paled in comparison to McDonald's, who "only" enjoyed a 300 percent growth, according to Business Insider.

During the holiday season in 1992, the Super Soaker became the most popular toy, selling more than two million units in just one year. Armed with the ability to shoot water up to 50 feet, kids across America fell in love with this toy (though probably had to wait a few months to actually take it out of the box, until the ground thawed and air warmed up).

DOOM, released in 1993, beat out Windows 95 to become the most installed piece of software on computers in 1995. Considered one of the most influential video games ever created, DOOM is essentially the primordial fluid of so-called first-person shooters (three-dimensional games wherein the character looks down the barrel of a gun from a first-person view, like Call of Duty and Halo).

According to a national survey conducted in the 1990s, children readily identified Mario, Nintendo's leading man, while most struggled to point out Mickey Mouse. But before you groan at these children of the '90s, remember that Mario was depicted almost everywhere during that time-from cereal boxes to cartoon series.

Perhaps one of the most identifiable clothing fads of the 1990s, the slap bracelet was created by high school shop teacher Stuart Anders, consisting of layered, flexible stainless steel spring bands sealed inside of the fabric. During the height of their popularity, they brought in around $8 million a day, making Anders an incredibly wealthy man.

Tetris holds the distinct honor of being the first game to be played in space, all thanks to Russian astronaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov, who brought his Game Boy aboard a 1993 mission to the Mir space station. Serebrov was only allowed to bring one game, and he chose the legendary puzzler.

That's right-perhaps one of the most popular songs of the decade was actually as a B-side on rapper Vanilla Ice's cover of "Play That Funky Music," which wasn't well-received by critics at the time of its release in 1989. The rapper didn't receive international acclaim until a disc jockey in Florida accidentally played the song instead of "Play That Funky Music," and it was well-regarded by listeners.

The ThighMaster was one of the biggest exercise fads in the '90s-so big that even then-president George H.W. Bush made a joke about it. The mood ring, with its supposed ability to guess your mood by changing color, was perhaps an even bigger phenomenon-appearing in popular culture and every shopping mall. As it turns out, the inventor of both of these items is Josh Reynolds, who first advertised mood rings as "portable biofeedback aids" and was able to become a millionaire off the inventions of two incredibly popular fads. And for more popular items, check out the 33 Weird Old Fads Kids Born After 2000 Will Never Understand.

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28 Facts That Will Overwhelm You with 1990s Nostalgia - Best Life

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Chances are, if you were around and old enough to remember the 1990s, certain terms like "bucket hat," "Macarena," and "Furby" evoke a certain kind of nostalgia.

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1. 2.5 million people lost their lives
2. Korea was split in half after the war

history.com

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1. The president wanted the US soldiers to get out
2. the war wasn't just between US and vietnam

history.com