Coming fresh off the heels of WWII, the United States began to boom, both economically and socially. Many soldiers coming home from the war wanted to start their families; roughly 4 million babies were born each year during the decade. Furthermore, the gross national product increased from $200 billion at the beginning of the decade to $500 billion at the end ("The 1950s"). Like many US citizens, Truman and his administration welcomed the end of the war, presenting the Fair Deal. The Fair Deal was a revision of the New Deal that brought forward many large changes to improve people's quality of life. The Fair Deal increased the minimum wage as well as increasing aid to agriculture and education, it also enacted a national health insurance program. However, the Republican majority in Congress attempted to slow Truman’s Democratic administration (Hart et al. 535). A large amount of aid was not given, and despite efforts, a lot of slums were not improved. This can be seen in many political cartoons of the day which show families living in dilapidated homes with little food or money (Washington Post). However, due to Congress’s slow action and rising inflation, labor unions began to strike. In 1946 five million people walked off their jobs demanding an increased minimum wage, which was ultimately provided. While the 50s were an incredibly prosperous time, they also had some hitches and backlash. These backlashes were people voicing their opinions, which drove the country’s development.

Civil rights was another issue that drove the 1950s; throughout the decade, women and African Americans alike were fighting for equal rights in the eyes of the US majority. In 1954, civil rights matters began to escalate with Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court ruled that children could not be separated by skin color or race. Later in 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. came to the public’s attention as a popular civil rights activist. These wins began to push civil rights into the public eye (Batchelor). That same year, Rosa Parks, a black activist, refused to give her seat up to a white person. This sparked a series of bus protests where, instead of taking the bus, 40,000 black workers walked to work. Rosa Parks was only charged a $14 fine ("Rosa Parks").  Furthermore, women's roles changed throughout the fifties. Throughout the decade women were portrayed in the home wearing dresses and doing household chores like cooking or cleaning. This was the widely accepted social norm for a full-time housewife. However, more women were beginning to take on full-time jobs and felt conflicted by this popular stereotype. Despite women beginning to break the cast of a housewife, not many would go on to graduate college or graduate school. This meant that women were predominantly in jobs like nurses, secretaries, or teachers, forming new stereotypes (Batchelor). Many took the 50s as a chance to speak out and make change in the US. Despite progress being slow, these early movements catalyzed change in the future.

The act of expanding the Social Security Administration was mirrored in the 1950s, where Truman and Eisenhower both expanded the Social Security Administration. In 1950 Truman expanded the Social Security benefits by signing the 1950 Social Security Amendments, this provided insurance to 10 million more Americans and gave $160 a month for military personnel who served during WWII. Later Truman signed the The Social Security Act of 1952. This increased the benefits that people under the old-age and survivors insurance law received. The act also extended the benefits  WWII veterans received. Once Eisenhower became president, he recommended that millions of more Americans should be covered by the old-age and survivors insurance law. This was in line with Eisenhower's Modern Republican beliefs. (Social Security Administration). Both the presidents of the 50s and modern day social security is being expanded to support a wide variety of Americans.