Student Essay on The Fifties

Contrary to popular belief, the 1950s were not a decade of conformity and conservatism. The decade saw the beginnings of youth rebellion, as partly reflected in the emergence of rock music. The struggle for civil rights also began during this decade, highlighted by the case of Rosa Parks and the use of non-violent protest against Jim Crow laws. And poverty, disease, and crime in urban areas presented major problems during the 1950s.

During the 1950s, many people suspect that this decade was occupied by conservatism and conformity but they are incorrect. This period was filled with rebellious groups and classes and the struggle for civil rights and wanted liberties. The fifties' were a period filled with poverty and urban problems, youth rebellion and the blacks struggle for civil rights.

The poverty stricken streets of the 1950s were far from conservative and conformity. They were filled with disease, filth, and malnutrition and most of the citizens were either very young or very old. The city had inadequate healthcare, inappropriate nutrition, poorly built houses, and inadequate recreation. Many of the children had no milk for several months and many adults had not had meat for very long times. Most of the urban slums were filled with very poor whites and other.....