The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States.
“America at this moment,” said the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945, “stands at the summit of the world.” During the 1950s, it was easy to see what Churchill meant. 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 were also an era of great conflict. For example, the nascent civil rights movement and the crusade against communism at home and abroad in the Korean War exposed underlying divisions in American society.
These wonderful photos were found by Thomas Hawk that show what life in the U.S. looked like in the 1950s.
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| 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe |
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| Handwritten on back of slide, "July 1950" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “1950" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Chaplin, 1950" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "December 1951" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "June 1951". |
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| Handwritten on slide, "June 1951" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "January 20, 1952" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "May 26, 1952" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "October 19, 1952" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Chaplin, 1952" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Chaplin, 1952" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Judy, Prom, 1952" |
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| An American family, July 1953 |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Alan and Big Lake, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1953" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Carol, Joan, Margaret Sanders, Alan, I, August 1953, White Sands, New Mexico" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Cloudcroft, New Mexico, August 1953" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Jean, Carol, Margaret, Jo, Sandy, Cloudcroft, New Mexico, 1953" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Margaret, Jo, Carol Sanders and Alan at Christmas Party, Armstrong Field, Fort Bliss, Texas, December 12, 1953" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “July 5, 1953" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Spring flowers in our garden, May 1953, farm view" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Alan, Hammond Ranch, Near El Paso, 1954" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “6-20-1954" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Cathy and Cathy, Evansville, Ohio, October 1954, from Norman" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Christmas 1954" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Christmas 1954" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Fern Swartout was niece of Annie Oakley with Buffalo Bill, R.E. Clongians at Greenville, October 1954, From Norman" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Karl, Alan, Jeanne Trip back to Colo after visit to Tex, 1954 in 1955" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Neighbor kids, August 1955, Davey on slide" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Vi, Donnie, Velda, Davey, Michelle and Nancy, August 1955" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "Ben and Bev-to-be, December 1, 1956" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "July 1956" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "March 1956" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "May 1956" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "May 1956" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "August 1957" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "August 1957" |
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| Handwritten on slide, "July 14, 1957" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Christmas 1957" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "August 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "July 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "May 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "May 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "May 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "September 1958" |
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| Handwritten on slide, “Fred Dirkson, September 1958" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "December 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "December 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "January 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "January 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "July 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "March 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "May 1959" |
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| Date stamped on slide, "September 1959" |
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| Handwritten on back, "Elzara (Aunt Nip) Crowley on the phone, Geri Fritz sister Noreen I think, July 1959" |