7. Americans had more trust in their federal government during the 1950s
The 1950s included federal government activism in many areas. The relatively new novelty of television meant Americans could more closely monitor their government’s activities. In a sense, they could watch the sausage being made. When they did, they were often not pleased. Senate hearings held by the bloviating Senator Joseph McCarthy appalled many Americans when they saw, first-hand, his blatant abuses of power and his trampling of the Bill of Rights. The Kefauver Hearings, also televised, led to the exposure of the extent of government corruption and ties to organized crime across state lines. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was forced to admit the existence of organized crime in the United States, a fact he had long denied. He also admitted the FBI had been relatively inactive in pursuing such crime.
Most Americans did, in fact, trust the federal government in the 1950s, though that trust began its continuing decline during the decade. Most of that trust focused on the grandfatherly Eisenhower. Congress did not receive the same approval throughout the decade. Nor did the military leadership. Following his famous speech at West Point, when General MacArthur spoke of old soldiers fading away, he did precisely that, his leadership and heroic standing waning as his actions became more well-known. In the 1950s professional politicians learned to use television to address themselves directly to the American people, without the filter of a reporter or news writer. An early example, Richard Nixon’s “Checkers” speech, remains an example of using television to overcome a potential scandal. In 1952 the speech saved Nixon’s political career, though it sowed the seeds of distrust which remained with him for the rest of his life.
