Television Influence

The television was created in the early 20th century but did not explode onto the average Americans life until the aftermath of World War Two. The early uses of television were just radio broadcasts as well as showing live sports. The development of the television was stalled due to the Second World War because the government needed all of the people to be productive and work towards the war effort. However once the war had ended, television sets were flying off the shelves in stores and television stations were proliferating at a pace that had never been seen before. This was unprecedented because no such thing was able to inform and influence people as quickly and efficiently since the invention of the printing press. The television allowed millions of people to just relax on their couch while a TV anchor reports on the daily news which was incredible. Even children and elderly people could enjoy watching game shows, sitcoms, and many more events with the flick of a switch. Television was important for a multitude of reasons beginning with how it influenced the daily viewers mind regarding how America should act socially and culturally and how it affected the politics of the time since television stations could report with images on wars, debates, and historic events.

Americans were influenced by television due to the social and cultural values that they noticed on television. “Amongst the most successful comedy shows of the 1950’s was I Love Lucy”, where Lucy is the stereotypical white housewife who cleans the house, washes the dishes, and is expected to be nothing other than a wife and mother(Present Tense pg.91). However she was not like that because she always wanted something she couldn’t get and challenged society by ref...

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...culture, society, and history. One of the most popular and famous television shows was I Love Lucy which assisted in the acceptance of Women's Rights. Jackie Robinson also benefited in the proliferation of the television because he was the first African American baseball player in the MLB and he was seen almost nightly by thousands of people when they watched the Dodger’s game. The television had disgusted the public with its continuous news about American G.I’s dying and assisted in the end of the War in Vietnam. The television had also influenced the presidential election of 1960 which Kennedy won as well as benefits the Civil Rights movement by giving sympathy and support with African Americans. Without the creation of the television many of the most important events of the latter half of the 20th century would have been dramatically different than what we know.