Census of 1940
U.S. population: 131.7 million
Black population: 12.9 million (9.8%)

Census of 1960
U.S. population: 179.3 million
Black population: 18.9 million (10.5%)

Life Expectancy 1940 and 1963

• White Men
  • 1940: 62.1
  • 1963: 67.4
• Non-White Men
  • 1940: 51.5
  • 1963: 61
• White Women
  • 1940: 66.6
  • 1963: 74.4
• Non-White Women
  • 1940: 54.9
  • 1963: 66.6

Living Below the Poverty Threshold in 1959

Total Population: 22.4%
White Population: 18.1%
Black Population: 55.1%

Median Yearly Earned Income of Full-Time Workers: 1949 and 1959

• White Men
  • 1949: $3,150
  • 1959: $5,550
• Black Men
  • 1949: $1,950
  • 1959: $3,450
• White Women
  • 1949: $2,150
  • 1959: $3,350
• Black Women
  • 1949: $1,150
  • 1959: $2,050

Percentage of Home Ownership: 1940 and 1960

Among whites in 1940: 42.1%
Region with the highest concentration of white homeowners: Midwest
Among Blacks in 1940: 20.5%
Region with the highest concentration of Black homeowners: South

Among whites in 1960: 64%
Region with the highest concentration of white homeowners: Midwest
Among Blacks in 1960: 35.8%
Region with the highest concentration of Black homeowners: West

School Enrollment Rate: 1870 and 1963

Among white children in 1870: 54.4%
Among non-white children in 1870: 9.9%

Among white children in 1963: 89.8%
Among non-white children in 1963: 88%

Percentage of the Population with a High School Diploma: 1940 and 1964

• White Men
  • 1940: 13%
  • 1964: 27.6%
• Black Men
  • 1940: 3.8%
  • 1964: 14.6%
• White Women
  • 1940: 17.5%
  • 1964: 34.8%
• Black Women
  • 1940: 5.1%
  • 1964: 19.2%

Election of 1948

Democratic candidate Harry S. Truman wins with an Electoral College majority of 303 over his Republican opponent, Thomas E. Dewey. Truman wins the popular vote by just over 2 million of nearly 49 million votes cast. Strom Thurmond, a third-party candidate running on a segregationist ticket, wins 1,176,125 popular votes and 39 in the Electoral College.

Election of 1952

Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower wins with an Electoral College majority of 442 over his Democratic opponent, Adlai E. Stevenson. Nearly 62 million votes are cast.

Election of 1956

Dwight D. Eisenhower is reelected with an Electoral College majority of 457 over his two-time Democratic opponent, Adlai E. Stevenson. Just as in the prior election, nearly 62 million votes are cast.

Election of 1960

Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy wins with an Electoral College majority of 303 over his Republican opponent, Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy wins the popular vote by a miniscule 118,574 of nearly 69 million votes cast.