We started presenting President projects.
President Harry Truman(D)-33rd
1945-1953
- Fought in WWI
- Was Missouri State Senator
- became vice president for FDR in January,1945
- One of the most unpopular presidents of all time 22% approval rating at one point
- Rating has improved greatly over the last 60 years
- Last President not to have a college degree.
- Inflation(prices going up) was taking place
Accomplishments as president
- President when WWII ended with Germany and Japan
- Potsdam conference/declaration-(german consequences/ Japan's surrender or else face destruction)
- Decided to use the atomic bomb
- Had to deal with transition from wartime economy to peace time economy
- helped organize and later join the United Nations
- Took a hard-line stance against communism and the Soviet Union-Policy of Containment
- Desegregated the US military.
- Truman doctrine and Marshall Plan were passed
- Created the CIA and the National Security Council
The Fair Deal
- Similar to FDR's New Deal of the 1930s
- Aimed to promote economic development and social welfare
- Faced a lot of opposition from Southern Democrats and Republicans
- Most Fair Deal proposals did not get passed
- Civil Rights
- Housing
- Social Security
- Minimum wage
- Health
- Labor
- Education
- Agriculture
Other things
- Recognized Israel as a home place for the Jewish people
- got the US involved in Vietnam by giving aid to france
- Berlin Airlift
- NATO established(our alliance with Europe)
- Chinese Civil War ends
- McCarthyism
- The Korean Conflict and firing of General Douglas MacArthur
- Assassination attempt over Puerto Rican independence
1948 Election
- Truman(D) vs. Thomas Dewey(R)
- Truman came from way behind to win
- Newspapers and polls all assumed Dewey would win easily
President Dwight Eisenhower(R)- 34th
1953-1961
- Famous WWII general
- Decided to join the Republican Party after WWII
- Richard Nixon was his Vice-President
- Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and had a minor stroke while president
Accomplishments
- Dominated by the Cold War- Containment Policy
- Used CIA to do covert-ops to disrupt communist governments abroad(Iran/Guatemala)
- Opened relations with Spain
- Ended the Korean Conflict as promised in his 1952 election campaign
- Defensive alliances were signed with South Korea and Taiwan
- SEATO was formed
- Increased US involvement in southeast Asia(vietnam)-Us advisors sent
- Developed idea that nuclear weapons would be defensive weapons(deterrence)
- NASA created due to Soviet Sputnik launch
- US spy plane(U-2) was shot down over USSR
- Allowed McCarthy to do his thing but privately did not approve
- Eisenhower Doctrine
- Believed in laissez-faire
- Believed in a balanced budget
- Deported around 1 million illegal immigrants(mostly Mexicans)
- Sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to help in the desegregation of all public schools-1954-Brown vs the Boards of Education of Topeka, KS case
- Helped pass the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 which created the United States' Interstate Highways
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