Today we presented our information about our presidents.
President Harry Truman (33rd) 1945-1953.
- Fought in WW1
- Missouri State Senate
- Vice President in January, 1945
- Took over for FDR when he died in April, 1945
- Most unpopular presidents of all time
- 22% approval rating
- Rating has improved greatly over the last 60 years
- Last President to not have earned a college degree
Accompishments
- President when WW2 ended with Germany and Japan
- Potsdam Conference/Declaration- Japan's surrender or else face destruction
- Decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan
Struggles
- Had to deal with transitions from wartime economy to peace 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
- Created the CIA and National Security Council
The Fair Deal
- Similar to FDR's New deal
- 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 Secuirty
- Minimum Wage
- Health
- Labor
- Education
- Agriculture
Election-1948
- Truman vs Thomas Dewey
- Truman came from way behind to win
- Newspapers and polls all assumed Dewey would easily win
President Dwight Eisenhower(34th) 1953-1961
- Famous WW2 general
- Decided to join the Republican Party after WW2
- Richard Nixon was his Vice-President
- Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and had a minor stroke while president
Election-1945 and 1956
- Eisenhower vs Stevenson
- Easy win
Accomplishments
- Dominated by the Cold War-Containment Policy
- Used CIA to do covertops to disrupt communist governments
- Opened relations with Spain
- Ended the Korean Conflict as promised in his 1952 election campaign
- Defensive alliances were signed with South Korea and Taiwan
- Eisenhower Doctrine- give money to middle Eastern countries to fight off communism
Domestic Accomplishments
- Believed in laissez faire- government should stay out of things
- Believed in a balance budget
- Deported 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 Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case
- Helped pass the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 which created the United States' Interstate Highways
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