Sunday, February 4, 2018

Post-War Presidents: Truman vs. Eisenhower

As we close the book on World War Two, we look ahead to the two men who would lead us during the pivotal post-war years into the turbulent 1960s.

Truman had to deal with the decision to use nuclear weapons, plummeting approval ratings and the Korean War.

Eisenhower, in stark contrast, was the conquering hero of Europe. The leader of D-Day, he enjoyed a fairly popular and prosperous presidency.

Using this website, read up on both of these men. Use the tools the website provides to compare their two presidencies.

For the comments, write 200 words on which president you think had the more successful administration. Be sure to back up your thoughts with evidence.

20 comments:

  1. So I believe that President Dwight Eisenhower was the more successful than president Truman. Eisenhower did not plummet America into a war, Korean War. He got us out of war and defeated Europe. President Eisenhower got his college education from the United States Military Schoolin West Point, New York, which is a about 500 miles from New York City and the Hudson River. So he took his military education and put it to use during the Cold War. He saw all of our biggest strengths all the way to our smallest weaknesses and fixed them. In 1953 he signed a peace treaty with Korea. When Stalin died Russia made more hydrogen bombs, so Eisenhower instead of attacking just made us make more than they did. President Eisenhower pursued a middle course, continuing most of the New Deal amd Fair Deal programs, emphasizing a balanced budget. He also ordered the completion of desegregation of the Armed forces. President Eisenhower overall wanted world peace. He died of illness on March 8, 1969.
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  2. I think that Eisenhower was the better president for a few reasons, but the big one that stands out to me is how he helped lower the debts we owe to other countries. I wish our last president would have thought like he did instead he put us almost into double the debt we were in. Eisenhower also kept the inflation rates low, I think this is a great thing because the businesses are still making money but the prices are still low and the average person can afford it. Eisenhower and trump both would agree that deportation is needed. Back when Eisenhower was president he exported more people then he imported, Trump is also trying to do the same thing bc he sees the same problem Eisenhower saw. He also traveled from state to state a lot to see what problems they had and asked how he could help because he was genuinely interested in making America a better place to live. The only downfall I believe that he had was that he increased unemployment, which is a big problem even in today world but the past few presidents have been working had to get the unemployment problem under control.(201)

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  4. In my opinion, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a more successful president than President Harry S. Truman. Granted, Truman had more to face than Eisenhower in his presidency, that being the nuclear bombs, the end of World War Two, and the Korean War. One reason I think Eisenhower had the better presidency was because of his approval rating. It was significantly higher than Truman’s, but again, his presidency was not as difficult. Also, Eisenhower was a very inspirational person, because he was a hero general of World War Two. Also, he brought an end to the Korean War that had started during Truman’s presidency. He also improved quality of life with things such as the Federal Highway Act. Unemployment was generally lower with Eisenhower in office than Truman. Both presidents struggled in the ongoing fight against communism, as would the presidents to come after them. Eisenhower realized that war was a last resort from his time in the military, and left behind a legacy of peace. I think although Eisenhower did not have as much adversity in his presidency as Truman, he was all around a better president because he was the leader the American people needed after the end of World War Two. 203 words

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  5. I think that Eisenhower had a better administration even though he did not have a lot of political experiences in the U.S. Government. After all, he was a general that had a great victory in Europe and what we call D-day. Eisenhower was know as the conquering hero of Europe because he lead the army into a victory on D-day. Eisenhower had a way better rating as the President in things such as having a low inflation rate and not causing so much unemployment for Americans like Truman did. He also allowed more immigrants to come to the United States which Truman did not allow as many because of the war. Even though Eisenhower had some disagreements with Truman such as women abortions and other stuff, especially economically, he still tried to pursue the post-war America and so did Truman. But, Eisenhower had way more luck with it trying to change things than Truman did. Eisenhower knew how to work the military because he was a military leader and knew how to fix things just in case. Of course, both Eisenhower and Truman ended up leading the country into the 1960s but also to when we were about to have the Korean War and deciding if we should use nuclear weapons which would not be a good idea because that could start an uproar and chaos would begin to happen. (229 words)

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  6. Even though Truman helped the nation take one of the first major steps towards desegregation, and helped pave the way for future presidents to even further eliminate segregation Dwight D. Eisenhower was the better president. During his presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower took many risks when promoting Civil Rights. He declared that the government’s desegregation policies were not working, proposed controversial bills, and made alliances with people whose races were often considered inferior.  Through his relentless efforts, Eisenhower not only made a huge impact on society, but set a precedent for more Civil Right advancements to continue after his presidential term ended in 1961. Eisenhower also made contacts with many individual people who were suffering from segregation, symbolizing that he did not believe he was above them like many other white Americans did.  Eisenhower was the first president to ever meet in the White House with black Civil Rights leaders.  He invited Martin  Luther King, Jr and others to his home for a meeting about national Civil Rights issues. Truman has similar similarities like the gain of support he had from farmers, laborers, African Americans, and others who benefited from actions in favor of civil rights, he was able to win the election. Truman followed the ideas of his State of the Union address and continued his battle for civil rights by establishing executive orders 9980 and 9981.  These orders called for an end to racial discrimination in the federal government and banned segregation of armed services.  They did not completely eliminate segregation in these areas, but did allow some African American soldiers to gain leadership positions in the Korean War. (270)

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  7. President Truman had a very successful presidency. He used to be a high ranked official when he served in the army. He took over when the president died since he was the vice president. Truman successfully took the position and acceled at a time when America needed him the most. His smart decisions during the tensest part of World War Two was a key factors that caused the United States of America to win the war. Also, Truman decided that using Nuclear bombs on Japan was the best option to win the war, which ultimately caused the Japanese to surrender. Truman cut the size of the army, which helped save America a lot of money and lives. The money that he saved was spent on weapons for the army, which probably created more jobs in the factory industry. This was almost the opposite of how the unemployment rate was influenced when Eisenhower was president, because when Eisenhower became president the unemployment rate in America increased by 1.6% every month. When Truman was president America’s national debt dropped down from $2.55 trillion to $1.75 trillion, which is a ton of money that he saved and gained back. By this stat it can be determined that America’s national debt dropped by 4% each year! And lastly, the rate of illegal people in America went from around 100k leaving America to 700k people leaving America.

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  9. I believe that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was more successful. He was successful for a couple reasons. Eisenhower was a Republican. Eisenhower dealt more with turmoil involving civil rights. He chose to back the Civil Rights Act of 1957. That helped form the Civil Rights Commission which helped with blacks being able to vote. A lot of the population liked Eisenhower over Truman because Eisenhower won the popular vote. Eisenhower was a hero general of World War Two so he was very looked up to. He also brought an end to the Korean war that was brought through Truman’s Presidency. I also believe that Eisenhower had an easier presidency than Truman. In Truman’s presidency he had to face World War II, nuclear bombs and the Korean War. Truman’s problem was that he didn’t allow a lot of immigrants to come to the United States because of war. And I honestly in a way understand that. I think both presidents has there issues, but Eisenhower took more risk and made for the most part better choices. Truman just didn’t have as much luck as Eisenhower. Truman himself had many successes with the army. He cut some of the army. It saved some lives, but we also gained money. The money that was saved, was spent on weapons for the military. (220)

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  10. I think Dwight D. Eisenhower had a more successful presidency than Harry S. Truman. Even though the unemployment rate was higher when Eisenhower was president, he had many successes. Inflation was low, as well as federal debt. I think Eisenhower had an easier time being president than Truman, which made him have a more successful time. Truman had the weight of determining whether or not he wanted to drop the atomic bomb on Japan and end world war two, while Eisenhower did not. He did however put an end to the Korean war that was brought about during Truman’s presidency. He was a president that wanted nothing but peace for the United States and wanted war to be the last resort. He was able to help improve the quality of citizens lives. He took many steps toward ending segregation and promoting civil rights.Eisenhower was one of the more likable and charismatic presidents which made it easier for him to have success in what he does. I think Eisenhower was one of the more popular and successful presidents because he took many risks and steps toward making our nation more peaceful.(200)

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  11. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a better president. He was a World War Two hero which gave him high popularity rating going into his presidency. Throughout his presidency he lowered national debt and inflation. In his first term, he created the Interstate Highway System. He also worked to discredit and dismiss the influence of Senator Joseph McCarthy because of his violation of civilian rights during his anti-communist crusades. Continuing through his successful two terms he strengthened the social security program, increased the minimum wage, and established the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He also enforced civil rights throw ending segregation in schools and provided federal protection for African American voter and strengthened the New Deal and Fair Deal programs. He worked towards keeping peace through signing an armistice to end the Korean War. Along with this he also tried to improve our relations with Russia during the ongoing Cold-War. He succeeded in strengthening NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and created SEATO (Southeast Treaty Organization). Still, under the threat of the Cold-War, he took measures to keep our nation safe through secret, anti-communist CIA missions. President Eisenhower forwarded the space race, especially after gaining knowledge of the Russian launch of Sputnik. This was done through the creation of NASA and and the continuation of the attempt to launch satellites into space. President Dwight D. Eisenhower not only served our nation in the armed forces, but also continued on to serve the American people through his work to maintain peace and help the United States prosper. (255)

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  12. I think Dwight Eisenhower was more successful than Truman. He was the person to finally bring peace to America after the war. Truman was the president who made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Which was a bad idea to begin with. Truman made some good ideas to end the war. Eisenhower however wanted peace and prosperity for all of America. He was like another Washington he was not as political but he knew what he wanted and how to get there. He wanted know violence what’s so ever he even after the war made interstates and highways by minimized military funds to help the country. He was also the president during D-Day which was one of the most memorable battles of World War 2. Truman made some good decisions that helped the country with the war, but they couldn’t come close to Eisenhower did. That’s why I think Eisenhower is the more successful Eisenhower had a game plan. He had a goal set for the country and by golly he got it. He showed a perfect mindset for a leader and president of our country. He was truly a great person of history we know today.(202)

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  13. I think that Eisenhower was a better president because he had popularity with the people. He would listen to the people’s needs and help them with all aspects of the disagreement. He also was for a lot of the things I am for as well. For example I am more for the republican side solely for the debate on abortion and that is what Eisenhower ran for. He disagrees with abortion which I believe is very important. He also was for keeping God in the nation which is another thing I strongly agree with. Also while Dwight Eisenhower was in office, inflation as at a low compared to Truman. He was also a general meaning that he knew how to help the military with war conflicts and how to resolve and come up with stratifies to win war. Dwight Eisenhower had the majority of the approval ratings over Truman because he appealed to most people which brought him more popularity with the public. He was president for two terms which lasted 8 years because of his popularity. I also agree with him in hiring women for jobs along with minority’s in the nation meaning he agrees with the equality of genders. (201)

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  14. The chart on the website showed both of the presidents, Truman and Eisenhower, popularity levels. It shows that Truman was more favored when he first took office and then his popularity took a dive all the way down to almost nothing until the end of his term. Eisenhower on the other hand was steadily popular he did not have a climax or a low point on his graph. I personally think that Truman although he was not very popular was the better president. Truman brought the country out of World War Two by saying yes to dropping both atom bombs on Japan. He did a good job as the president but he was blamed for stuff that was for the most part out of his control. He was blamed for China falling under communistic rule, hence his popularity decline. He did not really have anything to do within that situation but he took the blame because at the time America was trying to control the combustion presence in the East. Therefore since China feel under communist rule he got the blame because people thought that he could have prevented it. Overall Truman made big decisions in his presidency hat changed America for the better. (204)

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  15. i believe that dwight d. eisenhower was a much more successful and better president than harry s. truman. truman had to deal with a lot of stuff during his presidency, such as ending world war 2 while using 2 super weapons never before used in war, and the korean war as well. Eisenhower was seen as a big public figure as he was the Hero of world war 2 and the 5 star general who devised attacking normandy. he was an icon. truman wasnt anybody until being president. eisenhower was a much more popular president in his approval rating as well, and he even had lower unemployement when he as president too. Eisenhower didnt face as many problems as president, as he wanted to not go to war at all costs so kept peace through out is presidency as he ended the korean war that had started when truman was president. Eisenhower was overall a much better president in my opinion than truman as he led the US in peace and prosperity for all his years of leadership, while truman tried but still ended up at war and with higher unemployment than he wanted. truman was still a great president, just not as good as Eisenhower. 207 words

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  16. Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower were both great presidents that accomplished many things while they were in office. Even though Eisenhower did many great things in office like the Federal Highway Act I think that Truman was the better president. Truman came into office after FDR died and even though he was Vice President much of America was unfamiliar with him. Truman greatly exceeded America's expectations of him and he really stepped up to the task of presidency when he was needed most. Truman is mostly known for his decision to drop the A-bombs on Japan. Truman dropped the bombs on Japan at the cost of many innocent lives, however, many American soldiers lives would be saved because the bombs put an end to the war and we wouldn't have to invade Japan. Truman also helped bring down unemployment because he used the war to help create more jobs with better wages for Americans. Truman also brought desegregation into the military. Despite the cost of the war Truman was able to help lower America's debt greatly.Truman really was the leader that America needed during that time and he made some really difficult decisions that had a huge impact on our country as well as the rest of the world.
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  17. In my opinion, I think Dwight D. Eisenhower had the more successful presidency while in office. The people loved him, and he was known as the person who masterminded D-Day. His approval rating stayed the most level throughput each president’s respective terms. Eisenhower believed that a woman should not go through an abortion. He also strongly agrees with hiring women and minorities. Then he believes that keeping God in the public sphere is very important, which it is. Green energy is important to prolonging our resources, and Eisenhower wants to have green. He doesn’t want to give out economic stimulus’ because why spend money we do not have, or waste money when we don’t have to. He doesn’t want to have higher taxes on the wealthy. Then he doesn’t want to have a pathway for illegal immigrants to become citizens, which I do not agree with. He wants to expand the military, which we would make sense because he was a former general in the military. He want to stick America’s nose in foreign affairs because we are America, and we can do whatever we want. He is mostly conservative, which is also why I like him. He also admitted Hawaii and Alaska into the US and appointed 5 Supreme Court justices. (212)

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  18. In my opinion, Dwight Eisenhower had a more successful administration than Harry Truman did. I do think it was a lot harder though when Truman was the president because he had to face many difficult decisions like whether to use atomic weapons in World War 2 or not. I think Eisenhower was more successful because he had much higher approval ratings than Truman throughout his administration. This is why Eisenhower won the election by a landslide. He also had many accomplishments, one of which was creating the federal interstate highway system. This was a very big deal for America and is something that everyone still uses to this day. Another accomplishment of his was putting an end to the Korean War. Eisenhower did not want to go into war unless it was our very last option. I think that is kind of ironic because he was a World War 2 hero and a general of the army prior to his presidency. He caused the federal debt to fall 5.1%. He also lowered inflation. Eisenhower accomplished many things in his lifetime. He was overall a great president mainly because he wanted peace, and he made America much better off because of it. (201)

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  19. Dwight Eisenhower was the better president compared to harry Truman. Eisenhower still had some down falls in his presidency but not has bad Truman. Eisenhower apparel rate thru the years were up and down, but stayed around the numbers. Truman apparel rate went down thru the years in office. Eisenhower professions before becoming really helped him in office. They gave the brains of war and what damage war does to people. The knowledge of going to college gave him the brains of everything else. He also did not spend as much of budget as did Truman during his presidency. During Eisenhower presidency there was two new states enter the United States Alaska and Hawaii. Eisenhower sis many other things as well to help the country come together. He stopped the Korean war. While Truman got us involved in it. These things made Eisenhower greater presidency then Truman. Truman did a lot for the country as well. He got us out of the World War 2. He had some tough decisions in at the end of the world. He had to decide to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. But he mad some pore decisions that brought his presidency down hill. He chose to get involved in other war after the end of world war 2.(215)

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  20. Between President Eisenhower and President Truman, I would say Eisenhower was the better President. Even though Truman went through a lot of trials and was faced with tough decisions. I feel this way because he is an inspiration. He was not only a hero of World War II but he helped put an end to the Korean war. Eisenhower was just the man the people needed to lead them at the end of the war. Eisenhower was known for the facts that unemployment was not as big of a problem during his presidency, and that inflation was low as well. The thing i find most admirable about Dwight D. Eisenhower is his passion for civil rights. Eisenhower reached out to people who were suffering from segregation. He set a great example by inviting African Americans into the white house. Both presidents served our country well, but I appreciate how Eisenhower took risks like backing up the civil rights vote in 1956. On the other hand we must make sure we never discredit Truman for all he did for our country. He was thrown into the position and had to make tough decisions that Eisenhower did not have to worry about, but things were not always in Trumans favor. So in my opinion Eisenhower was the better of the two. (219)

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