Harry S. Truman, the “Give ‘em Hell, Harry” President
Although everyone knew that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s health was declining and it was likely that he would not survive his fourth term as President of the United States, no one expected that he would die only 12 weeks into his new term and leave a virtual unknown in the position of 33rd American President (Ferrell). That’s exactly what happened to Harry S. Truman. Those were events which catapulted Truman into the highest office of the land with very little preparation for the job. He had barely seen President Roosevelt during those early weeks as vice-president and received almost no information about the development of the atomic bomb nor the bubbling troubles with Russia …show more content…
Truman’s intense anticommunist position led to the second major decision of his presidency--the implementation of the Truman Doctrine. Essentially the United States’ position in foreign relations from the time of George Washington until World War II was for the U.S. to abstain from participation in foreign matters. Truman advocated that the U. S. should offer support to countries threatened by communism. He believed these actions would preserve democracy in Western Europe and in turn preserved the freedom of the U. S. (Ferrell). Many critics claim Truman’s actions contributed to a permanent Cold War. In August 1946, Russia sought to control a strategic route in the Mediterranean. President Truman’s advisor, Dean Acheson, saw this as an attempt by Russian to control the Middle East. President Truman asked Congress for $400 million dollars to fight Communist aggression in that area of the world (Appleby …show more content…
Some newspapers actually published early editions indicating that Dewey had defeated Truman. Truman was elated to report that he actually defeated Dewey (Appleby 541). During this term in office, Truman pushed for what he called a Fair Deal. He declared that every American had a “right to expect from our government a fair deal” (Truman 1949). The 81st Congress did not completely support Truman’s Fair Deal concept. They refused Truman’s civil rights bill, national health insurance and aid to farmers. But did raise the minimum wage to 75 cents per hour, increased Social Security benefits and passed the national Fair Housing Act (Appleby 541). Truman left the presidency to retire in Independence, Missouri in January 1953. He delighted in referring to himself as “Mr. Citizen” in his book of memoirs. He spent his days reading, writing, lecturing and taking long brisk walks. He took particular satisfaction in founding and supporting his library, which made his papers available to scholars and which opened its doors to everyone who wished to have a glimpse of his remarkable life and career.
Although everyone knew that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s health was declining and it was likely that he would not survive his fourth term as President of the United States, no one expected that he would die only 12 weeks into his new term and leave a virtual unknown in the position of 33rd American President (Ferrell). That’s exactly what happened to Harry S. Truman. Those were events which catapulted Truman into the highest office of the land with very little preparation for the job. He had barely seen President Roosevelt during those early weeks as vice-president and received almost no information about the development of the atomic bomb nor the bubbling troubles with Russia …show more content…
Truman’s intense anticommunist position led to the second major decision of his presidency--the implementation of the Truman Doctrine. Essentially the United States’ position in foreign relations from the time of George Washington until World War II was for the U.S. to abstain from participation in foreign matters. Truman advocated that the U. S. should offer support to countries threatened by communism. He believed these actions would preserve democracy in Western Europe and in turn preserved the freedom of the U. S. (Ferrell). Many critics claim Truman’s actions contributed to a permanent Cold War. In August 1946, Russia sought to control a strategic route in the Mediterranean. President Truman’s advisor, Dean Acheson, saw this as an attempt by Russian to control the Middle East. President Truman asked Congress for $400 million dollars to fight Communist aggression in that area of the world (Appleby …show more content…
Some newspapers actually published early editions indicating that Dewey had defeated Truman. Truman was elated to report that he actually defeated Dewey (Appleby 541). During this term in office, Truman pushed for what he called a Fair Deal. He declared that every American had a “right to expect from our government a fair deal” (Truman 1949). The 81st Congress did not completely support Truman’s Fair Deal concept. They refused Truman’s civil rights bill, national health insurance and aid to farmers. But did raise the minimum wage to 75 cents per hour, increased Social Security benefits and passed the national Fair Housing Act (Appleby 541). Truman left the presidency to retire in Independence, Missouri in January 1953. He delighted in referring to himself as “Mr. Citizen” in his book of memoirs. He spent his days reading, writing, lecturing and taking long brisk walks. He took particular satisfaction in founding and supporting his library, which made his papers available to scholars and which opened its doors to everyone who wished to have a glimpse of his remarkable life and career.