The Eisenhower Era
By Conner Mann
The Elections of Eisenhower
1. Eisenhower won elections of 1952 and 1956.
2. Eisenhower was part of the Republican Party.
3. Eisenhower won the electoral college in 1952 442 to 89 and in 1956 457 to 73.
4. Eisenhower's opponent in 1952 and in 1956 was Adlai Stevenson
5. Eisenhower greatly benefit from the popularization of black and white TV.
6. Checkers Speech: Speech given by Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952 on TV. He talked about his dog, Checkers and apologized for secretly tapping government funds. This saved his political career.
The Cold War
The Cold War: a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular from 1945-1990.
1. In July 1958, Lebanon asked for aid as there was a communist threat.
2. Castro overthrows Cuba in 1959
3. 1960, American U-2 spy plane shot down in Russia
Joseph McCarthy
- In Feb 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy accused Secretary of State Dean Acheson of knowingly employing 205 communist party members.
- McCarthy saw the "Red hand of Moscow everywhere"
- Flourished under the Cold War fear and suspicion factor
- Ike did not like McCarthy
- Removed from the Senate when he attacked the US army
Eisenhower and Desegregation in the South
- Little Rock Crisis: Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas, prevented a group of 9 African-Americans from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School. Eisenhower sent troops to escort the children to class.
- Brown v Board of Education: court found that segregation was a violation of the Equal Protection clause "separate but equal" has no place.
- Montgomery Bus Boycott- Year long African American boycott of city buses-served notice throughout the South.
- Civil Rights Act of 1957: established Civil Rights Commission to investigate violations of civil rights and authorized federal injunctions to protect voting rights.
Eisenhower's Republicanism policies
- Balance the Federal budget and guard it from creeping socialism
- State and privatized control of offshore oil and energy
- Operation Wetback sent Mexicans back to Mexico
- Cancel tribal preservation policies
- Interstate Highway Act of 1956
Beginning of the Vietnam War
- Geneva conference divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel
- Eisenhower promised economic and military aid to autocratic Diem regime
- Communist guerrillas heated up their campaign against Diem aided by America
Space Race with the Soviets
- October 4, 1957 The USSR launched Sputnik into space
- Eisenhower established NASA as Rocket fever swept the nation
- US launched a grapefruit-sized satellite in 1958
- NDEA National Defense and Education Act established $887 million in loans and grants from sciences and languages teaching