Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953-1961
Election
-34th president
-won the elections of 1952 and 1956
-political affiliation: Republican
-vice president was Richard Nixon
"I Like Ike"
Presidency
-Republicanism policy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Containment-
- wanted to destroy communism
- hired secretary of state John Foster Dulles
- 1) sustaining a prosperous U.S. economy while trying to compete in the Cold War
- 2) arms race ( nuclear weapons) to combat communist aggression and fight if need be
- 3) using the CIA to combat communist influences in the economy ( 2nd red scare)
- 4) strengthening relationship with allies
-The Cold War ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Called the Cold war because it never heated up into any actual fighting
-Era of McCarthyism~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- communism hysteria
- Joseph McCarthy trying to weed out all of the communists in the government
- Eisenhower did not want to get involved
- made a mockery of himself when he accused the Army of having communists.
- five-star general in the United States Army during World War II
-signed the armistice "ending" the Korean war
- threatened to use nuclear arms
- after the threat
-"Operation Wetback" (politically incorrect)
- rounding up a million illegal Mexican Immigrants
-Space Race
- Sputnik I & II
- NASA -National Aeronautics and Space Administration authorized $877 million in loans to needy college students and in grants for the improvement of teaching sciences and language
-Strategic Air Command
- Esisenhower desegregation in the south~~~~~~~~~~~
Brown V. Board of education-
-was a consolidation of 5 court cases over segregation in public schools
-asked attorney generals of all states with laws permitting segregation in their public schools to submit plans for how to proceed with desegregation
-desegregation was to proceed with "all deliberate speed"
Little Rock crisis-
a group of African American students who were enrolled at the Little Rock Central High school were not allowed to attened the segregated school
-Eisenhower called for paratroopers to escourt the kids into the school
-students formed non-violent coordinating Committee (SNCC) to give for focus and force to their efforts
Montgomery Bus Boycott
-Rosa parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and was arrested
(this inspired African Americans to protest)
-emptying busses in protest
-December 5, 1955, MLkjr gives a speech saying "If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong"
-The Supreme Court Declares Bus Segregation Unconstitutional (1956)
-led to the creation of Southern Christian Leadership conference
Civil rights act of 1957
- established the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department
-empowered federal officials to prosecute people who infringe on other's rights to vote
- created a six-member U.S. Civil Rights Commission charged with investigating allegations of voter infringement
-most importantly it signaled a growing federal commitment to the cause of civil rights
-Interstate Highway Act
- Most expensive program in history
- 41000 mile system- accelerated suburban growth, heightened dependency of vehicles, hastened decline of nation's rails, pollution, gas consumption, decay of central cities
-helped create countless jobs
-helped with urbanization