Truman Administration
The Truman Administration Jayann Perkins HIS145: The American Experience Since 1945 Mr. ... Truman, the thirty-third President of the United States of America made an indelible mark on this prestigious office and his country. The Truman administration met difficult challenges and made historical achievements. The following paper will examine Truman’s life, assess his presidency, and explore his legacy. The Truman Administration Biography The 33rd President (1945-1953) of the United States of America, Harry S. Truman, was born in Lamar, Missouri, on May 8, 1884. He was the oldest of three children born to John Truman and his wife Margaret Ellen Young Truman. In order to appease two relatives whose names began with the letter S, Truman’s parents decided to place the initial S. ... Truman never really had a middle name (Microsoft Encarta, 2002). In 1890, when Truman was six years old, his father moved the family to Independence, Missouri, where they spent the next 12 years. Truman received his initial education from a Presbyterian Church Sunday school but would eventually begin going to a regular school when he turned 8 years old. ... Truman graduated from high school in 1901. ... Truman found a job after high school with the Santa Fe Railroad as a timekeeper for $35 a month. ... For the next five years, Truman would work for the Kansas City Star as a mail clerk, the National Bank of Commerce as a teller, and the Union National Bank as a bookkeeper before returning home to help his widowed mother run the family farm in Grandview, Missouri in 1906. ... When the United States entered the World War I in 1917, Truman decided to join the Second Missouri Field Artillery Regiment. It is in this period that Truman’s life began to change for the better. Truman adjusted well to the disciplined life of the military. ... At the age of 33, Truman received a captains commission in the Field Artillery and shipped out to enter the war in France on March 30, 1918. ... During his service in France, Truman discovered two things about himself that would change his life. ... On August 29, Truman displayed his courage and ability to lead in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France. ... Truman and his unit would later distinguish themselves in the battles of Saint-Mihiel and Argonne (McCullough, 2002). Consequently, Truman became a war hero and returned to America with the rank of Major. Upon his return home from the war, Truman married his long time love, Elizabeth “Bess” Virginia Wallace on June 28, 1919 in Independence, Missouri. ... They had one child, Mary Margaret Truman, who was born on February 17, 1924, in Independence, Missouri. In November of that same year, Truman opened a men’s clothing store with his army buddy Edward Jacobson. When the store failed and closed its doors in 1922, Truman decided to enter politics with the help of another army buddy, Jim Pendergast, the nephew of Tom Pendergast, the notorious head of the Kansas City Democratic political machine. ... With the elder Pendergast’s help, Truman entered politics as a Democrat. ... Truman as the 33rd President of the United States at 7:09 p. ... Truman would serve as President of the United States for two terms and chose not to run for re-election in 1952. Prior Political Career In January 1923, Truman took the oath of office as one of three Jackson County Judges whose primary jobs were to supervise the county roads and buildings. ... Truman earned considerable respect with his constituents as he proved to be an honest political leader despite the corrupt political machine that had put him into office. ... On January 3, 1935, Truman was sworn in as the new Senator from Missouri. Truman would head the Senate war investigating committee during World War II. Furthermore, Truman would serve two terms as an U. ... Truman served as vice-president for only 82 days when FDR passed away. On January 20, 1945, Vice-President Truman took the oath of the office of the President of the United States (Microsoft Encarta, 2002). Life and Times of the Nation The United States was at war with the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan, when Truman took the oath to become the President of the United States. ... Truman had little knowledge of what FDR’s foreign policy had been and needed someone who could fill him in. Byrnes had known Truman when they were both in the Senate and Truman called upon Byrnes to help him. Byrnes would become Truman’s Secretary of State on July 3, 1945 (Long, 2002). ... Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army during WWII, would become one of Truman’s closest allies as well. After he retired from the army he would serve Truman as a special envoy to China (1945-1947) and then as Secretary of State (1947-1949). He would then return one more time to serve as Secretary of Defense for Truman in August 1950 (Sandler, 2002). Marshall would help Truman to draft the Marshall Plan, in an attempt to stop the communist flow into Eastern Europe. ... Domestic Activities Truman’s slant toward domestic policy followed the same concepts established by the New Deal. ... The domestic policies that most people did not expect to come from his Administration dealt with racism and Truman spoke openly of his desire to address this problem. ... Over time, almost all of Truman’s domestic policies would be adopted. ... The only domestic policy that Truman failed to get passed during his administration was his proposal to make medical care available for everyone. Truman was alarmed by the rising cost of medical care and would be quoted as saying, “What was the country coming to when a working man could pay as much as $25 a day for a hospital bed? ... Regional Perspectives Harry Truman won the 1948 election not because he appealed to the common man, but because he pushed the issues of what the New Deal and the Democratic Party had done for people, said Alonzo Hamby, author of "A Life of Harry S. Truman: Man of the People" (McCleary, 1998). At the end of World War II, Truman held enormous power and political influence over the rest of the world, more than any other president before him did.