1. Harry S. Truman 1945-1953 33 rd President of the United States
2. Chief Diplomat "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." The Truman Doctrine On March 12, 1947, in an address to Congress, President Harry S. Truman declared it to be the foreign policy of the United States to assist any country whose stability was threatened by communism The Marshall Plan Also known as the European Recovery Program It offered American financial aid for a program of European economic recovery. The Berlin Airlift When the Russians blockaded the western sectors of Berlin in 1948, Truman created a massive airlift to supply Berliners until the Russians backed down. Grade: B
3. Chief Administrator McCarthyism Grade: B In April 1951, Harry S. Truman removed General Douglas MacArthur from his command of the United Nations forces in Korea. McCarthy called for Truman to be impeached and suggested that the president was drunk when he made the decision to fire MacArthur. Douglas MacArthur Joe McCarthy The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The Removal of General Douglas MacArthur
4. Chief Legislator North Atlantic Treaty Organization Established a formal peacetime military alliance with Canada and many of the democratic European nations that had not fallen under Soviet control following World War II. The Fair Deal Truman had difficulty getting Congress to pass his Fair Deal program and most of these measures were not enacted during his term in office. However, The Housing Act of 1949 was a major legislative accomplishment from the Fair Deal. Grade: B
5. Commander in Chief Integration Truman was successful in integrating the armed forces . The Korean War Truman ordered the American military to intervene between the battle of North and South Korea. However, American involvement in Korea brought Truman more problem then successes. Grade: B
6. Chief Citizen The Fair Employment Act . The act prevented discrimination against persons of any race, color, creed, or nationality in matters of employment. Truman instigated during g the war to prevent discrimination against African Americans, Jews and other minority groups. Wagner Act Truman was a proud defender of the Wagner act. The act established the rights of workers to join trade unions and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing. As a result, workers were protected from their employers and union membership grew rapidly. Speech to the NAACP The first time a sitting President had ever addressed the group. Truman said “Every man should have the right to a decent home, the right to an education, the right to adequate medical care, the right to a worthwhile job, the right to an equal share in the making of public decisions through the ballot, and the right to a fair trial in a fair court..” Grade: A
7. Overall Grade “ I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me." After abruptly becoming president due to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sudden death, President Truman had no other alternative but to face challenge after challenge in both domestic and foreign affairs. With his determination and ability to keep calm; it is only reasonable to give him a B plus for demonstrating outstanding leadership. Final Grade: B