Dwight D. Eisenhower1953-1961

Eisenhower Bio

• Born in Denison, TX• Moved to Abilene, KS at the

age of 3.• Enrolled at West Point• Officer Training (1st)

• Supreme Commander of D-Day Invasion (1944)• Supreme Commander of

NATO (1949)• President of Columbia

University (1948-1953)

Eisenhower Bio (cont.)

• Health Issues?• Used to smoke 4 packs/day• Crohn’s Disease-1956• Stroke-1957

• Excellent athlete, once tackled Jim Thorpe• Moved 35 times in 35 years!• Spent a lot of time on the golf

course!• Almost ran for President in 1948

for the Democrats

White House Putting Green

The Eisenhower Tree-17th Hole

Ike before the Normandy Invasion

Election of 1952/1956

• Ran against Adlai Stevenson (D, Illinois)• The General vs. the Egghead• Ran on the campaign, “Korea,

Communism, & Corruption”• Promised that if elected he would go

to Korea• Nominated Richard Nixon as VP

Election of 1952

Election of 1956

Foreign Policy- “The New Look”• Focused on Brinkmanship• Authored by Secretary of

State J. Foster Dulles• Push the communists back to

their pre-1945 borders by any means necessary• If they say no, nuke ‘em!!!• Used covert action by the CIA

to interfere w/communist governments abroad

Massive Retaliation

• Massive buildup of Nuclear Weapons• It was cheaper than

building large military forces

• Mutually Assured Destruction• If one country attacks the

other, the other will be destroyed-Nuclear Deterrence

Domino Theory

• April 7, 1954• You knock the first domino

over…the last is sure to fall…

• Worried about SE Asia & Japan

Eisenhower Doctrine

• 1957 Speech• Recommended that the

US would use armed forces to protect the Middle East from the spread of Communism

• How does this compare w/ Truman Doctrine?

1. Korean War (Tie)• “I shall go to Korea.”• Threatened to use

nuclear weapons to end the war• Ceasefire signed in

July 1953

2. Vietnam (Loss)

• Fall of Dien Bien Phu (1954)• US paying 80% of the French

costs of the War• French lose battle to Vietminh• Allies set up Geneva Conference

to split Vietnam @ 17th parallel• North-Communist-Ho Chi Minh• South-Nationalist-Ngo Dinh Diem

• “Laos is the cork in the bottle to contain communism”

3. Cuba (Loss)

• Turns communist in 1959• Revolution led by Dr. Fidel

Castro (Overthrows the Batista Government)• Castro needs help from

someone to consolidate power• Turns to USSR (90 miles from

Florida)• US no longer trades w/ Cuba

(Sugar)• No more Tourism (Las Vegas)

Dealings w/USSR

• Nikita Khruschev• New USSR Leader• Stalin dies in 1953

• Comes to the US in 1960• Visits 3 Places• Washington D.C.• Disneyland (CA)• Pittsburgh, PA

• What was his favorite destination and why?

4. Iran (Win)

• Began in 1953• Iranian leader-Mohammed

Mossadeq• Iran wanted to nationalize

its oil fields• Operation AJAX-remove

Mossadeq from power and install Shah Reza Pahlavi• Tried to teach Pro-Western

values…

5. Guatemala (Win)

• July 1954• Second instance of CIA

involvment• Overthrew the Arbenz

government

• Why?• Chiquita Bananas?• United Fruit Company had

land taken away

6. Warsaw Pact (Loss)

• Formed in 1955• Defensive

Alliance between USSR and Eastern Europe• Just like NATO…• Because W.

Germany joined NATO

7. Open Skies Initiative (Win)

• 1955• Proposed Treaty

between US & USSR that would allow each country to fly over the other.

• Problem-USSR didn’t have an air force

8. Suez Crisis (Tie)• In 1956, Egyptian

President Gamal Abdul Nasser needed $$ to build the Aswan High Dam• Israel, UK, & France

invade• USSR threatens to help

on Egyptian behalf• US denies sale of oil to

allies• Last time US can use oil as

leverage in the world!

9. USSR Conquest of Hungary (Loss)

• Hungarians revolt against USSR and withdraw from Warsaw Pact (1956)• Hungarians turn to US for

help!!• Truman Doctrine???• No US help, nuclear

sledgehammer is too big!!!

10. Sputnik (Loss)• October 4, 1957• Means “Baby Moon”• First Satellite to orbit

the Earth• Won the Space Race!

• Orbited every 96 minutes• Later versions carried

a dog!

US Response to Sputnik• 1. NASA-Organized a space program for the country• 2. NDEA-National Defense Education Act• US would give billions for educating high-school students in

Math, Science, and Foreign Languages

11. China (Win)• Islands of Quemoy & Matsu (1954)• Truman lifted blockade of 7th fleet• The Belief was to Unleash Chiang into China-invasion from Taiwan

• China starts attacking Quemoy/Matsu w/artillery• What does US do? Threaten w/ nukes!!• China threatens again in 1958 (Shelling)• Again China backs down!

12. U-2 Incident (Loss)

• In 1960 a U-2 spy plane crashes into USSR• Piloted by Francis Gary

Powers

• US denies any knowledge-it’s a weather balloon• Khruschev produces

evidence of plane and pilot at Paris Conference• Ices Relations w/USSR

Highway Act of 1956• As a soldier in 1919, Ike

was asked to go from NY to San Francisco w/ a military convoy• 2 Months to do it!!

• In WWII, the autobahn and its use in defense also peaked his interest.• Today, 47,000 miles of

interstates in the US• Other Uses• National Defense-1/5 miles

must be straight• Evacuation from natural

disasters

US Highway System

Interstate Highway Numbering

• Numbers that are Even go East and West• Ex: I-80, I-70, I-76

• Numbers that are odd go North and South• Ex I-79, I-95

• Interstates that have 3 numbers are special!• An even number in front

of an interstate means it connects in 2 places• Ex: I-279, I-495

• An odd number means that it connects in 1 place (Spur)• Ex: I-579, I-376

Local Highways

I-279 Corridor

I-376 Corridor

Creeping Socialism• Ike pushed “Balancing the

Budget” more than anything.• Only came close 3 times in 8 years.

• America was becoming too liberal

• Too Dependent on others for help!

• Ike cut back on military buildup (10% GDP)• Block any new expansion of

Social Welfare Programs• However, created Dept. of Health,

Education, and Welfare to help those at the bottom of the ladder

Modern Republicanism• In all things that deal

with people, be liberal. In all things that deal with money, be conservative.• It seemed like Ike just

hovered over issues and never used the power of the Presidency!

Operation Wetback (1954)• Increasing numbers of

illegal aliens in the 1950’s• US orders deportation of

1.4 million Mexicans• Most voluntarily went

back to Mexico• Others put on boats or

trucks and taken to Mexican Southern border• Ike’s Popularity

Jonas Salk• Created vaccine for

Polio in 1952• Polio attacks the

nervous system (paralysis)

• Headquartered at University of Pittsburgh• First dose given to 2

million kids aged 6-9

Baby Boom-Birth Rate Chart from 1933-Present

Baby Boom• 76 million kids born

between 1945-1964• 94% of men, 97% of

women got married!

• Oldest Boomers turn 66 this year! • Means that they can

start accepting early Social Security• Today, 28% of the

population!

Civil Rights-Education

Brown vs. the Board of Education

• 1954-Topeka, Kansas• Linda Brown• 8 year old• Has to walk 2 miles in

order to attend a “Black School”• Wants to attend the

“White” School that is ½ mile away

Brown cont.• Brown family takes

decision to court• Overturns Plessy v.

Ferguson (1896)• Things can be “separate if

they are equal”• Decision by Warren Court• Judicial Activism-Supreme

Court will solve social issues if someone else won’t

• Schools should be desegregated “With All Deliberate Speed”

Brown cont.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

• 1955-Montgomery, AL• Rosa Parks sits down on a

bus• As the bus fills, she needs to

move to the back of the bus!• She doesn’t-She is arrested

w/$10 fine

Boycott cont.• Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

organizes a boycott• How??• Churches

• King was arrested and held for 2 weeks• Boycott went on for 381

days• In the end, Montgomery

finally allowed bus riders to sit where they wanted & city starts to integrate!

Lynching of Emmitt Till (1955)• Mississippi• Till was vacationing, he

was from Chicago• Whistled at a white

woman• 3 days later, kidnapped,

beaten, shot, thrown in the river.• 4 men arrested, all found

innocent by an all white jury

Little Rock 9 (1957)• 9 Black students want to

attend Little Rock High in Arkansas.• Governor Orval Faubus• Orders National Guard to

prevent the students from entering.

• Ike sends in US army (101st Airborne) to escort and protect the students• 1958-School was

canceled all year• 1959-School was

integrated!!

Civil Rights Act of 1957• This is the first Civil

Rights bill since Reconstruction.• It became a federal

crime to prevent someone from voting.• Not very successful!!• Thurmond’s

Filibuster!

Civil Rights Act of 1960

• Allowed the Federal Govt. to inspect polling places• Became a crime to anyone

obstructing the federal registration process• Longest filibuster in US

history• 125 hours & 31 minutes

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)• 1960-Greensboro, NC• 4 black college

students from NC A&T wanted lunch @ Woolworth’s• They were denied so

they just sat there.• Day 2-27 people just sat• Day 3-300 people sat• Day 4-1000 people sat