(Class 21) The Eisenhower Years: Years of Tranquility Flashcards
1
Q
22nd Amendment
A
- “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once.”
- “But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.”
2
Q
Dwight David Eisenhower
A
- Public unhappiness with Truman boosted Republicans
- Republicans had not occupied the White House for 20 years (1932-1952)
- They nominate Eisenhower as their candidate – had widespread appeal
- General and Commander of NATO
- President of Columbia University, 1948-1953
- Never held elected office before but was popular General
- He chooses conservative Richard Nixon as his running mate
- Elected Senator from California in 1950
- Anti-communist
3
Q
Interstate Highway and Defense System Act of 1956
A
- Authorized the construction of a national highway system
- Was promoted as essential to defense – WHY?
- An impetus to economic growth
- Federal government foots the bill
- Thru Increased fuel and vehicle taxes
- Accelerated mobility of people and goods
- Spurred suburban expansion
- Benefited trucking, construction and auto industries
- Odd numbers like 75 and 85 run north to south
- Even numbers like 20 run east to west
- 3 number interstate like 285 run around cities or bypass cities
- Led to increased air pollution
- Led to greater energy consumption
- Led to decline in railroads
- Contributed to decline of central cities (people moving to Suburbs)
4
Q
Domino Theory
A
- Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese nationalist, founded the Vietminh
- They fought both the occupying Japanese in World War II and the French colonial rulers
- In 1945 the Vietminh declared Vietnam’s independence from France
- France responded – defending their interests and fought the Vietminh
- Because Ho Chi Minh was a communist the US took interest
- Eisenhower believed a communist victory in Vietnam would trigger fall of other countries in the area (the domino theory)
- By 1954 US was very involved in France’s war and paying 75% of cost
- But Eisenhower would not provide troops or air support
5
Q
Eisenhower Doctrine
A
- Speech on January 5, 1957, in a “Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East.”
- He promised military or economic aid to any Middle Eastern country needing help in resisting communist aggression
- In March 1957 Congress approved aid to any Middle Eastern nation which requested assistance against armed communist aggression
- In 1957 aid sent to Jordan which was threatened
- In 1958 US troops sent to Lebanon
6
Q
Brinkmanship
A
- Brinkmanship – go to the brink of war – to block Soviet expansion
- Deter enemy attacks by threat of massive retaliation
7
Q
NASA
A
- In 1958 Eisenhower established NASA
- An independent agency of the executive branch – reports to the President directly
- Responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research (not a military agency)
- Encouraged peaceful applications in space science
- Passed Congress on July 29, 1958
- Became operational on October 1, 1958
8
Q
The Endless Frontier
A
- Vannevar Bush was head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development under FDR
- He had been Dean of Engineering at MIT
- In 1945 he wrote The Endless Frontier – a report to the President of the United States
- It called for an expansion of government support for science and research
- Advocated University science research
- It led to the creation of the National Science Foundation in 1950
9
Q
Eisenhower and his speech on military-industrial complex
A
- Before leaving office Eisenhower gave his farewell speech (January 17, 1961) on TV
- He warned against the influence of the military-industrial complex in the United States
- Saw a “danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific technological elite.”
- That unchecked the military and defense industry would dictate public policy for the country in the future
- And he was a military man!
10
Q
Baby boom generation
A
- Post World War II prosperity years saw an increase in the birth rate
- People married earlier, had more children
- Baby boomers were the wealthiest, most active, and most physically fit generation up to the era in which they arrived
- They were amongst the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time
- Reinforced a sense of generational distinctiveness
11
Q
Brown versus the Board of Education
A
- Supreme Court decision that consolidated 5 separate suits against black schools
- NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall urged court to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson
- Court in a unanimous decision wrote: “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” and violated the 14th amendment
- Brown v. Board of Education struck down Plessy v. Ferguson
12
Q
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
A
- Rosa Parks violates a local segregation ordinance
- Refused to give up her seat in the “colored” section to a white man
- She was “tired of giving in”
- Police arrested her
- Parks fought her arrest
- 90% of the black community participated in a year long bus boycott
- Boycotters walked or carpooled
- Persisted until November 1956 when Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional
13
Q
Martin Luther King Jr.
A
- 26 year old Baptist minister
- Morehouse College
- PhD from Boston University
- King led Montgomery Improvement Association which organized the boycott
- Advocated protest with dignity and courage not violence
- Linked racial justice to Christianity
- In 1957 helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
- Led fight against segregation and disenfranchisement
