What Does it Take to be a Great President?

 

By: Julia W., Kanupriya S. and Harika N.

 

Dwight Eisenhower

(and so should you)

 

http://historyiselementary.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-like-ike-no-not-that-onethe-other-one.html

 

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Dwight_D._Eisenhower,_official_Presidential_portrait.jpg

 

Where I Live(ed):

Abilene, KA, Washington D.C., Gettysburg, PA, Denison, TX

 

About Me:

Hello, I am Dwight D. Eisenhower.  I am retired but I was the military commander in chief of the Allied Forces during World War II. I planned and approved the D Day invasion of France. I graduated first in my class from the Army's Command and General Staff school in 1926 and from there went on various military assignments before the start of WW II. After retiring from the war, I became president of Columbia University. I was then elected President of the United States in 1952 and I was reelected in 1956.

 

Date of Birth:

14 October 1890 in Denison, Texas

 

Date of Death:

March 26, 1969 in Washington D.C.

 

Sex:

Male

 

Political Views:

Republican

 

Religious Views:

Presbyterian Church (its complicated)

 

Years Served as President:

1952-1960

 

Status:

Married to Mamie Geneva Doud

 

Children:

Doud David Eisenhower (1917-1921) and John Sheldon Doud

 

Looking for:

Friendship, networking

 

Occupations:

Army Officer and General, US Army Chief of Staff, President of Columbia University, President of the United States

 

Interests/Hobbies:

• Golf
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Painting
• Playing Bridge
• Watching Western Films
• Reading Civil War Literature

 

Education:

• Abilene High School:1909
• United States Naval Acadamy at West Point:1911-1915
• Army's Commands and General Staff School (1926)

 

Favorite Books:

Kincaid's Battery (1908) by George Washington

Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War (1879) by Richard "Dick" Taylor,

Abram Joseph Ryan, 1839-1886 Father Ryan's Poems, and The Works of Shakespeare.

 

 

Favorite Movies:

The Jazz Singer (1927)

 42nd Street (1933)

Gone With The Wind (1939)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

 

Favorite Music:

• Battle Hymn of the Republic
• It's the Army
• There's Something about a Soldier
• Over There
• Old Man River

 

Friends:

• Sherman Adams
• George Humphrey
• Charles Wilson
• Richard Nixon 

 

Sports:

• Golf
• Swimming
• Fishing 
• Baseball
• Football
• Boxing
• Horseback Riding

 

During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (at home) included:

 

Political

•   McCarthiasm-The Red Scare
•   22nd Amendment in Place

Social

• Civil Rights: Desegregation of schools

• Uniquely Popular

• McCarthiasm and Red Scare Trials

 

Economic

• Interstate Highway System
• Economic Recessions
• Sherman Adams-Federal Trade Commision Scandal

 

 

During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (abroad) included: 

 

Political

• Cold War
• Korean War-Ended the War in Korea 
• Space Race
• Eisenhower Doctrine
• Broke Diplomatic Relations with Cuba
• Refused to go to war in IndoChina
• Refused to join a European attack on Egypt over the Suez Canal
• Had to deal with lowering nuclear war tension
• Authorized CIA activities against foreign governments that ended regimes in Guatemala and Iran

 

Social

• Cold War
• U-2 Spy Plane Incident

 

Economic

• Space Race-Russia sent Sputnik, the first man made satalite, into space before the United States
• People thought that I had neglicted the space program and wasted money on NATO or its Asian equivalent SEATO

 

Looking back at my presidential career, I had to wear several "hats."  Upon wearing these different "hats," these were my most significant achievements and failures:

 

Commander-in-Chief

When running for office the first time, one of the major issues on my agenda was the Korean War. I promised America that if I was elected president,  I would definitely end the Korean War, as I would be the Commander-in-Chief. In order to prove my dedication, I made a trip to Korea, even before I was elected, on a peace seeking mission. I was successful in producing an armistice. The War also had personal meaning, as I was a soldier once, and my son was currently serving for the army in Korea. With my determination, I continued the effort that President Truman had started and ended the Korean War.

 

Chief Executive

As the Chief Executive of the US, I proposed to Congress the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960. I also appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court:

• Earl Warren, 1953
• John Marshall Harlan II, 1954
• William J. Brennan, 1956
• Charles Evans Whittaker, 1957
• Potter Stewart, 1958

I also admitted Hawaii and Alaska into the United States in 1959. I believed I accomplished many important things during my time as President.

 

Chief Diplomat

An example of what I did as Chief Diplomat was the Eisenhower Doctrine. It said that the United States would use military action in response to threats against the United States. Also, countries that opposed communism would receive aid if they requested it. This was put into practice during the Lebanon crisis.

Ceremonial Head of State

An ardent fan of baseball, I eagerly took part in the ceremonial first pitch which is a ritual where the guest of honor throws a ball to start the game and end the pregame. I was the ceremonial pitcher every year from the year 1954 to the year 1960.

 

Manager of the Economy

Although I generally believed in conservative economic policies, due to economic recessions, I took the necessary steps to ensure that this country would get back up on its feet as soon as possible. I strongly disagreed with government overspending as this does not help the problem at all. Thus, I reduced government spending in areas such as military spending.

 

Party Leader

In the 1948 Presidential Election, I recieved both the Democratic and Republican Party's nomination to run for Presidency. However, I could not choose, and declined to run. In 1952, I accepted the Republican Party's nomination and have represented them ever since. After I won the election of 1952, I was the first Republican to come into office in 20 years.

 

National Leader

As the National Leader, I tried my very best to convince the nation that segregation was unconstitutional. I passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960. I fully supported the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling and wanted Washington to be an example of desegregation. The Little Rock Nine incident was most unfortunate, and I tried my very best to convince the people of Arkansas to accept desegregation, but I did what I had to do to protect the students and sent the National Guard. I can say that I was very persistent and in the end, 8 of the Little Rock Nine graduated. 

 

One of MY Favorite Quotes: 

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

Positive Political Cartoon

 http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/presidents.html

 

Negative Political Cartoon

 http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/presidents.html

Works Cited:

  

Graff, Henry F., ed. Presidents: A Reference History. 3^rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. International Academy High School. 30 Apr. 2008 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=lom_inac.

 

Pendergast, Sara and Tom Pendergast, eds. St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. International Academy High School. 30 Apr. 2008 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=lom_inac.