Chapter 11 Blog Assignment

What makes a truly great president is a person who is a true representative of the people of the United States. This person does not care about pushing the agendas of his or her political party, but instead has what the American people want at the forefront. They do not seek to create legislation that benefits them or a certain group of people. They do not show favoritism to a certain group, but rather they want to work for everyone equally. They are also great communicators, that really make sure that the people know what they are trying to accomplish in the office of president. All of these things together, is what creates a great president, and there haven’t been many of them.

Two of the greatest presidents in my opinion would have to be Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman. What’s so cool about these two guys is the fact that they were back to back following another great in FDR. For 32 years in a row, America had some pretty great presidents. Back to Ike, who I rank just slightly higher than Truman, he contributed to amazing economic growth. Ever wonder why people look back at the 50’s and think of them as “the good ole days?” Its because of how great Ike’s economic policies were. They made the American Dollar worth more and made the Stock Market boom like it hadn’t in decades. Everybody was making money, creating for a great atmosphere in 1950’s America. Eisenhower also started the U.S. Interstate system, which is still growing today. Eisenhower also made some major contributions to education reform and made the military enforce civil rights legislation. He was a president of peace as he got us out of the Korean War very quickly when he took office and did his best to keep us out of foreign conflict. Eisenhower created NASA, which would be the first step into the Space Age and ultimately lead to the United States landing a man on the moon in 1969. Another major thing Ike did was he created Advanced Research Projects Agency, which gave birth to the internet. The last thing that Ike did that made him such a great was his use of TV. He saw the TV was a great way to connect with the American people. And like I said earlier, a great president is someone who can communicate effectively, with everybody.

Truman, concluded World War II in a way no one saw coming. He made a decision that still impacts the world we live in today. That decision alone, to drop two nuclear bombs on Japan, already made him a great president. He had the American people’s interest at the forefront, and did what he thought was the right thing to do to ensure the safety of the American people and our soldiers abroad. Besides this he also contained communism in the United States with the Truman doctrine. This was important to controlling the fear of the spread of communism in the United States, which was pretty important after World War II. Truman also led a UN task force in the defense of South Korea from North Korea. The affect of this is still felt to day as South Korea is a major ally and North Korea a major enemy. Truman was a supporter of Civil Rights in every aspect of American life. Truman also started the European Recovery Program or the Marshall Plan, which was an attempt to rebuild the economies of Western Europe after World War II. The United States donated 13 billion dollars (130 billion today) to this effort. Another thing Truman did was sign the National Security Act, which founded the CIA. One of Truman’s greatest achievements was the creation of NATO. NATO has grown into a very powerful political and military alliance that now contains 28 different countries.

I didn’t really know a lot about Richard Nixon, aside from the Watergate Scandal. As it turns out, he really wasn’t that bad of a president. Nixon started trading with China, which as we know is still pretty vital to our economy today. He also started the EPA, which plays a pretty important role in the protection of our health and the health of the environment in the United States. Nixon was a supporter of small government, which helped the nation economically. He also concluded our involvement in Vietnam. He could’ve been a greater president if it hadn’t been for Watergate, but oh well.

 

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