color: black; > Arts & Humanities Please, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Harry_S._Truman&oldid=8727315, 1917: Enlisted in the army to serve during World War I, 1944: Successful vice presidential running mate for, April 12, 1945: Sworn in as president of the United States, August 6-9, 1945: Atomic bombs dropped in Japan. Many feared the defection of the "Dixiecrats" would hurt Truman's chance to win.
The next day, Truman headed back to Washington on the train. Those candidates included: Edward Teichert, Arla Albaugh, Gerald Smith, and Henry Romer.[5]. The Republican convention, the first ever to be televised, nominated New York Gov.Supreme Court Quiz (wahsingtonpost.com). display: inline-block; 1948 Election font-size: 1.2em; Strom Thurmond as their candidate for president.
Please select which sections you would like to print: The phrase New Frontier is associated with which U.S. president? . 1936 Election Answer: There is no problem with two candidates being born in the same state and running together on a ticket. Voices | Interactivity | Teacher's Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Updates? width: 43%; Earl Warren as Deweys vice presidential running mate. NOT separate the armed forces into different departments. "Publishers Weekly, "An engaging narrative, which also provides a framework for making claims about the changing nature of liberalism in the postwar years. .widget-row.heading { On October 13, as the Presidential train traveled through Minnesota, Truman asked his aide, George Elsey, to take down some numbers. width: 150px;
Although this decision originally had public support, Truman faced criticism for the war. } Sign on the Washington Post Building (1948-11-05) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S. Who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen? National Archives. But they were wrong. National Archives. United States presidential election of 1948, https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1948, Harry S. Truman - Presidential Campaign of 1948, Maps of World - United States presidential election of 1948, Republican National Convention, 1948: Thomas E. Dewey supporters. He held this position until 1934, when he was elected to the United States Senate. Since most of the votes shifted to Truman, he won the election. During September and October, President Truman criss-crossed the country by rail, traveling over 22,000 miles, delivering speeches in towns all along the rail routes. By stopping their polling too soon, the pollsters missed this shift away from the third party candidates back to the major parties. Political History. Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Also See:
.widget-row.Libertarian { color: white; Many of these liberals supported the candidacy of Henry A. Wallace, who ran as the Progressive Party candidate for president. Within a few days of the conventions end, a group of Southerners met in Birmingham, Ala., and formed the States Rights Party, popularly labeled the Dixiecrats. color: white; "North Carolina Historical Review, "A nitty-gritty political handbook to the issues of the election of 1948.
Civil Rights Act In 1840, for example, William Henry Harrison and his running mate, John Tyler, were not only born in Virginia, but they were both born in the same county (Charles City County). width: 100%; margin-bottom: 1px;
President Harry S. Truman Speaks with Reporters (1948-10-16) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S. . It encompassed Truman's rousing Give 'em Hell Harry" speeches and intriguing behind-the-scenes political maneuvering. But Article II says that presidential electors cannot vote for candidates from the same state as themselves. These speeches usually mentioned some local issue or politician, the "do-nothing" Congress, and an encouragement to go vote. color: black; The Supreme Court ruled that in 2005 that when a company seeks to encourage and facilitate the illegal sharing of copyrighted works, that company may be held liable for copyright infringements by users of its products or services.
background-color: white;
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. It marked the new political prominence of African American voters and organized labor, as well as the South's declining influence over the Democratic Party. "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" were elected that year, but Harrison died a month after his inauguration.
National Archives. Yet they suffered from even more severe internal division than the Democrats. margin-bottom:0px; The scientific pollsters, including George Gallup, all predicted that Dewey would beat Truman. Privately, Mrs. Roosevelt expressed her lack of enthusiasm for Truman, as she did not feel he was a strong liberal. "South Dakota Review, "Comprehensive in its examination of major U.S. postwar political developments. Truman beat Dewey and the race wasn't even that close (Truman won by 3.5 percentage points).
National Archives, As Truman traveled the country, thousands of people turned out to hear him speak, including this group of "Housewives for Truman. President Truman decided not to run for reelection in, The overall impact of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was that it, Truman's Executive Order 9981 affected the military by, The GI Bill of Rights guaranteed every veteran, The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 restricted the rights of, Prior to the 1948 presidential campaign, Truman won back the support of labor unions by. .widget-value { Two weeks later the special session ended, with little of Truman's proposals accomplished. 1948 presidential election. At the Democratic National Convention, Truman attacked the Republicans, promising to call Congress back into session to pass legislation to curb inflation, build housing, and ensure civil rights - all planks of both the Republican and Democratic Party platforms.
Kansas City: Smoke Rings and the Finer Things, From murals to the Monarchs, and from bebop to burnt ends, Celebrate the history of the United States presidency and discover defining In 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose Senator Truman as his running mate, replacing his acting vice president, Henry Wallace. Joe Terrana, Alexandria, Va. One justice who considered hanging up his robe was William O. Douglas. .widget-img { .widget-row.Democratic { When it became clear that President Truman won, they woke him up and drove him back to the Muehlebach Hotel, election headquarters in Kansas City. National Archives. font-weight: bold; background-color: #f9f9f9; On April 12, 1945, just 82 days into his fourth term, Roosevelt died. } Later that night, on November 3, Truman spoke on the steps of the Courthouse in Independence. Friday, July 31, 1998. In 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt, with Truman as his vice presidential candidate, defeated Thomas Dewey (R), Norman Thomas (Socialist), and Claude Watson (Prohibition Party). G. Gallup Truman married Elizabeth "Bess" Wallace in 1919.
He was not about to leave a lifetime position to join what seemed to be a losing ticket. The problem is where the candidates reside at the time of the election. - Truman runs against Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican nominee in the
Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He grew up on the family farm in Independence, Missouri. } As a former farmer, Truman told them to remember the struggles they went through during the last Republican administration.
[1], Truman was a member of the Democratic Party. ", President Harry S. Truman Speaks to Crowd at Train Station (1948-10-11) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S.
(See the July 16 column.) The Republicans had triumphed in the congressional elections of 1946, running against Truman as the symbol of the New Deal. He reminded the labor union groups of his veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, legislation that restricted union's bargaining power. Reference: Some Democrats, believing Truman had no chance, tried to tempt Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to seek the Democratic nomination, but he demurred.
Prior to that, Truman served as a Jackson County judge. After Republicans took control of Congress following the 1946 elections, most people doubted that President Truman would win the presidential election in 1948. (Gallup had won a dramatic bet by correctly predicting the outcome of the 1936 election.) Eisenhower. Still, Truman was nominated on the first ballot, beating Richard B. Russell, a U.S. senator from Georgia, who received the overwhelming backing of the Southern delegates who remained in the hall. The roots of the 1948 election date to 1940, when Pres. . Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to run for an unprecedented third term as president. Executive Order 8802 .infobox { Turner Frontier Essay This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. I'm aware that President William Howard Taft went on to become chief justice, and that there is some talk about Antonin Scalia running for president. Still, Truman was confident in his position. "Reviews in American History, "Donaldson deserves substantial credit for combing far-flung manuscript collections and writing a genuine page-turner. You are looking at him right now!. Hollerith Machine "Wisconsin Bookwatch, Harry S. Truman, Thomas E. Dewey, United States presidents, 1948 presidential election, Donaldson, Gary A., "Truman Defeats Dewey" (1999). width: 250px; Interviews: Truman stopped in San Antonio and met with Congressman and Senatorial candidate (and future President) Lyndon B. Johnson.
} After graduating high school, Truman worked at times as a timekeeper, a clerk, and a bookkeeper before becoming a farmer and joining the National Guard in 1905. background-color: #f9d334; "Housewives for Truman" in New York (1948-09) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S. Immigration Laws
Truman was re-elected in 1948, defeating Republican candidate Thomas Dewey with 49.6 percent of the popular vote and 303 electoral votes. He used this as fuel to campaign against the "do-nothing" 80th Congress. Despite Truman's apparent success on the campaign trail, many newspaper and radio editorials and commentators felt that Republican Thomas Dewey was sure to win. .widget-row.Republican { . } } Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error.
font-weight: bold; Donaldson argues that Dewey did nearly as much to lose the election as Truman did to win it.
The Fair Deal was a 21-point program that included universal health care, expanded Social Security, and expanded equal rights for citizens under the law. After Germany's surrender in May, Truman witnessed the signing of the charter establishing the United Nations in June 1945. The Mississippi delegation, along with more than a dozen members of the Alabama contingent, left in protest.
Truman's first campaign stop took place in Detroit, Michigan on Labor Day. But in 1948 there were two strong independent candidates whose support eroded away in the last week. In between his longer speeches off the train, Truman frequently stopped in small towns along the train route to give short speeches. It was the first election after Roosevelt's death and the last before the advent of television. padding-left: 10px;
font-size: .9em; "Journal of American History, "Donaldson provides persuasive analyses of postwar politics, the tactics of contending political parties that marked the breakup of the old FDR New Deal coalition after WWII.
margin: auto; Stock Market Crash } Truman wrote, "Candidates make election contests, not pole [sic] takers or press comments". It has long been speculated, in fact, that Warren announced his resignation in June of 1968 because he feared Nixon would win in November and get to name his successor. After arriving at the hotel, Truman took a Turkish bath, had a ham sandwich and a glass of milk for dinner, listened to some of the election returns, and then went to bed. National Archives, 1948 Whistlestop Campaign, September-October 1948.
Although the story of Truman's triumph that year is well-known, Donaldson, thanks to his wide-ranging research into a variety of fresh primary and secondary materials, provides the reader with a detailed and clear account of how and why Truman won that election. He is also the creator of washingtonpost.com's ScuttleButton contest.
margin-bottom: 0; The motorcade passed the Washington Post building, which, like many newspapers, predicted that Republican candidate Thomas Dewey would win.
World War II Truman successfully concluded the war against Germany, brought the United States into the United Nations, and engineered the surrender of Japan through the deployment of the atomic weapon.
That electoral victory seemed to indicate that the American people had tired of the Democrats and had grown weary of reform. .widget-row {
When the Democrats approved the inclusion of a civil rights plank in the party platform, many Southern Democrats walked out of the convention. .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution {
"McCormick (SC) Messenger, "Should replace previously published popular works dealing with the 1948 election.
float: right; Truman would always introduce his wife Bess as "The Boss," and his daughter Margaret as "The Boss's Boss."
In 1944, when Roosevelt decided to seek a fourth term, party conservatives, especially Southerners, opposed Wallaces renomination. Program | Trends of the Century | Viewer's "Library Journal, "Donaldson takes a fresh look not only at how Truman took the 1948 race but at what Dewey did (or didn't do) that made him lose the election. Worsening Trumans chances for reelection was also the defection of liberal Democrats, who broke with the president over his hard-line opposition to the Soviet Union. FAQ | . font-weight: bold; font-size: .9em; President Harry S. Truman and Vice President-Elect Alben Barkley Return to Washington, D.C. }
Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884, to farmer John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Truman. color: white; On April 12, 1945, President Roosevelt died from a stoke and Truman was sworn in as president.[1][3]. width: 57%; Before serving as President, Truman was a United States Senator from Missouri. display: block;
"Southern Historian, "Harry S. Truman's victory in 1948 remains one of the great events in American political history. About |
But Warren refused to leave the court. } The keynote speaker, Alben Barkley, a U.S. senator from Kentucky, was nominated as Trumans vice presidential running mate without opposition. But politics in the postwar years were changing dramatically. There is no constitutional ban on both candidates residing in the same state, points out Steve Hess of the Brookings Institution. .widget-key { While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In March 1952, Truman announced he would not seek re-election. He said, "I can't tell you how very much I appreciate this turnout to celebrate a victory--not my victory, but a victory of theDemocratic Party for the people. Draft Letter from President Harry S. Truman to Elmo Roper.
Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Deregulation vertical-align: top; The Melting Pot > University Press of Kentucky National Archives.
> History background-color: grey; USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration He was challenged unsuccessfully by his vice president, John Nance Garner, and eventually chose as his running mate Henry A. Wallace, Roosevelts secretary of agriculture. He and his wife are buried in the courtyard of the Truman Presidential Library.[1]. display: inline-block; "Donaldson focuses on why Truman won rather than on how Dewey lost . background-color: red; In 1926, he was once again elected to a Jackson County judgeship.
The Republicans, certain of a mandate from the public after the midterm elections of 1946, prepared to disassemble the New Deal. As his term progressed, however, his popularity diminished, as did that of the Democratic Party, and by the time the 1948 election was on the horizon, he was about the only politician in the United States who thought he had a chance to win election. He was first elected in 1944 as Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president, becoming president after Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. To those who say that this civil rights program is an infringement on states rights, I say this: The time has arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadows of states rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights. Though a stronger civil rights plank was rejected, the Democratic platform did call for the desegregation of the military, enraging Southerners particularly. . He later said he never gave anyone hell, he just told the truth and they thought it was hell. Members of the press traveling with Truman saw the enthusiasm of the crowds, but they still felt a victory by Thomas Dewey and the Republicans was a foregone conclusion. Truman still counted on winning. Truman was succeeded by Dwight D. padding-left: 10px; An excellent study. Truman, a respected U.S. senator from Missouri who was admired by the public at large, was nominated to take Wallaces place. At around 4 in the afternoon, during the shift change of Secret Service agents, he slipped out the back door of the kitchen and into the middle of the backseat of the car with two Secret Service agents on either side and another driving. font-weight: bold; Button from Harry S. Truman's 1948 U.S. presidential campaign. font-weight: bold; Online access to this book is only available to eligible users. It was a relatively tranquil affair, particularly in comparison with what would take place in Philadelphia the next month at the Democratic convention. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum www.trumanlibrary.org. The memorandum acknowledged the fragile peace between the different factions of the Democratic Party, and laid down instructions for the campaign to follow. margin-top: 1px; The delegates nominated South Carolina Gov. Supporters of Thomas E. Dewey at the 1948 Republican National Convention. Use this in-depth quiz to make every day Presidents Day by testing your knowledge of U.S. presidents and first ladies. . After voting, Truman returned to his home.
Truman and his advisers successfully read those changes: their strategy focused on building a coalition of organized labor, African Americans in large northern cities, and traditional liberals--and ignoring protests from the conservative South. During his presidency, the United Nations was created, the Cold War began, and the United States entered the Korean War. "Lexington Herald-Leader, "Significantly, the author shows how the well-known split from the Democratic party of segregationalist Dixiecrats and Communist sympathizers actually contributed to Truman's victory by dislodging extremists, thereby boosting his mainstream appeal. After the war, Truman established what is known as the Truman Doctrine, meant to help contain the Soviet Union's influence, and the Marshall Plan, which was enacted to aid Europe to rebuild following the damages of war.
"Choice, "Unlike earlier studies of the 1948 election, this book examines the tactics of the Republican Party. clear: both; Harry S. Truman defeated Republican Thomas E. Dewey. He did not attend college. Have any other presidents or presidential candidates been on the Supreme Court? In 1922, he was elected as a Jackson County judge and served one term before being defeated in his bid for re-election. Truman took the oath of office as vice president of the United States on January 20, 1945. Omissions? Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year. By Ken Rudin background-color: #003388; The 1948 presidential campaign was a watershed event in the history of American politics. .widget-row.value-only { Together they had one daughter, Mary Margaret. Sheppard-Towner Act .
In February, at the Jefferson-Jackson day dinner in Washington, D.C., which many Southerners boycotted because of his civil rights program, he declared, I will tell you who is going to be the next president of the United States. .widget-row.value-only.black { > Political History Official Portrait of President Harry S. Truman (1946) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S.
According to Figure 8.1, when did the largest growth in the federal workforce occur? Strips away the mystique surrounding the 1948 campaign and compels the reader to think seriously about the critical issues at stake and about Harry Trumans role in defining the postwar political order. Wave of Immigration Truman wrote this note, which he never sent, to pollster Elmo Roper, who tried to explain how the polls got the election results wrong. Growth of Cities "Missouri Historical Review, "Solid political history. National Archives. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_political_history/7, Non-UKY University Press users, please click the blue download button to access from a UPK consortium network, Home | National Archives. The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content. In 1949, he announced the Fair Deal program during his State of the Union address, which built on Roosevelt's New Deal plan. When Truman spoke to crowds out west, such as this one in Denver, Colorado, he spoke about Democratic proposals for land and water usage and conservation, public power, and housing issues.
With less than a month to go in the campaign, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt finally reached out to President Truman to express her support for his candidacy. They hung a sign on the outside of their building, welcoming Truman home and offering to "eat crow" to atone for their incorrect prediction. .widget-row.Green { With President Harry Truman's prospects for a victory in 1948 close to zero, many Democrats made a serious effort to draft Douglas for the presidency. } Truman woke up at his usual early hour, went for a walk, then walked down the street from his home to his polling place. [6]Following are pages with information on Truman's State of the Union addresses. display: inline-block; } World War I Article II of the Constitution (FindLaw Internet Legal Resources) White House 2000 (washingtonpost.com), Got a question? Returning to Missouri after the war, he became active in the Democratic Party and briefly co-owned a haberdashery. What had gone wrong? As for Scalia, a story in National Review made a case for his candidacy last year.
Great Depression Well before the election, President Truman's General Counsel, Clark Clifford, prepared a 43-page memorandum on the strategy Truman and the Democratic Party should pursue in 1948, assuming the Republican nominee would be Thomas Dewey. moments in American Democracy, Memorandum from Clark Clifford and James Rowe to President Harry S. Truman, Page 1, Memorandum from Clark Clifford and James Rowe to President Harry S. Truman, Page 2, President Harry S. Truman Addresses the Democratic National Convention, President Harry S. Truman in Motorcade in Detroit, Michigan, President Harry S. Truman Shakes Hands with Admirer, Denver, Colorado, President Harry S. Truman Delivers Speech on Train Platform, President Harry S. Truman on a Campaign Stop in San Antonio, Texas, Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to President Harry S. Truman, Letter from "L" to Clark Clifford, Page 1, Handwritten Estimated Tally of Electoral Votes, Longhand Note of President Harry S. Truman, Page 1, Longhand Note of President Harry S. Truman, Page 2, President Harry S. Truman Speaking from Courthouse Steps, Crowd in Front of the White House, Waiting for the Return of President Harry S. Truman. Donaldsons research is comprehensive; his analysis impeccable; his thesis compelling.
float:right; "South Carolina Historical Magazine, "Gives a clear account of the election. Question: You recently mentioned that Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes ran for president in 1916. He signed the order to drop atomic bombs on Japan, which was carried out on August 6 and August 9, 1945. 1948 font-weight: bold; National Archives. A dozen years later, Nixon based much of his own presidential campaign on the alleged liberal excesses of the Warren Court. "William C. Berman, "Makes a persuasive case that the 1948 election was a watershed event in American political history and began the modern political era. text-align: center; ", Bernard Dickmann with President Harry S. Truman Holding Up Newspaper (1948-11-04) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S.UKnowledge Dewey entered the campaign so overconfident that he refused to confront Truman on the issues. By the 1948 Democratic convention, Truman was convinced Douglas should be his running mate, but Douglas refused. color: white; Ken Rudin, a former editor at NPR and the Hotline, writes the "Political Graffiti" column for The Hill, a Capitol Hill weekly. The pollsters had stopped polling a week before the election. 7. Election Parade in Independence, Missouri (1948-11-02) by Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the National Archives and Records AdministrationU.S. Moore, Book } The convention was marked by intense conflict, particularly over civil rights. } background-color: grey; The Roosevelt-Truman ticket won with 53.4 percent of the popular vote and 432 electoral votes. What was one of the major economic challenges facing the nation following World War II? They thought that people's votes would not change before the election.
The Republicans adopted a platform that called for the ending of segregation in the military, an equal rights amendment for women to the U.S. Constitution, support for the recognition of Israel (which had declared independence earlier in the year), abolition of the poll tax, and strong enforcement of anticommunist regulations. (Truman would issue Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military on July 26.) which agencies influence how much money is in the economy, who has money, who has credit, and what incentives for saving and spending exist? Argues that Dewey did nearly as much to lose the election as Truman did to win it. finding jobs for thousands of returning soldiers, Truman created the National Security Act to, The main reason for the passage of the National Security Act was to.