Harry Truman and his presidency

Harry Truman

Harry S. Truman

Coming from the most humble background, it was only the reputation of his hard-work and honesty that rose Harry Truman to the status of a Senator (Harry S. Truman Library & Museum n.d.), and then later on to the post of Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He became the thirty-third President of the United States (1945 -- 1953), after the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after only spending 3 months only in the office of his term.

The Truman years in the White House were not an easy time. The years after the dropping of the Atomic Bomb combined with that of World War II were a trivial time. His initial days in the White House sought the support of the FDR's cabinet, but by the year 1946, he had replaced many of the cabinet with this own appointed representatives. This no doubt led to the decline in his reputation considering that the country had put faith in Roosevelt's administration for four consecutive terms, and this act was enough to raise eyebrows around the country. Another incident which was enough to put a strain on the reputation of Truman was the corruption scandal that surrounded Attorney General J. Howard McGrath. His administrative skills were also criticized for the firm control he held upon his various advisory as well, instead of letting them act as an independent body (Dewey Defeats Truman n.d.).

While Truman fought on a lot of issues and even tried to implement his predecessor's policies regarding New Deal, everything soon started to change on the political front with him presenting his own 21-point program to the Congress. These included issues like "the expansion of Social Security, a full-employment program, a permanent Fair Employment Practices Act, and public housing and slum clearance" (Dewey Defeats Truman n.d.).

But despite all these changes he failed to achieve the most fundamental of changes which would have been crucial in raising public opinion about him. While he did obtain a lot of success on the foreign policy front, he failed to prevent tax cuts and to control price controls, not to mention the strict restrictions on Labor Unions.

By election year, 1948, the public approval rating showed that Truman's popularity had dropped down to a mere 36% with the general opinion being that there was no possibility of Truman ever winning the Election. This was no doubt a shocking turn of affairs considering that his rating stood at 87% in July of 1945 (Harry S. Truman - Domestic policies n.d.).

His second term in the White House was dominated by the crisis in South Korea. The American forces invaded the communist state of North Korea to defend South Korea against the communist regime and influence. This was part of the same policy which was being observed against Soviet Union at this time (Miller Center n.d.).