McKennaMisko

Mr.W
APUnitedStatesHistory
May15,2017

PresidentsEssay

AspresidentoftheUnitedStatesyouareobligatedtoprotect,defend,andaid

yourcountryinanywaypossible.HarryS.Trumanupheldtheseresponsibilities,ashe

becamethethirtythirdpresidentoftheUnitedSatespromptlyfollowingthedeathof

FranklinD.Roosevelt.ThroughTrumansdecisiontodroptwoatomicbombsinJapanas

awaytoendWorldWarTwo,theTrumanDoctrineandMarshallPlan,ExecutiveOrder

9981,PointFourProgram,NSC68,andhisinterventioninKorea,HarryS.Truman

madesomeofthemostimportantandimpactfuldecisionsinUnitedStatesandWorld

History.Duetothedecisionsmadethroughouthispresidency,IrateHarryS.Trumans

performanceasaboveaverage.

OnMay8,1884inLamar,Missouri,thethirtythirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates

wasborn.HarryTrumanwasbornintoahardworkingfarmingfamily.WhenTruman

was6yearsoldhisfamilymovedtoIndependence,Missouri.Asachild,Trumanwas

verydedicatedtoeverythingthathesethismindto,andhewasveryinterestedinmusic

andreading.Hehadhighaspirationsforhimself,thosebeingattendingWestPointand/or

anyothermilitaryacademy.Unfortunately,duetohispooreyesightandhisfathers

financialproblemsbothgoalsbecameunattainable.However,Harryneverlostsightof

hisgoals.Harryworkedseveraljobsasafarmer,timekeeperforarailroadconstruction

company,andasabankclerkallbeforejoiningBatteryBoftheMissouriNationalGuard

onJune14,1905.HealsobecameaprivateinLightArtillerywithinhisBattery.Before
theUnitedStatesenteredinWorldWarOne,Trumanvolunteeredfordutyandservedin

the129thArtilleryRegiment.Asthewarcontinued,TrumanwaspromotedtoCaptainof

BatteryDandsenttoFrance.Trumanledhismenthroughsuccessfulbattleduringthe

MeuseArgonnecampaign.WhenTrumanreturnedhomeafterthewarhemarriedhis

longtimesweetheart,ElizabethVirginiaWallaceandtogethertheyopenedupa

haberdasheryinKansasCity.In1922Trumanwaselectedasajudgeforthedemocratic

partyoftheJacksonCountyCourt.In1934,hebecameSenator.DuringWorldWarTwo

TrumanheadedtheSenateCommitteetoInvestigatetheNationalDefenseProgram.This

committeeinvestigatedthewasteandcorruptionwithintheUnitedStatesdefense

contractsaroundEurope,andasaresultthecommitteeendedupsavingmillionsof

dollars.Finally,duringthepresidentialelectionof1944FranklinRooseveltchose

Trumantobehisrunningmateduetohisstellarreputation.HarryTrumanservedasVice

PresidenttoFranklinRooseveltfor82daysuntilRooseveltdiedfromastroke.OnApril

12,1945HarryTrumanwassworninasthethirtythirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates.

WhenHarryTrumanwassworninasPresidentoftheUnitedStates,wewerein

themiddleofWorldWarTwo.Havingnoknowledgeabouttheatomicbombsexistence,

oranywardetails,Trumantookcommand.Afterbeinginformedabouttheatomicbomb,

TrumannowhadtheoptiontoendthewarwithJapan.Beforemakingthedecisionto

droptheatomicbombs,Trumantriedtoavoidtheattackalltogether.TheAmerican

armedforcesstationedoverseasinOkinawaandIwoJima,continuedtorelentlessly

firebombJapanesecities.TheUnitedStatesdemandedforanunconditionalsurrender

fromJapan,butJapanrefusedtoagreewiththeirdemand.OnJuly30,1945foundin
TrumansPapers,thePresidentsSecretarysfile,thisdocumentstatesthatifJapanwould

haveagreedtotheunconditionalsurrenderthannoatomicbombswouldhavebeen

dropped,ItwastosparetheJapanesepeoplefromutterdestructionthattheultimatumof

July26wasissuedatPotsdam.Theirleaderspromptlyrejectedthatultimatum.Iftheydo

notnowacceptourtermstheymatexpectarainofruinfromtheair,thelikeofwhichhas

neverbeenseenonthisearth.DuetoJapansrejectionofanunconditionalsurrender,

TrumanmadethedecisiontodropthefirstatomicbombonAugust6,1945,in

Hiroshima.Oncethebomblanded,70,000Japanesecitizensdiedwithinseconds.Three

daysfollowingthefirstattack,asecondatomicbombwasdroppedonAugust9,1945,in

Nagasaki.WithintheyearsfollowingtheattacksmadeonJapan,anadditional100,000

Japanesecitizensdiedasaresultofradiationsicknessandburns.OnAugust14,1945,

Japansurrendered.SomemaysaythatTrumanmadethewrongdecisiontodropboth

atomicbombsonJapan,andthattheUnitedStatescouldhaveendedthewarwithJapan

throughothermeans.However,IbelievethatTrumanmadetherightdecisionby

droppingbothatomicbombs.HewasabletoendthewarquicklywithJapan,andby

doingsohesavedmoreAmericanandJapaneselivesthatcouldhavebeenlostifwar

continued.HarryTrumanupheldhispromiseaspresident,andbydroppingbothatomic

bombsheimmediatelysavedmoreAmericanlives.Trumansdecisiontodropboth

atomicbombsfurthersupportsmyargumentstatingthatTrumanisanaboveaverage

president.

AsHarryTrumanspresidencycontinued,hedevelopedtheTrumanDoctrineand

Marshallplan.Bothderivedfromeachother,eachplanaidedtowardsTrumansforeign
affairswithEurope.TheTrumanDoctrineofMarch12,1947wasmorespecificand

directedtowardsfinanciallyaidingTurkeyandGreece.Heaskedcongresstogive$400

milliondollarsinemergencyfundstoassistbothcountries.TheMarshallPlanofApril3,

1948wasdirectedtowardsallimpoverishedEuropeannations.SecretaryGeorge

MarshallproposedtheMarshallPlan,whichwasdrivenbyafearofcommunism

expandingwithinWesternEuropeduetoaweakgovernmentandpovertywithinthe

nationsinneed.TheMarshallPlanfundedreconstructionwithinallofWesternEurope,

whichwasveryneededafterWorldWarTwo.TheUnitedStatesfundedover13billion

towardsthisplan.Thepurposebehindbothplanswastohavefullreconstructiontake

placewithinEurope,andtopreventthesecountriesfrombeingoverthrownand

controlledbylargercommunistnations.Alargerpartofbothplanswastobenefitthe

UnitedStates.Asreconstructiontookplace,itallowedEuropetobuilditsownfreetrade

economy.ThiseconomyallowedmoreAmericanmanufacturestoenterintoEuropean

marketsandmakemoremoneyforthemselves.TradewithintheUnitedStatesimproved

becauseofbothplanssinceitdependsheavilyuponmanufacturingandtradewithin

Europe.ByimplementingtheTrumanDoctrineandMarshallPlan,HarryTruman

improvedforeignrelationsaswellastradewithintheUnitedStates.

HarryTrumanstartedtheCivilRightsMovementthatwouldcontinuefordecades

laterevenafterhispresidency.TrumankickstartedtheCivilRightsMovementby

implementinghisExecutiveOrder9981onJuly26,1948.TheExecutiveOrder9981is

oneofthemostimportantorderswithinUnitedStateshistoryforthatisdesegregatesthe

militaryandstartsamovementthatchangedthenationforthebetter.WithinTrumans
executiveorderhestatesthat,ItisherebydeclaredtobethepolicyofthePresidentthat

thereshallbeequalityoftreatmentandopportunityforallpersonsinthearmedservices

withoutregardtorace,color,religion,ornationalorigin.ExecutiveOrder9981isoneof

themostimpactfulorderspassedwithinTrumanspresidencyforitmarksanimportant

eventwithinblackhistory,anditledtoanendofdiscriminationandsegregationbased

offofcolorandsexwithinemployment,voting,education,andhousing.

WithinthefollowingyearTrumanannouncedaPointFourProgramanditwas

putintoplaceonJanuary20,1949.TrumansPointFourProgramwasatechnical

assistanceandeconomicaidprogramthataimedathelpingunderdevelopedcountries.

ThePointFourProgramwasTrumansfourthpointinhis1949inauguraladdress.

Specifically,hisPointFourProgramfocusedonagriculture,publichealthandeducation

withintheseundevelopedcountries.Mergingwithotherforeignaidprograms,thePoint

FourProgramtookrootandwithabudgetof$400milliondollarsitaidedcountriesin

need.ThePointFourProgramonlyhadpositiveeffectstowardstheUnitedStates

relationshipwithforeigncountries.

WhileHarryTrumanwaspresidenthealsoimplementedtheNSC68onApril14,

1950,whichwasanorderthatexpandedthemilitary.Itwasatopsecretorderthat

launchedtheColdWarwiththeSovietUnion.ThepurposeoftheNSC68wastonot

onlyexpandtheUntiedStatesmilitary,butitwastospecificallybuildupthemilitaryfor

theconflictsresidinginKorea.TheNSC68pressedforanincreaseindefensespending,

whichaidedtothedevelopmentofahydrogenbombaswellascontainingcommunist

expansionwithinEurope.TheNSC68alsoaidedtothecreationoftheUnitedStates
CentralIntelligenceUnit.However,theNSC68contributedtothestartoftheColdWar

withtheSovietUnion,itstrengthenedtheUnitedStatesMilitaryandNationalDefense

Force.TheNSC68allowedTrumantofurtherupholdhispromiseofprotectingand

defendinghisnation.

Finally,onJune271950TrumanannouncedthattheUnitedStateswillbe

interveninginKoreanconflicts,andthathewillbesendingUnitedStatesnavalandair

forcesintoSouthKoreainordertodefendtheirdemocracyandfightcommunistNorth

Korea.InaNationalSecurityCouncilReportonMarch22,1949itstatestheUnited

StatesgoalsinregardstoSouthKoreawere,toensurethatthegovernmentso

establishedshallbefullyrepresentativeofthefreelyexpressedwilloftheKoreanpeople;

toassisttheKoreanpeopleinestablishingasoundeconomyandeducationalsystemas

essentialbasesofanindependentanddemocraticstate.ManysaythattheUnitedStates

shouldhavenevergotinvolvedintheKoreanWar,andIagreewiththisstatement.Harry

TrumanwouldhavebeenagreatpresidentifwedidnotgetinvolvedintheKoreanWar.

WhenthewarendedtheUnitedStatesreceivednobenefitsorpositiveeffectsfromit.All

wereceivedwasanimmenselossofAmericanlives.However,Trumanwentintobattle

withtheintentionofdefendingdemocracyagainstcommunism,andsavingasmanylives

aspossible.InaNationalSecurityCouncilReportonMarch22,1949,Trumanstates

that,itshouldbetheeffortoftheU.S.Governmentthroughallpropermeanstoeffecta

settlementoftheKoreanproblemwhichwouldenabletheU.S.towithdrawfromKorea
assoonaspossiblewiththeminimumofbadeffects.ThroughTrumansactionsand

decisionsinregardstotheKoreanWar,itquestionsthegreatnessofhispresidency.

Moreover,throughTrumansactionsinvolvingthedecisiontodroptheatomic

bombsonJapan,theTrumanDoctrineandMarshallPlan,ExecutiveOrder9981,Point

FourProgram,NSC68,andtheUnitedStatesinvolvementintheKoreanWar,Irate

HarryTrumanasanaboveaveragepresident.Trumanimprovedforeignrelations

betweentheUnitedStatesandamajorityofWesternEuropeannations,andhepavedthe

wayforreconstructioninEurope.Throughthesedecisions,Trumanisoneofourbest

Presidentsintermsofforeignaffairs.HarryTrumanalsogreatlyimpactedAmerican

societywithhisExecutiveOrder9981bydesegregatingthemilitaryandkickstartingthe

CivilRightsMovementofthe1960s.Trumanwouldhavebeenagreatpresidentifhe

madethedecisiontonotinvolvetheUnitedStatesintheKoreanWar.Thedecisionsthat

HarryTrumanmadeasthethirtythirdpresidentoftheUnitedStatesgreatlyimpacted

societyatthetimeofhispresidency,andwecontinuetoseehowhisdecisionsimpact

societytoday.Overall,IrateHarryTrumanasanaboveaveragepresident.
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