The museum features the actual table around which Allied leadership planned D-Day. Prior to the June invasion, General Eisenhower spoke to the troops: "Soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, you are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months.
That military service shaped his presidency. And everything he did in his presidency was to keep the Cold War cold, and keep us out of a battle, keep us out of harm's way. Mary Jean Eisenhower, Ike's granddaughter, remembers his softer side. Marshall called Eisenhower to Washington , D. He then directed the amphibious invasion of Sicily and the Italian mainland in that led to the fall of Rome in June Made a full general in early , Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in December of that year and given the responsibility of spearheading the planned Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
On D-Day June 6, , more than , Allied forces crossed the English Channel and stormed the beaches of Normandy; the invasion led to the liberation of Paris on August 25 and turned the tide of the war in Europe decisively in the Allied direction. His brief return to civilian life ended in , however, when President Harry S. In that position, Eisenhower worked to create a unified military organization that would combat potential communist aggression around the globe.
After mixed results in primary elections against the Republican front-runner, Senator Robert A. Nixon of California as his running mate, Eisenhower then defeated Adlai Stevenson to become the 34th president of the United States. Eisenhower would beat Stevenson again four years later in a landslide to win reelection, despite health concerns after suffering a heart attack in As a moderate Republican, Eisenhower was able to achieve numerous legislative victories despite a Democratic majority in Congress during six of his eight years in office.
In addition to continuing most of the New Deal and Fair Deal programs of his predecessors Franklin Roosevelt and Truman, respectively , he strengthened the Social Security program, increased the minimum wage and created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In , Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System, the single largest public works program in U. Eisenhower was even more hesitant, however, in the realm of civil rights for African Americans.
In , in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U. Supreme Court had ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional. Eisenhower did sign civil rights legislation in and providing federal protection for black voters; it was the first such legislation passed in the United States since Reconstruction. Soon after taking office, Eisenhower signed an armistice ending the Korean War.
Aside from sending combat troops into Lebanon in , he would send no other armed forces into active duty throughout his presidency, though he did not hesitate to authorize defense spending. Skip to content. President Dwight Eisenhower blots his signature on legislation during a White House ceremony on July 28, Associated Press. But not many Americans think about him these days.
No American served his country as long or nearly as well as he did. Latest Suburbs. Naperville Park District plans to survey residents next year with an eye toward new long-term plans for and beyond. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center. University of Virginia Miller Center. Eisenhower: Impact and Legacy. Breadcrumb U.
Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Chester J. Pach, Jr. Associate Professor of History Ohio University. More Resources Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidency Page.
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