9 Dwight David Eisenhower of Pennsylvania 34th President 1953-1961
THE TIMES: America was finally enjoying postwar prosperity. The underlying problems that would crop up in the 1960s were temporarily hidden behind fast food, shopping malls, split-level homes, television, drive-ins and rock and roll. THE PLUS SIDE: Everybody liked Ike, including black Americans, who would give their vote to the victorious World War II general in large numbers, the last time they would do so for a Republican. He reciprocated with policies that encouraged banks to lend to black first-time home buyers. The Civil Rights Movement began in 1955 during his first administration, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed on his watch, and he famously sent federal troops to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957. THE MINUS SIDE: Operation Wetback, responsible for deporting millions of Hispanics back to Mexico, makes Trump’s Wall pale in comparison. Eisenhower didn’t stand in the way of civil rights equality, but he also did little to encourage it. OVERALL: Ike was much like the 1950s: decent and well-meaning on the surface but bland and conformist. Middleclass black Americans steadily made their way up the ladder.
BAVUAL
32
FALL 2022
