Postwar Domestic Policies and Truman Haneen Amer
GI Bill
*Also known as Servicemen s Readjustment Act Through Veterans Administration (VA), bill provided: Grants for school and college tuition Lowinterest mortgage and small business loans Job training Hiring privileges Unemployment payments
Further amendment to the act added: Full disability coverage Construction of additional VA hospitals Extended benefits to all who had served in the armed forces
Employment Act of 1946
After WWII Massive unemployment expected FDR discussed new Economic Bill of Rights Right to useful and remunerative job Influenced by Brit John Maynard Keynes Wrote The Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money
January 22, 1945 Senator James E. Murray of Montana Introduced bill calling for full employment Promoted that people able to work and seeking work would get work (people had right to job) and the gov. is responsible for employing people Bill passed easily in senate Resistance from conservatives Bill changed to not guarantee anyone a job, or mandate full employment Congress added all practicable means to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power
In conclusion In the bill, the Federal gov. had no responsibility / was not mandated to provide jobs or full employment
Wagner Act 1935
*Officially Known as National Labor Relations Act* Established legal right of most workers to organize or join labor unionsvery Pro Unions
TaftHartley Act 1947
Amended Wagner Act Vetoed by Truman Main reasons behind it: Fear of communist infiltration of labor union Growth in membership and power of labor unions Series of largescale strikes
What it did: Kept rights of labor to where state law allowed organize and and bargain them and where majority of collectively Added that employees had workers voted for them the right not to join unions (outlawed closed shops) Narrowed definitions of unfair labor practices Permitted union shops only Restricted unions political contributions Required union officers to deny under oath any communist affiliations
Election of 1948
Harry Truman Respected US senator from Missouri responsible for two major pieces of legislation: Civil Aeronautics Act (1938) establishing government regulation of the aviation industry WheelerTruman Transportation Act (1940) providing government oversight of railroad reorganization
Harry Truman Respected US senator from Missouri Nominated to be vice president for FDR after Henry Wallace s renomination was rejected by many conservatives Only met with FDR twice before FDR died Truman left without any information about about the administration programs and plans
Harry Truman Successfully ended the war against Germany Brought US into UN Engineered surrender of Japan through the decision to drop the atomic bomb However, Truman s and the Democrat party s popularity still diminished Truman confident that he would win presidential election regardless
Republican National Convention Met in Philadelphia in June 2125 First ever to be televised Fairly peaceful Nominated New York governor Thomas Dewey and california governor Earl Warren
Republican National Convention Republican Platform: Ending of segregation in military Equal right amendment for women to US constitution Support for recognition of Israel Abolition of poll tax Strong enforcement of anticommunist regulations
Democratic National Convention Met in Philadelphia on July 1214 Intense conflict regarding civil rights Strong civil rights plank rejected But Desegregation of military *Truman issued executive order desegregating military on July 25* Mississippi delegation not happy In the end, Truman nominated, beating Richard Russell (US senator from Georgia) and keynote speaker Alben Barkley (senator from kentucky) nominated as vice president
The campaigns Democrats Republicans Truman refused to accept defeat Very sure of victory Launched crosscountry whistlestop campaign Criticised Republicans and their support of TaftHartley Act and other policies Truman s speeches created lots of excitement in the crowds Dewey s campaign mellow in contrast with Truman s Attempted not to offend anyone in his speeches
Video of Truman s campaign https://school.eb.com/levels/high/ass embly/view/141126
The Election At first, Truman took narrow lead political commentators still believed Dewey would win Later Truman told that he was in the lead by 2 million votes But People still not convinced he would win Until Tom Dewey himself sent Truman a telegram conceding the election
presidential candidate political party electoral votes popular votes Harry S. Truman Democratic 303 24,105,695 Thomas E. Dewey Republican 189 21,969,170 Strom Thurmond States' Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat) 39 1,169,021 Henry A. Wallace Progressive 1,156,103 Norman Thomas Socialist 139,009 Claude A. Watson Prohibition 103,216 Edward A. Teichert Socialist Labor 29,061 Farrell Dobbs Socialist Workers 13,613 Source: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Video of Truman s victory https://school.eb.com/levels/high/a ssembly/view/127459
Manhattan Project
[19421945] Government research project that produced the first atomic bomb A group of scientists, most of whom were refugees from fascist regimes in Europe organized project to exploit new fission process Named Manhattan Project because much of early research done in Colombia U in Manhattan
Manhattan Project 1940 $6000 given to research At the time, Germany and project from American gov Britain also working on 1941 project put under project, so a collaborative direction of the office of effort made between England, scientific research and Canada, and US development, headed by Vannevar Bush After US entered WWII, war department given joint responsibility for project Many scientists moved to US to work on project
The making of the bomb Uranium235 essential component of atomic bomb Cannot be separated from Uranium238 (naturally found Work on design and function of bomb largely theoretical companion) except by physical means Before 1943: Robert Oppenheimer directed a laboratory in Los Alamos, NM In the lab, many important Many methods of doing this methods of creating the bomb explored and 2 were chosen: were explored to create Diffusion process optimum materials for the Electromagnetic process actual bomb
A test run 1945 Research and materials became sufficient enough to produce a bomb First atomic bomb tested on July 16 in Alamogordo air base Bomb said to have made explosion that came in an intense flash, sudden heat wave and a ball of fire followed by a mushroom cloud extending to 40,000 ft Bomb generated explosive power equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT
Using the Atomic BOmb In the month following the testing of the first atomic bomb, two more bombs were produced: One using uranium235 The other using plutonium Bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a way to end war between Japan and US Attempt was successful
O.P.C.V.L O: Advertisement in US during WWII P: Appealing to pathos to sell war bonds V: Shows how Japanese people were portrayed in US during WWII and how the American people viewed them L: Biased against Japanese people, trying to sell a product so not accurate portrayal of Japan. Attempts to inspire fear so image is dramaticized and exaggerated
Bibliography VETERANS ADMINISTRATION. Veterans Administration poster encouraging veterans to use their G.I. Bill, 1978.. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 31 Aug 2017. quest.eb.com/search/140_1798214/1/140_1798214/cite. Accessed 26 Mar 2018. "G.I. Bill (of Rights)." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Apr. 2009. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/gibillofrights/472430. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018. "Taft Hartley Act." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/tafthartleyact/70904. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018. "Wagner Act." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 May. 2015. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/wagneract/75846. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018. Republican National Convention, 1948: Thomas E. Dewey supporters. Image. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/97063. Accessed 29 Mar. 2018. United States presidential election of 1948: Truman campaigning among farmers in Iowa, 1948. Video. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/141126. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018. 1948 U.S. presidential election. Video. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/127459. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.
Bibliography "Manhattan Project." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Jul. 2017. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/manhattanproject/50535. Accessed 1 Apr. 2018. Atomic bomb: first test. Image. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Feb. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/4333. Accessed 1 Apr. 2018. "Harry S. Truman." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Jun. 2015. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/harrystruman/73545. Accessed 1 Apr. 2018.