Election of 1948

Dean Acheson wrote about this story in his memoirs

-Harry and his wife and his daughter Morgan Truman went out to Independence Missouri to watch his returns. (It was and probably still is tradition for the presidential nominees to go home to watch the results.) -Normally, the president's staff members and cabinet members (in simple terms, his entourage) would see the president off at the train station. When he went to the train station to go back to Kansas to watch the primary, many of his entourage did not show up to see him off. Figured the candidacy was lost. No reason to waste time seeing him off or supporting his re-election, he already lost. Waste of time.

Reason for Truman's decline in popularity beginning after WW2

1. Could not release troops/demobilize as fast as people wanted. 2. Civil rights activism killed Southern support 3.

Theories on How Truman Won

1. Sometimes, pollsters simply get it wrong. Miscalculated the odds. Truman unexpectedly got rural farmers votes. 2. Some states (Midwestern States: Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, etc.) that were for Dewey changed to Truman right before the elections. 3. Republicans in congress shut down agriculture and farm bill just before election.

DDDTT

At first, it seemed that for every 3 Dewey states, 2 seemed to be for Truman

Paper that prematurely stated Dewey had already won

Chicago Herald Tribune

Left-Wing Democratic Thoughts on Truman

Did not have faith in Truman. Did not believe he was willing to fight for the new deal. Not far off.

Arguably the most important election in US History. Gives understanding to "Cultural Literacy"

Election of 1948

Progressive Party Nomination of 1948

Henry A. Wallace. Read previous notes as to how he was weird.

First Section of Nation to have votes tallied

New England. Was almost always Republican. This time was no different.

Whistle Stop Campaign

Nobody thought Truman had a chance. Still, himself as well as the democrats fought hard. 6-car train throughout the southwest and the west. Stopped through mid-sized towns and cities. Tailored his speeches to his audience.

Do-Nothing Congress

On his whistle stops, Truman would claim the reason he couldn't pass bills they wanted passed was do to the Republican Do Nothing Congress

1946 Congressional Results

Republicans captured control of congress. They were very popular. Opposed many new deal programs.

Truman's Steps Towards Civil Rights

Sent proposals to congress that would have changed status quo. Wanted an end to the poll tax, wanted to allow federal agents to investigate lynchings.

Dixiecrats

Southern Democrats and right-wing democrats who Truman alienated through his progressive reforms

"Dump Truman Movement"

Started after his pro-civil rights bill passed. Movement was to refuse his re-nomination as president.

Eisenhower's Reaction to people attempting to get him nominated

Stated he was a military man, not a politician

Dixiecrat nomination of 1948

Strom Thurmond

By 11 AM the day after the elections, the states seemed to go...

T, T, T, D. West Coast voted heavily for Truman.

Republican nomination of 1948

Thomas E. Dewey. Second election in a row.

Election results of 1948

Truman won, democrats also gained back the majority in both houses

Progressive Party

Very liberal democrats migrated towards this party. Also contained a lot of social communists.

Truman in the South results

still able to carry 5(?) Southern States