Elections Of 1956

The election of 1956, 48 states were in the union at that time and Dwight Eisenhower
was president. Even though Eisenhower had not made and major changes during his
first term he was still the publics for choice for the next election. In a poll
taken in 1954, 65% of Americans had approved of the job he was doing. Some
critics reflected his as lazy. Saying he rather be golfing, one of his own
speech writers once described his as an “oaf”. But never the less he was
unanimously nominated for the Republican ticket in 1956 along with Richard Nixon
for vice president, who won with 457 electoral votes and 57.6% of the popular
vote. For the Democrats Adlai E. Stevensons was anomously nominated and excepted
the nomination. This campaign was won of the calmest in American history, for
the same candidates ran in the election of 1952. Not many people thought the
democrats even had a chance against Eisenhower. at a picnic at Eisenhowers’
farm in Gettysburg, where he officially began his campaign, He addressed the
leaders attending on the top two issues: his health and Richard Nixons place on
the ticket. He assured them he felt fine. And Richard Nixon assured them he
would be able to fulfill the duties of president.Dwight Eisenhower was one of
the most popular American leaders. British General Bernard C. Montgomery, who
had fought in the war with Eisenhower is quoted saying “He merely had to smile
at you and you trusted in him at once”. As a great World War II General people
saw him as a sign of hope for peace in the post war era. He was elected in to
office in 1952 by and overwhelming margin and an even greater one in 1956. In
the 1956 election people were sure he would be re-elected, but they were not
sure if he would accept the Republican parties nomination. Eisenhower suffers
some medical difficulties, but always came back to tell the people he would seek
re-election. Eisenhower did seek re-election and had won by a landslide getting
457 electoral votes compared to the democrats 73 elector votes. This was the
last election to use the Whistle-stop campaign technique. Both parties had
campaigned steadily, but it was rare to see a change in polls. During the
campaign the top problems facing the nation were threat of war and foreign
policy. Civil rights along with the high cost of living and agricultural
problems didn’t fall far behind. People of America for the most part supported
Eisenhower as a man and Stevenson as the democratic party. The republican party
did not even control the house after the election. Which shows how much people
trusted in Eisenhower as a person more then for being Republican. Eisenhowers’
platform was “peace and prosperity”. His a few of his concerns were foreign
policy and national defense, space exploration, civil rights and NATO. The
democratic platforms were pretty much the same except the we for disarmament.

They were for stopping testing of the H-bomb. In October of 1957 two major
crises occurred which certainly helped increase the American peoples confidence
in Eisenhower. First the Leader of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, which
caused great Britain, France, and Israel to attack Egypt. Eisenhower helps form
a cease-fire. And the citizens of Hungary tried to over throw the communist
government there. In turn the Soviet Union sent troops to support the dictator
there. Eisenhower resisted challenging the Soviets. There wasn’t much
Stevenson could to win vote the American people were pretty solid on re-electing
President Eisenhower for a second term. He had a strong running in
African-American districts which was odd for a republican at that time. It was
the first time in history that a to way presidential race that the presidential
party did not win the house majority also. Eisenhowers’ campaign was full of
items, they had everything from pantyhose to umbrellas, bearing the “I Like
Ike” and other slogans. The American people apparenty believed in Dwight D.

Eisenhower.

Bibliography
Students
Atlas Of American Presidential Elections (1789-1996) Congressional Quarterly
Incc., Washington DC 1997 Dwight D. Eisenhower, HTTP://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/president/HTML/de34.html
Eisenhower Presidential Library HTTP://sunsite.unc.edu./lia/president/eisenhower.html