The Election 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 didnt 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 wasnt 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/HTM L/de34.html Eisenhower Presidential Library HTTP://sunsite.unc.edu./lia/president/eisenhower.h tml American History Essays.
