Summary Of Truman's Farewell Address

“I am glad to be a part of it—glad to wish General Eisenhower all possible success, as he begins his term—glad the whole world will have a chance to see how simply and how peacefully our American system transfers the vast power of the Presidency from my hands to his. It is a good object lesson in democracy.“ – President Harry S. Truman, 1953. Harry S. Truman served two terms of presidency from 1945 until 1953. During this time period various significant events happened for american history as well as for the whole world. After the final end of World War II, the Cold War broke out in 1947. Truman was in charge for acting on behalf of the american nation. Another radical event occured during his terms in office, which is the Korean War. Truman gained approval to declare it in 1950. In his Farewell Address, he lists all the events that led up to the foreign and domestic situation until 1953. First, the decisionmaking is stressed and later he suggests that the american determination will be Eisenhower's greatest support.1 Further, he thanks the american population for their support and refers to God, which implies a religious tone.2
Truman's successor, Dwight D.
Eisenhower, opens his Inaugural Address with words of prayer. Thus, he focuses on faith and God to be the supporting guidance. He as well stresses events in history that are of significance, but he does so in a slightly different way than Truman did. Furthermore, Eisenhower names nine principles which should guide the american nation to peace and unity.3 The tone and style Eisenhower uses differs to the one which Truman used in his Farewell Address. The one similarity the two Addresses offer is the end: both presidents thank the american nation. Only it is unsure what Eisenhower thanks them
for. This exam will focus on the differences and similarities between Trumans Farewell Address and Eisenhowers Inaugural Address. First, the stylistic differences will be analysed and then the different messages. The historical background is of importance for this analysis. Therefore the proposed research questions is: In which ways do the named documents affect society and american foreign relations after 1953? This specific research question will be answered in three steps. Firstly, the historical background will be explained briefly. Secondly, the two Addresses will be analysed seperately. Thirdly, external background and sources will prove how the documents affected society and history. This is a very broad description, but in the course of writing the paper, it will be narrowed down and more focused than it is now. The two primary documents will help answer the research question by being the main indications of the paper. Through analysing them closely, they build up a stable frame for the topic. Without them, the paper would be pretty much senseless. As explained before, the paper will examine the tone and language of the Addresses as well as their intentions. It will provide an isight into Truman's and Eisenhower's thoughts and feelings towards their presidency. This can be an explanation or reason for the manner in which they solved the governmental problems. In order to support the arguments, I will use secondary sources which mainly are scolarly articles. One example of the works I will use is Richard M. Saunders article Military Force in the Foreign Policy of the Eisenhower Presidency.4 This article, as the title suggests, focuses on the military force during the Eisenhower term. It provides information on how the foreign policy was conducted by Eisenhower during the 1950's. Thus, it can help answer the research question because it provides evidence on how Eisenhower influenced the political situation after his inauguration. Also, I will use a book chapter written by Robert p. Bremner called By Fits and Starts: The Early Eisenhower Years.5 It provides detailed information on the Eisenhower presidency. Various events and decsion are explained clearly and therefore this source also is a good aid to support the arguments.