FREE ESSAY ON THE ELECTION OF 1956

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 
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