In his nationally televised farewell address from the Oval Office, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued one of the most prescient warnings in American political history about the dangers of the military-industrial complex. The five-star general and Republican president who had led Allied forces in …
Dwight D. EisenhowerMalcolm MoosRalph WilliamsMilton Eisenhowermilitary-industrial-complexdefense-contractorsinstitutional-capturepresidential-warningcorporate-power
President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960, expanding on the 1957 Act by authorizing federal courts to appoint voting referees to register Black voters and imposing criminal penalties for obstruction of court orders. However, the law’s case-by-case approach and dependence on …
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President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first federal civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, establishing the Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice and authorizing federal prosecutors to seek injunctions against interference with voting rights. However, …
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On June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System—the largest public works project in American history. While celebrated as an engineering triumph, the $25 billion program (equivalent to over $300 billion today) systematically …
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On August 2, 1954, President Eisenhower signed the Housing Act of 1954, dramatically expanding the urban renewal program that had begun with the 1949 Housing Act. The law introduced the “workable program” requirement for federal funds, mandated comprehensive planning, and provided new …
Dwight D. EisenhowerU.S. CongressUrban Renewal AdministrationReal estate industryRobert Mosesinstitutional-racismurban-renewalhousing-policydisplacementcorporate-interests
U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell launches Operation Wetback, a mass deportation initiative using military-style tactics to remove Mexican immigrants. Created by Joseph May Swing, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general heading the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the operation targets …
Dwight D. EisenhowerJoseph May SwingHerbert BrownellImmigration and Naturalization Serviceimmigration-policymass-deportationhuman-rights-violationsmilitarizationracial-profiling
On February 26, 1954, the United States Senate rejected the Bricker Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have severely limited the President’s treaty-making power. The amendment, backed by conservative Republicans and corporate groups including the American Bar Association …
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower convenes a meeting of business executives in 1954 to encourage creation of a national organization making business people from both parties active participants in the political process, launching what becomes the Public Affairs Council. The organization is initially …
Dwight D. EisenhowerPublic Affairs CouncilEffective Citizens Organizationcorporate-lobbyingpolitical-mobilizationeisenhowerbusiness-political-coordinationpac
President Eisenhower approved National Security Council directive NSC 162/2, establishing the “New Look” defense policy that would reduce real defense spending by nearly one-third over his presidency despite intense Pentagon resistance. The policy reflected Eisenhower’s conviction …
Dwight D. EisenhowerJohn Foster DullesRobert B. CarneyMatthew B. RidgwayStrategic Air Commanddefense-budgetmilitary-spendingpentagonnuclear-weaponsfiscal-policy
On August 13, 1953, President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10479, establishing the President’s Committee on Government Contracts under Vice President Richard Nixon’s chairmanship. The committee was charged with ensuring that federal contractors did not discriminate in employment, …
Dwight D. EisenhowerRichard NixonGovernment Contract CommitteeNAACPcivil-rightsexecutive-orderemployment-discriminationfederal-contracting
On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing prison, becoming the first American civilians executed for espionage during peacetime and the only Americans executed for Cold War spy activities. Their case remains the most controversial capital punishment in …
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Just three months into his presidency, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his “Chance for Peace” speech before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, offering one of the most morally forceful critiques of military spending ever issued by an American president. Speaking shortly …
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On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur violently disperse the Bonus Army—43,000 demonstrators including 17,000 World War I veterans, their families, and affiliated groups—who had marched on Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of service bonus …
Douglas MacArthurHerbert HooverDwight D. EisenhowerWalter WatersBonus Army veterans+1 moremilitary-forceveteransgreat-depressioncivil-libertiesstate-violence