nPosted October 14, 2017
n
Key Points
n
n
n
n
Dwight D. Eisenhower is consistently ranked in the top half of presidents – almost always in the top quarter of presidents, from #5 to #10 – in rankings of effectiveness and leadership qualities.
Dwight D. Eisenhower is consistently ranked in the top half of presidents – almost always in the top quarter of presidents, from #5 to #10 – in rankings of effectiveness and leadership qualities.n
n
n
nAnd recently historians have upgraded him – it’s the more recent rankings that are higher.
n
n
n
n
Before he was president, Eisenhower (aka “Ike”) was a 5-star general in the U.S. Army. During World War II he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe – in other words, he was the guy who planned and supervised the successful invasions of North Africa in 1942-43 and of France and Germany in 1944-45.
Before he was president, Eisenhower (aka “Ike”) was a 5-star general in the U.S. Army. During World War II he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe – in other words, he was the guy who planned and supervised the successful invasions of North Africa in 1942-43 and of France and Germany in 1944-45.n
n
n
nSo Ike was a legitimate war hero.
n
n
n
nIt’s perhaps not surprising that he won the presidency in landslide elections.
n
n
n
nPresident Eisenhower earned his high rankings by showing crisis leadership. Here are a few of his accomplishments:
n
n
n
n
n
- n
- He obtained a truce after years of war in Korea (it started before he was in office).
n
n
- n
-
nHe got China to agree to release POWs.
n
nn
-
nHe desegregated the armed forces.
n
- He sent federal troops to enforce a court order desegregating public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
- n
-
nHe continued New Deal programs and expanded Social Security.
n
nn
- He opposed Joseph McCarthy’s “witch hunt” of communists in the U.S.
n
n
n
-
nHe created NASA.
n
-
nHe warned about the “military industrial complex” with some specifics that have since proved spectacularly correct (even though his advice was largely ignored!).
n
nn
- He formed the Interstate Highway System.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAlso on this date:
n
n
n
|
n
n |
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nNyerere Day in Tanzania
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAnniversary of the October Revolution in Yemen
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nBirthday of Quaker and Pennsylvania founder William Penn
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Birthday of author / illustrator Lois Lenski
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Birthday of author / illustrator Lois Lenski n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nPlan ahead:
n
n
n
nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
n
-
n
-
n
n
n
n
nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
nNovember holidays
n
-
nNovember birthdays
n
-
nHistorical anniversaries in November
n
n
n
n
n
