Mark (Alex) Venezia

A Philosophy of Respect & A Legacy of Freedom: An Examination of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Response to the Civil Rights Advancements in the 1950s

Abstract:

A clash of principles and a reluctant president faced with the most intense racial crises since the end of the Civil War, this was the environment during the civil rights episodes of the 1950s. The task of maintaining order during these tumultuous times was laid at the doorstep of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower was the hero of WWII and swept into the White House with near record levels of support, yet the issues of civil rights would test Ike in ways he was not prepared for. Eisenhower was privately often against rapid expansions of civil rights and had been criticized by many historians for his lack of leadership in directing the expansion of civil rights. Publicly, Eisenhower supported many of the greatest civil rights advancements in history, and the discrepancy between his private and public opinions has raised many questions. Eisenhower was forced to act on behalf of civil rights by values that he held dear. Ike was a valiant defender of the Constitution and, more often than not, those against the expansion of civil rights often violated the Constitution, thus forcing Eisenhower to act against his private feelings. The conflict between Eisenhower’s private feelings and public actions in response to civil rights issues seen through the lens of the Brown v. Board decision, the passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1957, and the desegregation crisis in Little Rock, reveals Eisenhower’s true motivations which guided his leadership style.

Thesis Advisor: I. Binnington