American Experience . The Presidents . Harry S. Truman

The Election of 1948
Truman and the Democrats were in trouble in 1948. As election day neared, the polls predicted a resounding defeat. Truman, the incumbent, faced a variety of candidates: Thomas Dewey, a Republican, Henry Wallace of the Progressive Party, and Strom Thurmond of the "Dixiecrats" -- a band of Southern Democrats who abandoned their party.

Here are some of the hot issues in the 1948 election... Choose the positions you favor:

Housing
The cost of living was rising across America and affordable housing was in short supply.

	Candidate/Party #1: Favors comprehensive federal housing legislation and saw a need for rent control.
	Candidate/Party #2: Feels that housing can best be supplied and financed by private enterprise.

The Marshall Plan
Americans debated the extent to which they should contribute to the rebuilding of Europe following World War II.

	Candidate/Party #1: Calls for the repudiation of the Marshall Plan. The party platform states that efforts of the plan would rebuild Nazi Germany and "subjugate the economies of other European countries to American Big Business."
	Candidate/Party #2: Strongly in favor of the Marshall Plan, saying it is working to "secure and strengthen the safety and freedom" of European nations.

Aid to Greece and Turkey
How much money should be devoted to other countries -- and which ones should receive the aid?

	Candidate/Party #1: Refers to Greece and Turkey as "peace-loving nations" and supports military and economic assistance to the two countries.
	Candidate #2: Calls for an end to military and economic intervention in Greece and Turkey, referring to their regimes as "reactionary and fascist."

Now find out which candidate you agree with most, and see how your opinion stacks up to the popular and electoral vote tallies for the 1948 election.

I do not wish to vote but would like to see the current results

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American Experience

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