American Experience

Read Dwight Eisenhower in his own words, and access documents important to his era, in this collection of writings, speeches and letters.

Contents:  Letters  |  Speeches  |  Miscellaneous

Letters

• Letters to Mamie
  Excerpts from Eisenhower's letters home to his wife, Mamie, during World War II.

Speeches

• First Inaugural Address, 1953
  Eisenhower focuses on foreign policy, and says war is an abhorrent means of settling international differences.
• State of the Union Address, 1954
  The president expresses a general interest in limiting government activism, and warns Americans against "the fatal materialism that plagues our age."
• State of the Union Address, 1955
  Eisenhower affirms America's anti-communist stance in foreign affairs.
• State of the Union Address, 1956
  Eisenhower concludes his speech with a call "to have every person judged and measured by what he is, rather than by his color, race or religion."
• Second Inaugural Address, 1957
  Eisenhower affirms the nation's commitment to achieve peace through military, economic, political, and moral strength.
• State of the Union Address, 1957
  After making a plea for water and resource conservation, Eisenhower says he is determined to increase U.S. military and political strength.
• State of the Union Address, 1958
  A few months after the Soviet Sputnik launch, Eisenhower emphasizes America's preparedness.
• State of the Union Address, 1959
  Eisenhower states that lasting peace with the Soviet Union will be possible only if treaties are strengthened by enforcement.
• Farewell Address, 1961
  The former World War II general and soon to be retired commander-in-chief uses this opportunity to caution the American public "against the acquisition of unwarranted influence... by the military industrial complex."

Miscellaneous

• Brown v. Board of Education: Topeka, 1954
  Chief Justice Earl Warren delivers the Supreme Court's landmark decision abolishing "separate but equal" schools in public education.
• Nixon's Checkers Speech
  Eisenhower's vice president, Richard Nixon, counters critics who claim he took a $18,000 contribution and used it for personal expenses, though he admits that his family dog,Checkers, was a political gift.
• U-2 Incident
  Offcial documents record a dialogue between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. after a U.S. spy plane goes down in Soviet territory.