Loren Brinton
Donald Gawronski
HIS 108
5 November 2008
Eisenhower unit 2
Throughout his presidency, Eisenhower preached a doctrine of dynamic conservatism. He continued all the major New Deal programs still in operation, especially Social Security. He expanded its programs and rolled them into a new agency, the Department of health, Education and Welfare while extending benefits to an additional ten million workers. His cabinet, consisting of several corporate executives and one labor leader, was dubbed by one journalist, "Eight millionaires and a plumber."
One of Eisenhower's Biggest achievements was championing and signing the bill that authorized the Interstate Highway System in 1956. He justified the project through the Federal aid highway act of 1956 as essential to American security during the Cold War. Eisenhower thought that large cities would be targets in a possible future war, and the highways were designed to evacuate them and allow the military to move in.
As a result of the Suez Crisis, Eisenhower proclaimed the "Eisenhower Doctrine" in January 1957. On July 15, 1958, he sent just under 15,000 soldiers to Lebanon as part of Operation Blue Bat , a non-combat peace keeping mission to stabilize the pro-Western government.
In 1961, Eisenhower became the first U.S. president to be "constitutionally forced" from office, having served the maximum two terms allowed by the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment was ratified in 1951, during Harry S. Truman's term but it said that Truman would not be affected by the amendment.