Postwar  Domestic  Policies  and  Truman  Aubrey  Gibson    

* After  WWII,  there  was  a  need  for  legislation  to  help  people  readjust  to  non-‐wartime    *  Sought  to  help  returning  soldiers    *  Sought  to  keep  the  economy  in  a  good  position  

after  the  need  for  war  products  was  eliminated  

Intro  

WHY  IT  WAS  ENACTED  *  Needed  to  help  veterans  readjust  to  normal  life  *  Didn’t  want  to  repeat  the  same  mistakes  as  WWI  (many  

vets  were  unemployed)  *  Needed  extra  support  for  vets  because  it  was  harder  for  

them  to  get  jobs  after  war  and  they  received  bonuses  but  it  sometimes  took  years  to  receive  them  

*  Response  to  the  Bonus  Army    *  Vets  only  received  $60  after  WWI  *  Wanted  to  avoid  another  depression  *  Had  to  ensure  vets  were  secure    

The  GI  Bill  

WHAT  IT  WAS  *  aka  the  Servicemen’s  Readjustment  Act  of  1944  *  Provided  benefits  for  returning  WWII  veterans    *  Established  hospitals  for  rehabilitation  *  Made  low  interest  mortgages  available    *  Granted  money  to  cover  tuition  and  expenses  for  

veterans  who  attended  college  *  Between  1944  and  1949,  $4  billion  was  granted  for  

unemployment  compensation  for  vets    *  The  provisions  of  the  law  were  carried  out  by  the  Veterans  Administration  (1930)    

 

The  GI  Bill  

PASSING  THE    BILL  *  Drafted  by  Harry  W.  Colmery  and  introduced  on  January  10,  1944  *  The  House  and  Senate  both  approved  their  own  

separate  versions  of  the  bill  *  Was  long  debated  by  both  houses  *  Some  thought  if  they  gave  vets  money  it  would  lower  their  incentive  to  work  ($20  per  week)  *  Questioned  if  vets  should  be  allowed  to  go  to  college  *  Was  meant  for  the  rich  at  the  time  

*  Though  spending  so  much  money  on  vets  might  cause  another  depression    

*  Representative  John  Gibson  was  the  tie  breaker  and  the  GI  Bill  was  signed  into  law  June  22,  1944  

The  GI  Bill  

IMPACT  *  Decreased  flooding  of  the  job  market  *  Increased  education  and  people  other  than  vets  began  to  attend  college  *  Decreased  poverty  among  veterans  *  Ended  July  25,  1956,  helped  7.8  million  gain  education  *  The  Readjustment  Benefits  Act  of  1966  extended  benefits  from  GI  Bill  to  all  veterans  *  Was  revised  and  reintroduced  in  1984  as    the  Montgomery  GI  Bill  (cont.  home  loan  and  education)  *  Updated  in  2008  to  give  vets  more  education  benefits  

after  9/11  

The  GI  Bill  

WHY  IT  WAS  ENACTED  *  After  WWII  finding  jobs  was  a  major  concern  because  the  U.S.  was  no  longer  producing  wartime  goods  *  Had  to  deal  with  problems  of  the  Full  Employment  Bill  of  1945  *  Stated  that  all  Americans  able  to  work  should  have  full  

opportunity,  provided  by  the  government,  for  continuing  employment  

*  Based  on  principle  of  compensatory  finance  (create  budget  deficit  to  increase  economic  activity)    

The  Employment  Act  of  1946  

WHAT  IT  WAS    *  Revised  the  1945  act  and  it  became  the  Employment  Act  (  didn’t  require  compensatory  finance,  recognize  price  stability)    *  Signed  into  law  February  20,  1946  *  States  that  it  is  the  responsibility  of  the  federal  government  to  promote  maximum  employment,  production,  and  purchasing  power  *  Policy  must  be  carried  out  by  the  president  

The  Employment  Act  of  1946  

WHAT  IT  WAS  (cont.)  *  Required  the  government  to  use  all  of  its  plans,  functions,  and  resources  to  provide  employment  *  Conflicted  with  price  stability  because  as  employment  

increases,  it  leads  to  inflation  which  decreases  price  stability    

*  Very  vague  and  doesn’t  state  specific  actions  the  president  needs  to  take  to  fulfil  requirements    

The  Employment  Act  of  1946  

IMPACT    *  Unemployment  remained  low  for  the  next  20  years  *  Averaged  4.6%  from  1950-‐1970  *  Created  the  Council  of  Economic  Advisory  (CEA)    *  Composed  of  three  members  to  advise  the  president  on  

economic  policy  *  Required  the  president  to  submit  a  report  within  ten  days  od  submitting  the  federal  budget,  predicting  the  future  state  of  the  economy  *  Established  the  Joint  Economic  Committee  to  review  

this  report  

The  Employment  Act  of  1946  

IMPACT  (cont.)  *  Inflation  was  controlled  in  the  following  decades  *  Ranged  from  1%-‐5%  *  Unemployment  and  inflation  began  to  rise  again  in  1970  *  In  1978  the  Full  Employment  and  Balanced  Growth  Act  

was  passed  to  try  to  fix  this  *  Very  similar  to  1945  act  but  gave  specific  unemployment  and  inflation  goals  

The  Employment  Act  of  1946  

WHY  IT  WAS  ENACTED  *  Concern  that  labor  unions  were  growing  too  powerful  *  Needed  open  communication  between  labor  unions  and  employers  in  order  to  regulate  commerce  *  Act  justified  under  commerce  clause  *  Wanted  to  make  changes  to  Wagner  Act  from  1935  *  Caused  large  strikes  that  nearly  disabled  some  industries  

(  automobile,  steel,  packaging)  *  Stopped  work  and  damaged  economy  

The  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  

WHAT  IT  WAS  *  aka  the  Labor  Management  Relations  Act  of  1947  *  Was  an  amendment  to  the  Wagner  Act  *  Designed  to  benefit  all  parts-‐  employers,  employees,  &  unions    *  Required  both  sides  to  meet  and  reach  an  agreement  of  a    

labor  contract  

*  Gave  employers  first  amendment  rights  to  speak  out  against  unions  *  Limits  liability  of  employers    *  Requires  union  leaders  to  rake  oath  saying  they  weren’t  

communists  

*  Was  originally  vetoed  by  President  Truman  *  Overridden  by  >  2/3  vote  in  congress  and  passed  June  23,  1947  

The  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  

WHAT  IT  DID:  *  Allowed  the  president  to  appoint  a  board  of  inquiry  to  

investigate  union  disputes  if  he  believes  a  strike  would  endanger  health  or  safety    *  Can  get  an  80-‐day  injunction  to  stop  strike  

*  Declared  all  closed  shops  illegal  *  Union  membership  not  required  for  employment  

*  Permitted  union  shops  to  be  formed  only  after  majority  vote  by  employees  (amended  1951)  *  Forbids  jurisdictional  strikes  (union  represent  a  particular  

group  of  employees)  and  secondary  boycotts  (refusal  to  associate  with  business  it  has  no  dispute  with)  *  Ended  check-‐off  system  (employer  collects  union  dues)  *  Forbade    unions  from  contributing  to  political  campaigns  

The  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  

IMPACT  *  Provided  protection  for  employers  rather  than  just  unions  *  Controlled  strikes  *  Enlarged  the  National  Relations  Board    *  Control  labor  disputes,  increased  from  3  to  5  members  

*  Created  the  Federal  Mediations  and  Conciliation  Service  (FMCS)  to  enforce  the  act  and  settle  labor  disputes    *  Was  replaced  in  1959  by  the  Labor  Management  Reporting  

and  Disclosure  Act  of  1959  which  listed  specific  union  requirements  

The  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  

On  the  Veto  of  the  Taft-‐Hartley  Bill  (June  20,  1947)  *  I  am  convinced  it  is  a  bad  bill.  It  is  bad  for  labor,  bad  for  management,  

and  bad  for  the  country.  *  Last  January  I  made  specific  recommendations  to  the  Congress  as  to  the  

kind  of  labor  legislation  we  should  have  immediately.  .  .  I  believe  that  my  proposals  were  accepted  by  the  great  majority  of  our  people  as  fair  and  just.  *  It  clearly  abuses  the  right,  which  millions  of  our  citizens  now  enjoy,  to  

join  together  and  bargain  with  their  employers  for  fair  wages  and  fair  working  conditions.  *  The  bill  is  deliberately  designed  to  weaken  labor  unions.  When  the  

sponsors  of  the  bill  claim  that  by  weakening  unions,  they  are  giving  rights  back  to  individual  workingmen,  they  ignore  the  basic  reason  why  unions  are  important  in  our  democracy.    *  This  bill  would  again  expose  workers  to  the  abuses  of  labor  injunctions.  *  Many  provisions  of  the  bill  would  have  the  result  of  changing  employers  

and  workers  from  members  of  the  same  team  to  opponents  on  contending  teams.  

Primary  Source    

*  Origin:  Radio  broadcast  by  Harry  S.  Truman  given  June  20,  1947.  He  discusses  why  he  vetoed  the  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  and  that  he  thinks  it  is  bad  because  it  weakens  labor  unions  and  interferes  with  their  ability  to  bargain  and  reach  an  agreement    *  Purpose:  to  explain  to  the  public  why  he  vetoed  the  act  and  urge  people  (congress  who  would  later  vote)  not  to  support  the  act  and  urge  them  to  lean  towards  the  policies  he  had  previously  suggested    *  Value:  shows  Truman’s  opinions  on  labor  laws  and  demonstrates  that  he  is  pro-‐union  and  anti-‐big  business  *  Limitations:  Truman  is  a  liberal  so  his  opinions  are  biased  towards  workers’  rights.  He  was  speaking  to  the  public  and  trying  to  persuade  them  so  he  may  have  exaggerated  his  views.  Also,  he  wanted  his  original  plan  to  go  through  so  he  was  trying  to  get  rid  of  any  other  options  

OPVL  

BACKGROUND  *  Truman  had  become  president  after  the  death  of  FDR  *  Republican  Party  won  control  of  both  houses  in  the  1946  

midterm  elections    *  Economy:  high  taxes,  increased  cost  of  living,  labor  strife,    

government  corruption    *  Candidates  *  Harry  S.  Truman  (Democrat/incumbent)    *  Thomas  E.  Dewey  (Republican)  *  J.  Strom  Thurmond  (States  Rights)  

*  Issues  of  election:  *  Civil  Rights  *  80th  Congress  *  22nd  Amendment  

The  Election  of  1948  

CAMPAIGNING    *  Platforms  *  Democratic:  had  civil  rights  platform  to  gain  Sothern  

delegate  support  *  Republican:  had  foreign  policy  platform  to  strengthen  U.S.  

relations  with  other  countries  and  a  domestic  platform  get  rid  of  “four  c’s”:  controls,  confusion,    corruption,  communism  

*  Methods  of  campaigning  included:  speeches,  radio,  advertisements,  newspapers,  editorials,  television  (first  time),  stumping  (traveling  speeches),  and  whistle-‐stop  tours  (speech  from  back  of  train)    

The  Election  of  1948  

OUTCOME  *  Every  prediction  that  was  made  said  that  Dewey  would  win  the  election  *  Truman  won  a  surprise  victory  *  Considered  the  greatest  upset  of  any    presidential  

election  *  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIhvQS-‐tUWA    

The  Election  of  1948  

WHY  TRUMAN  WON  *  Truman  had  been  good  leader  at  the  end  of  WWII    *  Decision  to  drop  atomic  bomb  *  Took  civil  rights  initiatives    

*  Democrats  used  FDR’s  presidency  to  build  party  organization  *  Paid  voters  with  government  money  *  Dewey  had  a  poor  campaign  *  Not  very  active  because  he  thought  he  was  guaranteed  victory  *  Speeches  were  bland  and  he  was  careful  not  to  offend  anyone  

*  Truman’s  campaign  was  very  strong  nearing  the  election  *  Whistle-‐stop  campaigns  gained  him  many  votes  from  undecided  *  Blamed  “do-‐nothing”  Congress  for  previous  problems  and  promised  

change  *  Important  states  (Ohio,  California,  and  Illinois)  supported  Truman  

The  Election  of  1948  

IMPACT  *  Truman  introduces  “Fair  Deal”  to  try  to  continue  some  of  FDR’s  successful  New  Deal  Policies  *  Passed  the  22nd  amendment  *  In  1950  midterm  elections,  the  Democratic  party  regained  control  of  both  houses  of  Congress  *  Confirmed  the  nations  majority  party  *  Allowed  Truman  to  pass  laws  to  aid  civil  rights  and  

changed  foreign  policy  with  the  Soviet  Union  (Truman  Doctrine)  

The  Election  of  1948  

*  "G.I.  Bill."  History.com.  A&E  Television  Networks,  n.d.  Web.  24  Mar.  2015.  .  

*  "Education  and  Training."  History  and  Timeline  -‐.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  30  Mar.  2015.  .  

*  Santoni,  G.J.  "100:  Economic  Growth;  Development;  Planning;  Fluctuations."Journal  of  Economic  Literature  25.3  (1987):  1541-‐549.  Web.  2  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  "Employment  Act  Of  1946  Definition  |  Investopedia."  Investopedia.  N.p.,  28  May  2007.  Web.  2  Apr.  2015.    

*  Steelman,  Aaron.  "Employment  Act  of  1946  -‐  A  Detailed  Essay  on  an  Important  Event  in  the  History  of  the  Federal  Reserve."  Employment  Act  of  1946  -‐  A  Detailed  Essay  on  an  Important  Event  in  the  History  of  the  Federal  Reserve.  N.p.,  22  Nov.  2013.  Web.  2  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  "Taft-‐Hartley  Act  of  1947."  Taft-‐Hartley  Act  of  1947.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  3  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  Reese,  Holly  A.  "Taft-‐Hartley  Act  (1947)."  Encyclopedia.com.  HighBeam  Research,  01  Jan.  2004.  Web.  3  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  Goodman,  Bonnie  K.  "1948."  Presidential  Campaigns  Elections  Reference.  N.p.,  05  July  2011.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  https://presidentialcampaignselectionsreference.wordpress.com/overviews/20th-‐century/1948-‐overview/  

*  "1948  Presidential  Election."  Presidential  Election  of  1948.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  "Truman  Defeats  Dewey."  History.com.  A&E  Television  Networks,  n.d.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  "The  Election  of  1948  -‐  Boundless  Open  Textbook."  Boundless.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  .  

*  "Miller  Center."  -‐.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  .  *  "TRUMAN  WINS  IN  UPSET  1948."  YouTube.  YouTube,  n.d.  Web.  4  Apr.  2015.  .  

Citations