"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." - Harry S. Truman
An overview:
President Truman played a leading role in transitioning the nation from wartime, introducing more rigorous civil rights support, and continuing to uphold the New Deal. His efforts are often overlooked due to the difficult transition time and the fact that he was promoted to president only after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but his accomplishments suggest otherwise. Truman not only maintained the New Deal, but expanded on it with his Fair Deal policies and introduced several new reforms in welfare. His open support of civil rights put the issue in the spotlight and paved the way for continuous change in the coming decades. The way in which he transitioned from war time to peace time by gradually lessening government control saved the economy from collapsing, and he was able to diffuse and tense labor situations that extended government involvement caused. Overall, President Truman succeeded in helping to develop a new, post war United States while preparing the nation for many changes in the decades ahead.