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Eisenhower Anti Intellectualism

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November 8, 2016. As the clock ticked from day to dust, the American population sat down to the conclusion of the forty fifth presidential election. Within moments, the fate of the nation was broadcasted into the homes and hearts of millions. For the some, the results of the election bought upon a sense of joy and excitement. However, for the other half of America’s citizens, hearing the call for Trump to presidency emitted feelings of sadness, disappointment, and above all else, confusion. How did a multi-billionaire businessman defeat a former First Lady of the United States and Secretary of State to become the president on the United States? In fact, how did a man of such little constitutional knowledge obtain the amount of political attention …show more content…

During his time in the national limelight, Eisenhower advocated himself in the image of an anti-intellectual. In spirits of anti-intellectualism, Eisenhower often was shown exhibiting a practical and straightforward demeanor as opposed to his elitist counterparts. The portrayal of his sensible and pragmatic appearance came to be through the use of his plain-spoken rhetoric. In addition to Eisenhower’s distaste for the sophisticated, academics and intellectuals fell victim to Eisenhower’s despise. In fact, the former presidential elect went as far as defining an intellectual as “a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.” The declaration of the Eisenhower campaign bought forth a man and his skepticism to show to the world of …show more content…

In the fall of 1951, America saw Ike and his opponent, Adlai Stevenson II battle for the title of president. Although the two shared a similar dream, the nominees had little to none in common. Stevenson, on one hand, bought forth elegant, thought-compelling arguments with each breathe he took. However, Eisenhower was noted for stressing his likeness to the common man. Undoubtedly, Stevenson found embrace in the support of intellectuals and academic nobles. Stevenson vow to encourage political discourse himself earned a respected and committed following. Nevertheless, with Eisenhower’s appeal to the average citizen and embracement of normalcy, the 1952 and 1956 election resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Republican nominee.
As Eisenhower entered into presidency, so did his disdain for intellectualism in American politics. During his eight-year term, Eisenhower aimed at creating a plebiscitary democracy. Much of the Eisenhower administration fell to victim to erasing the notion which states only the elite belong in the government. By adopting a series of characteristic traits with complimented his anti-intellectualism lifestyle, the man transformed into the social incompetent. Yet, by exceeding tremendously low expectations as set by his anti-intellectualism demeanor, Eisenhower obtained political

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