Monday, October 15, 2007

Dwight Eisenhower, Republican Civil Rights Hero

I would just like to let my readers know that yesterday was Dwight David Eisenhower's (A.K.A. Ike) birthday. He was born on October 14, 1890. I found this post over at Grand Old Partisan.

  • Dwight Eisenhower, Republican civil rights hero
    Grand Old Partisan salutes Dwight Eisenhower, born this day in Denison TX in 1890. The title of his autobiography, Crusade in Europe, summed up nicely the actions of the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Interestingly, he got the job after the general who had been slated for it, Frank Andrews (for whom Andrews Air Force Base is named), died in an air crash in Iceland.
    Though Democrat leaders offered him their party's presidential nomination in 1952, Eisenhower declared himself a Republican and contested for the GOP nomination. Resigning from the army in order to run was, he said, one of the most difficult things he ever did. He accepted Richard Nixon as his running mate in order to reach out to the Republican establishment.
    The Republican Party does not give enough credit to President Eisenhower for his civil rights achievements. He appointed Herbert Brownwell, who would write the 1957 Civil Rights Act, to be Attorney General. He appointed fellow Republican Earl Warren, who would write the Brown v. Board of Education decision, to be Chief Justice. The day after that decision, he ordered public schools in Washington, DC desegregated immediately, not waiting for judges to make "all deliberate speed." He sent troops to Little Rock to force the Democrat governor to obey a federal court order to integrate the public schools. He appointed to the federal bench southern Republicans such as Frank Johnson and Elbert Tuttle, who would be civil rights champions.
    Dwight Eisenhower's last word were "I'm ready to go. God take me."

Yes, kiddos, there was a Republican President before Ronald Reagan was President. Actually, there were quite a few. And many of them did quite good for this country. I really encourage my readers learn about Republicans like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Also check out Grand Old Partisan, make it part of your everyday read or at least every other day, if you are interested in how the true story of how the Republican Party has been involved in Civil Rights.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

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