President Eisenhower's Response to McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, and Welfare ProgramsDwight David Eisenhower served as President of the United States of America for eight years between 1953 and 1961. It was eight incredible years that gave birth to a New World. The era of Eisenhower's presidency is identified by many Americans as a period of calm. Americans were content and the seasons were good because they no longer worried about the great crash or depression. Families bought their homes in the suburbs. During these periods, other things happened dramatically. International affairs, particularly the Cold War, threatened to spark another world war. Technology has advanced in ways never imagined before. Many other benefits were experienced during this time. Yet Eisenhower did not find the presidency easy as he faced many questions of considerable gravity. Some of these issues include McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and welfare programs. This essay discusses President Eisenhower's response to McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and welfare programs. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was one of Eisenhower's toughest problems. McCarthy had been making headlines since 1950 for his accusations against communist spies. Republicans had benefited from McCarthy's accusations that Truman had a weakness for communist movements. McCarthy continued his accusations even after Eisenhower took power. He even suggested that the president's nominees for ambassadorships were not loyal. McCarthy could not be convinced by his fellow senators, even from the Republican Party, to stop his attacks on the Republican administration...... middle of paper ...... social programs that previously existed. He was a big supporter of policies and programs aimed at helping those at the bottom of the economic ladder who need help. He created the Ministry of Education, Health and Welfare and authorized the government to subsidize farmers to allow prices of agricultural products to be high. He also expanded Social Security to benefit more Americans, including the unemployed and the elderly. Eisenhower also injected federal dollars into the Federal Housing Administration to enable Americans to purchase new homes (Kennedy, Cohen, and Thomas, 955). Works Cited David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Bailey. The American Pageant, Volume 2: Since 1865. New York: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Soames, John Ashley. A history of the world from the 20th to the 21st century. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.