Born: May 8, 1884, Lamar, Missouri
Presidential Term: 1945-1953
Three Interesting Facts (trumanlittlewhitehouse.org):
He read every book in the Independence, Missouri, library.
He loved to play the piano.
He had no middle name, just an initial. The "S" honored both of his grandfathers, as both had names that began with "S."
Died: December 26, 1972, Kansas City, Missouri
Harry S. Truman
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One of the most popular series ever published for young Americans, these classics have been praised alike by parents, teachers, and librarians. With these lively, inspiring, fictionalized biographies -- easily read by children of eight and up -- today's youngster is swept right into history.
Harry S. Truman
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This biography introduces readers to Harry S. Truman, including his military service, early political career, and key events from Truman's administration including World War II, the Cold War, the Marshall Plan, and the Korean War. Information about his childhood, family, personal life, and retirement years is included. A timeline, fast facts, and sidebars provide additional information. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Big Buddy Books is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.
Historic Photos of Harry S. Truman
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Historic Photos of Harry S. Truman illustrates the life of one of the least complex and most transparent of our American presidents. As he said, "I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell." The dozens of photos in this book follow Truman's life of preparing, however unknowingly, to step into the rather large shoes of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The emerging theme of his life underscores the value of human interaction--his was a life spent building social networks. Whether it be business clubs, the Masons, or the military, Truman made loyal friends and powerful allies. Through these interactions, he learned to listen and to lead. With facts and quotations from newspaper accounts, interviews, and diary entries, the captions in Historic Photos of Harry S. Truman help make his life and career come alive on the book's pages.
Explore a large assortment of resources designed for K-5 students to help them learn about Harry S. Truman. Explora - Elementary contains relevant articles from children's magazines and reference materials about the president.
Note: Articles can be translated into over 130 language for ESL students. When accessing articles, select Online Full Text versions rather than PDF versions when available to utilize the translation feature. Open the Online Full Text version of the article, and then click the globe icon in the top right corner to access the translation feature.
Discover a large collection of ebooks, articles, and reference materials all about Harry S. Truman, perfect for middle and high school students. Below is a sample of available titles.
Note: Articles can be translated into over 130 language for ESL students. When accessing articles, select Online Full Text versions rather than PDF versions when available to utilize the translation feature. Open the Online Full Text version of the article, and then click the globe icon in the top right corner to access the translation feature.
Dear Harry, Love Bess
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One evening in 1955, Harry Truman came home to find Bess burning her letters to him. ''What are you doing? Think of history,'' he said. ''Oh, I have,'' she said and tossed in another stack. Bess Truman thought her business was hers and nobody else's, so she destroyed her half of the more than 2,600 letters she and Harry exchanged during their courtship and marriage. While making an inventory of the Truman home in the 1980s, archivists discovered 184 letters Bess had missed. Her grandson Clifton Truman Daniel shares them here, along with portions of Harry's responses, family photographs, and stories. These letters provide new insight into the lives and personalities of Bess and Harry Truman during the formative years of his political life. Despite Bess's shy and self-effacing manner, her lively correspondence offers a glimpse of a caring and witty woman who shared her concerns about family, politics, and day-to-day activities with her husband.
Harry S. Truman and the Cold War Revisionists
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The idea of revising what is known of the past constitutes an essential procedure in historical scholarship, but revisionists are often hasty and argumentative in their judgments. Such, argues Robert H. Ferrell, has been the case with assessments of the presidency of Harry S. Truman, who was targeted by historians and political scientists in the 1960s and '70s for numerous failings in both domestic and foreign policy, including launching the cold war--perceptions that persist to the present day. Widely acknowledged as today's foremost Truman scholar, Ferrell turns the tables on the revisionists in this collection of classic essays. He goes below the surface appearances of history to examine how situations actually developed and how Truman performed sensibly--even courageously--in the face of unforeseen crises. While some revisionists see Truman as consumed by a blind hatred of the Soviet Union and adopting an unrestrainedly militant stance, Ferrell convincingly shows that Truman wished to get along with the Soviets and was often bewildered by their actions. He interprets policies such as the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and support for NATO as prudent responses to perceived threats and credits the Truman administration for the ways in which it dealt with unprecedented problems. What emerges most vividly from Ferrell's essays is a sense of how weak a hand the United States held from 1945 to1950, with its conventional forces depleted by the return of veterans to civil pursuits after the war and with its capacity for delivery of nuclear weapons in a sorry state. He shows that Truman regarded the atomic bomb as a weapon of last resort, not an instrument of policy, and that he took America into a war in Korea for the good of the United States and its allies. Although Truman has been vindicated on many of these issues, there still remains a lingering controversy over the use of atomic weapons in Japan--a decision that Ferrell argues is understandable in light of what Truman faced at the start of his presidency. Ferrell argues that the revisionists who attacked Truman understood neither the times nor the man--one of the most clearheaded, farsighted presidents ever to occupy the Oval Office. Harry S. Truman and the Cold War Revisionists shows us that Truman's was indeed a remarkable presidency, as it cautions historians against too quickly appraising the very recent past.
Presidential Leadership
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Ever since the presidency of Richard M. Nixon, scholars have been in a quandary over how much they really know about our country's presidents. Nixon, as is now understood, was unstable in personality. The signs appeared well before the discovery of the infamous Watergate tapes, an appalling example of what the presidency could come to. Many Americans have difficulty penetrating the public persona of their leaders. But to know the private side of such figures--the cores of their being--is important, because this side often governs what they do publicly. In Presidential Leadership, Robert H. Ferrell examines four sometimes maligned, sometimes misunderstood presidents: Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Harry S. Truman. Along with these portraits, Ferrell incorporates comments on Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as key figures in each president's administration. Also included in this volume is historian John A. Garraty's interview with Ferrell on American foreign policy from 1919 to 1945. As is his style, Ferrell draws from many sources previously untapped. In the case of Wilson, Ferrell relies on the diary of Colonel Edward M. House, who served under Wilson during his presidency. Ferrell uses White House physician Joel T. Boone's diary to provide an insider's look at Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. In dealing with these presidents, Ferrell debunks long-held myths and approaches the presidencies with fresh insights into what drove them to make the decisions they made. Throughout the book, Ferrell emphasizes the personal styles of each president. He not only shows how they made their own determinations but also evaluates those whom they appointed to important positions. Scholars of American history will welcome this insightful look at the men who saw the United States through the first half of the twentieth century.
Read or listen to reference entries about Harry S. Truman, plus see the correlated Missouri Learning Standards for each article. Also, browse art featuring the president. Select articles from World Book Kids for students in grades K-5, World Book Student for students in grades 6-12, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos for students in grades K-5.
Explore Harry S. Truman's timeline from his birth through his death in World Book Timelines.
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Harry S. Truman
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The United States president preserves, protects, and defends the U.S. Constitution. Each president's term influences events in America and around the world for years to come. This biography introduces young readers to the life of Harry S. Truman, beginning with his childhood in Lamar, Missouri. Information about Truman's education at the Kansas City Law School and his early career as a businessman is discussed. In addition, his family and personal life, as well as his retirement years in Independence, Missouri, are highlighted. Easy-to-read text details Truman's military service during World War I and his political career as a Jackson County judge, presiding judge of the Jackson County Court, a U.S. senator, and vice president. Finally, students will explore key events from Democratic president Truman's administration, including dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Japan, and Nagasaki, Japan, the formation of the United Nations and NATO, the beginning of the Cold War, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, and passage of the Twenty-second Amendment, the Taft-Hartley Act, and the Presidential Succession Act. Beautiful graphics showcase the primary source documents and photographs. A timeline, fast facts, and sidebars help put essential information at students' fingertips. In addition, a quick-reference chart provides easy access to facts about every U.S. president. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.
Harry S. Truman
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When Harry S. Truman became president in 1945, he faced tough decisions. He needed to bring an end to one of the deadliest wars in history--but how? In this fascinating introduction, young readers will learn about Truman's early life, his achievements as president, as well as the many ways he is remembered today. Each 24-page book in this series features controlled text with age-appropriate vocabulary and simple sentence construction. The lively text, colorful design, and rich photos and illustrations are sure to capture the interest of emergent readers.
Harry S. Truman
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Presents a biography of Harry S. Truman