During his eight years in the White House, President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969; see entry in volume 4) presided over an America that was experiencing a postwar economic boom. In the years following World War II (1939-45), jobs were plentiful, many new homes and roads were constructed, and confidence in the American system was high. There were profound concerns as well: Americans were disturbed by communist values abroad and the threat of nuclear war. (Communists believe that private property should be banned and goods distributed by a central government should be available for all according to their needs.) At home, racial inequalities continued to challenge American ideals.

President Eisenhower was a popular president who could have bid a fond farewell to the nation and rested on his high public rating. Instead, he used the occasion of his farewell address...