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New Exhibition at Truman Presidential Library & Museum Transports Visitors to Most Stunning Election

“UPSET! Harry Truman and the 1948 Election” Opens May 30

INDEPENDENCE, MO (May 15, 2024) – A new temporary exhibition, UPSET! Harry Truman and the 1948 Election, allows visitors to travel back in time to see how the most stunning surprise in U.S. presidential election history came about. The exhibit, which includes more than 100 artifacts, original political cartoons, interactive displays, diary entries, photographs and videos, is open May 30 until Feb. 1, 2025 at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence, MO.

 

“Harry Truman had been written off by pollsters, by most of the press, and even by members of his own staff. The large crowds that came out to see him during his 1948 Whistle Stop campaign were explained away as curiosity-seekers hoping to catch a last glimpse of the outgoing President,” said Kurt Graham, Director of the Truman Library. “But Harry Truman believed in himself and pulled off the election surprise of the century, winning by a comfortable margin.”

 

The new exhibition takes Truman Library guests behind the scenes of the Whistle Stop campaign with diary entries from daughter Margaret Truman, stories from staff and spectators, and rarely seen artifacts including gifts from supporters. At one low point in the campaign, the train was halted until fundraisers could secure enough donations to get it moving again. 


Other features of the exhibition include:


  • Political cartoons, including more than 20 originals, that trace the highs and lows of the Truman Presidency and the campaign against New York Governor Thomas Dewey.
  • More than 20 campaign buttons promoting Truman, Dewey and third-party candidates such as Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond and Progressive Henry Wallace.
  • Videos that highlight the beleaguered Truman facing a myriad of economic and political challenges, the confidence of the Republicans, the dysfunction of the Democratic National Convention, the distinctly different campaign speaking styles of the two leading candidates, and the celebration after Truman’s surprise victory.
  • Engaging interactives including a massive U.S. map showing the routes of the Whistle Stop campaign, a coloring table for children, and a voting booth.

 

“This gallery is a bit like walking into a time capsule of the post-war 1940s, when America was at peace, the economy was booming, but the nation and the world were in the midst of extraordinary change,” said Mark Adams, Museum Curator of the Truman Library. “Inflation was spiraling, housing was hard to find and peace seemed tenuous.”

 

President Truman had proposed solutions, but a Republican-led Congress rejected many of his ideas. So he campaigned primarily against what he called the “Do-Nothing Congress” rather than his Republican opponent, and it worked.

 

Adams says the campaign offers lessons for today’s campaigns: “Never give up, know your audience, and get your voters to cast ballots.”


The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m – 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 – 5 p.m. Museum admission is $12. Discounts are available for seniors, students and veterans. Admission is free for Truman Library Institute members and children 12 and younger.


As a 2024 Blue Star Museum, the Truman Library is proud to offer free admission to military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

EXHIBIT MEDIA KIT

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Dean Davison | 816.787.2886

Davison Strategic Communications

EXHIBITION AREAS

THE BELEAGURED PRESIDENT

Following the successful conclusion of the Second World War, Harry Truman and the Democrats gradually suffered political setbacks as the nation converted from wartime back to a peacetime footing. In the 1946 mid-term elections, Republicans broke the 14-year Democratic control of the House and Senate and hindered much of Truman’s domestic agenda. As Truman’s popularity fell, Republicans sensed they could reclaim the White House in 1948.

I’M JUST MILD ABOUT HARRY

After enjoying a brief initial honeymoon at the end of the Second World War, Harry Truman quickly became a lightning rod for criticism of both his international and domestic policies. Many political cartoonists found creative ways to lambast the President in caricature.

REPUBLICAN CONFIDENCE

Having regained control of Congress in the mid-term elections of 1946, and with the cratering popularity of the incumbent Democratic President, Republicans were confident of capturing the White House in 1948. At their convention in Philadelphia, following a brief struggle between the moderate and more conservative factions, the party nominated moderate New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey to be their standard bearer. Having lost the Presidency to Franklin D. Roosevelt four years earlier, Dewey was optimistic that he could win the second time around.

DEMOCRATS IN TURMOIL

The 1948 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia reluctantly re-nominated Harry Truman, but at a price. Objecting to the party’s progressive civil rights platform, conservative southern Democrats bolted from the convention and formed the State’s Rights Party with J. Strom Thurmond as a candidate to rival Truman. On the left, more Democrats abandoned the party to support the campaign of Progressive Party candidate, former Vice President Henry Wallace. With the Democrats in disarray, Truman’s prospects for election were dim, as almost all of the nation’s pollsters confirmed.

WHISTLE STOP

Starting in June—prior to his nomination—Harry Truman began campaigning around the country by train, eventually traveling to all parts of the country except the Deep South and far northern plains states. His message was simple: attack the “80th do-nothing Congress,” and explain to average Americans why the policies of the Democrats benefited them.

VINDICATION

With his election victory, Harry Truman was vindicated, and he entered his new term in office with confidence, optimism, and renewed popularity. In carrying with him new Democratic majorities in Congress, he hoped—but would later be largely disappointed—to push his initiatives through the legislative process.  

ABOUT

Established in 1957, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum preserves and provides access to President Truman’s historical materials. Through engaging exhibits and programs, the Library aspires to reach a broad and diverse audience to keep President Truman’s life and legacy alive, emphasizing his ideals of citizenship, learning, and service. It is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration and its Director is Dr. Kurt Graham.


Funding for UPSET! is provided by the Truman Library Institute, the member-supported, nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum. Founded by President Truman to ensure that his presidential library flourish as a "classroom for democracy," the Truman Library Institute draws on President Truman’s legacy to enrich the public understanding of history, the presidency, and America’s unique form of government. This mission is achieved through the development and funding of world-class museum exhibits, a robust international research grant program, public forums, and nationally acclaimed education programs serving tens of thousands of students and educators each year.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dean Davison | 816.787.2886

Davison Strategic Communications

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