The Truman presidency was marked by several major world changing events. A visit to the Truman Presidential Library in Independence Missouri offers an opportunity to view the rise of this uncommon "common" man from a small town to leader of the most powerful nation of the mid-twentieth century.
Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was born 8 May, 1884 in Missouri. He was vice president under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and became the 33rd US president when Roosevelt died after less than three months into his last term.
After growing up on the family farm in Independence Missouri, he worked at several jobs before serving in WWI at age 33. He returned to marry Elizabeth Wallace in 1919. They had one daughter, Margaret.
After entering local politics, he became a U S Senator, the vice president and president. He ran for office and famously defeated the expected winner, Republican John Dewey.
The Library and Museum contains a number of papers and artifacts providing the backdrop to his career and the major events that marked his presidency. He will perhaps be best known for his much examined decision to drop the first and second atomic bombs, linked to the ending of the war against Japan in 1945.
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| President Truman's Famous Desk Sign The Buck Stops Here |
Some thoughts and notes on visiting
The introductory film is somewhat interesting and set in a large comfortable theater; however, it was very blurry, which may be due to the need to focus so check before sitting down.
The museum includes many storyboards, which include newspaper headlines and some artifacts. Scheduling your visit could depend on how much time you wish to spend reading. If you have read a biography and know the major events of US and world history during the Roosevelt and Truman years then, there will not be a lot of additional information in the major narrative.
The lighting in some parts is too low to read some displays.
Parking was not a problem when we visited in June, 2017.
The facility and the restrooms were clean.
There is an entry fee, which is good for two days. For us, a half-day was enough.
See the website for more details. https://www.trumanlibrary.org/
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