In the spring of 1948, Truman's public approval rating stood at 36%. General Dwight D. Eisenhower - wildly popular after serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War II - emphatically refused to accept the Democrat's pleas to run for President. (Eisenhower - who kept his political views and party affiliation unknown - went on to take the post as President of Columbia University, and was elected - with back-to-back landslides - as President, on the Republican line, in 1952 and 1956)
The Democrats were totally dispirited as they gathered - in tropical heat - at their National Convention in Philadelphia. Having backed a progressive civil rights platform (the heroic speech by then Mayor of Minneapolis/later United States Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey led to a walkout of Alabama and Mississippi delegates), Truman dispelled the gloom with a firebrand acceptance speech - given in the wee hours of the morning - that went after the "Do Nothing" Republican-majority 80th Congress, promising to win the election and "Make these Republicans like it."
With the South marching out on the right - and former VP Henry Wallace running to his left - Truman issued an Executive Order racially integrating the Armed Services and embarked upon a remarkable 21,928 mile Presidential odyssey - an unprecedented personal appeal to the nation.
His "Give 'Em Hell" approach - with Presidential Train rail stops at town squares and cities - drew 500,000 at 6 stops in Michigan and over 1 million in New York (along with a ticker-tape parade).
The national press corps missed the story entirely. Polling techniques were inadequate - pollsters did their data collection/analysis too many weeks (in some cases, even 2 months) in advance of the election. In yet another miracle - and a stunning electoral vote upset - the results : Truman 303, Dewey 189, "Dixiecrats" 39.
In his second term, Truman faced up to such international issues as Korea, China, turmoil in Pakistan's creation/partition from India and situations in Indochina. Domestic matters included the stirring of anti-Communist "witch hunts", full renovations throughout the White House (Truman,wife Bess and daughter Margaret moved out for years) an assassination attempt (Truman was unharmed), labour unrest that resulted in strikes and the beginnings of a meaningful civil rights agenda.
Truman could have tried for a third term (second elected) in 1952, but he decided not to run. (He would have been the last President in history to serve a third term, as the Republicans passed a "lame duck" amendment - following FDR's demise - that limited all future Presidents to two terms. As President at the time the amendment was enacted, Truman was exempted from its restriction.) He went on to open theTruman Library in his home town of Independence, Missouri, wrote his very well received memoirs, was a sensation on a British/European tour (where he was awarded an Honourary Degree in Civic Law at Oxford) and met - once again - with old friend Winston Churchill.
The years have been extremely kind to President Truman's legacy. By the time of his passing (at 88 - 26/12/72) - given his huge list of accomplishments - he had come to be considered as one of the few truly great Presidents in American history.