Truman ordered equal treatment in the armed forces in 1948, an important step toward military desegregation. He also endorsed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their human cost weighs heavily; claims that they were necessary remain debated.

He outranks Jefferson for moving federal policy toward racial equality. Eisenhower’s handling of the Korean armistice gives the next president the edge on crisis restraint. Decisiveness alone cannot settle this comparison.

Sources: National Archives · Miller Center · Term dates.

Image: Unknown photographer / NARA · Public domain. Resized and JPEG compressed.