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VISUAL ACTIVITYTruman’s 1948 Victory Although large crowds turned out for Truman’s coast-to-coast “whistle-stop” campaign, most experts thought he had little chance to win the election, given the defections from his party on both the left and right. Polls predicted that Dewey would win about 50 percent of the popular vote and Truman around 45 percent, but the last one was taken two weeks before election day.READING THE IMAGE: The Chicago Daily Tribune was one of Truman’s harshest critics, but its incorrect headline resulted primarily from a printers’ strike that required it to go to press earlier than normal. Truman retorted, “Ain’t the way I heard it,” and here gloats over the error before a crowd of supporters. What made the victory especially satisfying?CONNECTIONS: Truman was under attack by Republicans and could not get his Fair Deal through Congress. Why do you think Americans responded so well to his campaign? In what ways have presidential campaigns changed since Truman’s time?
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