Childhood Home Located in Lamar, Missouri Depicts Insights Of Our 33rd President
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, said "There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know." History is important to avoid mistakes of the past, of course, but also to honor the past and the people that had significant influence on the way the world is today. One of these influential people in history is President Truman, a proud son of the state of Missouri. His birthplace is in Lamar, Missouri and the home is a Historic State Park Site.
"Though Harry only spent the first 11 months of his life here, he always had a connection with it," says Beth Bazal, Historical Site Specialist for Harry Truman Birthplace Memorial. Her evidence to support that is when he became Vice-President under Franklin Delano Roosevelt; he chose Lamar as the place to give his acceptance speech in 1944, as well as returning in 1959 to dedicate the home as his birthplace.
Lamar is currently a town of about 4,500; however it had a population of 700 when Truman was born. "We know that Harry's father had a horse and mule trading business and we think it did well," Bazal says. The old depot is really close to the Truman home and in order to walk to the downtown area, one would have had to walk right by the house.
The house is setup to mimic what life was like in the 1880s when Truman was here. "School kids really get a kick out of it," Bazal chuckles, "they ask 'where's the TV? Where's the microwave?'" She says this is a good way to get them to tell the difference between then and now. Back then, of course, there was no running water or electricity. The furniture in the building is from the 1880s, gifted to the home in the 50s. Bazal says Harry Truman first signed the register book and, illustrating his sense of humor, he wrote, "retired farmer," and this was well after he was president.
The significance of the house is made clear by the accomplishments of Harry Truman. He never graduated from college, grew up middle class, and right after he graduated from high school he entered WWI. He moved quickly through the ranks and became a Captain, a testament to his leadership skills. After WWI, Truman became a county judge in Jackson County, near Kansas City, and a farmer, a fact he was very proud of. He then became a State Senator and a US Senator. After this, he was appointed Vice President of the United States under FDR.
The most significant contribution Harry Truman had to the world was making the call to drop two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II. Oddly enough, Truman had no idea that the Manhattan Project existed when he was Vice President and only learned of the Atomic Bomb's existence after taking over the presidency 82 days after the election because of FDR's death. "He only met FDR a few times throughout his Vice Presidency," Bazal explains. Making the call to drop the bombs was certainly a hard one for someone like Truman, "a humble and straightforward man," but throughout the years the birthplace has been open, they receive many World War II American and foreign veterans as visitors. "They come to honor Harry," Bazal explains, "according to them, Harry saved their lives." She explains that the war would have continued for longer, as the Americans pleaded with the Japanese to surrender before the dropping of the bombs, and would have resulted in countless more deaths on both sides.
Another notable contribution to the world is the implementation of the United Nations. The United Nations had its seed planted with Woodrow Wilson after the World War I with the League of Nations, although the United States didn’t join it due to the isolationist attitude in the US. Near the end of the Second World War, on August 8, 1945, Truman gave the go ahead to drop the second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki. On that same day of devastation, he signed the charter for the United Nations; a step that Americans, as well as others around the world hoped would signal world peace.
Truman had a significant influence on the lives of Americans and helped shape the world as it is today. After his final term as president, at approval ratings one of the lowest for any president, he returned to Independence, Missouri where he lived the rest of his days. Though he is honored in all of Missouri, and now seen as one of the greatest modern presidents, he is most honored in the home Lamar. “There is a little gift shop, personal guided tours, and the house as it was when Harry was here,” Bazal says. To foreigners and Americans alike, it is a place to reflect on Harry Truman’s decisive contributions to the world as it is today.
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Stay At: