Dwight Eisenhower’s rivals painted him as old and boring, and the quiet, steady nature of the Kansas war hero turned commander-in-chief did little to rebut that. But from ending the Korean War to facing off with the Soviets, from confronting McCarthyism to advancing civil rights, Ike’s achievements and influence in the White House were far-reaching. Today's historians give him his due, ranking him in a 2017 survey as America’s fifth-greatest president.

University of Virginia historian William I. Hitchcock examines that legacy in a discussion of his book The Age of Eisenhower: America and the World in the 1950s. The presentation—in partnership with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home—launches a series of events coinciding with the exhibit Eisenhower’s Middle Road on display at the Central Library. All are made possible by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

For presentation slides, click here.