How Eisenhower's First 100 Days Created the Religious Right

When he ran for the White House in 1952, Eisenhower sounded the call for America's religious reawakening. In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, he announced that the coming campaign would be nothing less than a "great crusade for freedom." Reverend Billy Graham, a close friend of Eisenhower's, met with him often to provide spiritual guidance and suggestions for specific passages of Scripture the candidate could sprinkle through his speeches. When Ike won election by a wide margin, he interpreted the results as a mandate for a national religious revival. "I think one of the reasons I was elected was to help lead this country spiritually," he told Graham. "We need a spiritual renewal."