First nationally televised presidential debate in the U.S. - November 4, 1956

On this day in 1956, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator Margaret Chase Smith debated each other in the first nationally televised presidential debate in the U.S. 

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Welcome back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening
to This Day in History Class, a show where we
peel back a new layer of history every day. Today
is November four, nineteen. The day was November four, nineteen

(00:25):
fifty six. The first nationally televised presidential debate in the
US aired, when former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator
Margaret Chase Smith debated each other, acting as surrogates for
a Democratic candidate at Ly Stevenson and Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Former Illinois Governor at Ly Stevenson challenged Eisenhower, who was

(00:47):
running for a second term, to a televised debate, but
Eisenhower refused. His administration decided that it would be better
for surrogates to debate each other on policy, so at
Eisenhower's gestion, the Women's division of the Republican National Committee
chose Margaret Chase Smith, the senior Senator from Maine. In

(01:08):
nineteen fifty Smith gave a notable speech that criticized McCarthyism
and the actions of the House An American Activities Committee.
The Democrats chose former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to go
up against Smith. At first, Smith refused, she thought that
her public speaking abilities were no match for Roosevelt's skill
and knowledge, but Eisenhower convinced her to accept the debate,

(01:31):
and she began preparing meticulously for the event. Her appearance
also figured into her preparation for the debate, which she
figured would be important since they would be on TV.
She decided to be in contrast with Roosevelt's quote partisan
manner and quote top heavy appearance, so part of her
strategy was to wear a simple dark dress and answer

(01:53):
questions briefly and slowly in an even tone. When the
debate aired on CBS, IS faced the nation two days
before the elect and it was the first time women
were ever guests on the show. For thirty minutes, Roosevelt
and Smith answered questions posed by a panel of reporters.
Much of the debate was geared toward foreign policy, which

(02:13):
Roosevelt had an advantage in as former First Lady and
Ambassador to the United Nations, but Smith had also served
on the House Armed Services Committee. Smith later wrote, Mrs
Roosevelt was caught by surprise as I refrained from tangling
with her. The more that I spoke softly and smiled faintly,
and the less I said in reply, the more Mrs

(02:33):
Roosevelt seemed to be put off balance, and this made
her talk more. Either way, Roosevelt dominated the debate with
her long explanations, while Smith kept her answers brief. As planned.
Smith had previously requested to read a two minute closing argument,
anticipating a strong performance from Roosevelt, and the moderators agreed.

(02:54):
In her closing statement, Smith was more a motive and
less restrained that she had been in the rest of
the debate. Roosevelt didn't care for this shift in demeanor
and didn't shake hands with Smith after the debate. Public
reactions to the debate ran the gamut, and it's not
clear what effect the debate had on voters, but Eisenhower
won the election by a landslide. At the nineteen Republican convention,

(03:18):
Smith became the first woman to have her name entered
into nomination at a major party's convention. I'm Eve steff Code,
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. No any fellow history buffs who
would enjoy the show, you can share it with them.
We're on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i

(03:38):
h C podcast. Our email address is this day at
i heart media dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll see
you here again tomorrow with another episode. For more podcasts
from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or where every listen to your favorite shows.