General Douglas Macarthur's Farewell Address to Congress

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Introduction General Douglas Macarthur was one of the most well known military figures in the history of the United States. He gave his farewell speech to congress on 19th April 1951 and went into retirement after 52 years of service in the United States army. He was given the chance to address his final message to the US government. This analysis carefully examines his ethics, goals, strategies, strengths and weaknesses. The speech is very famous and highly popular among the American audience. Therefore, we will take into account all factors to critically evaluate the speech and find out what makes it important. Historical Background Douglas Macarthur was born on 26th January 1880, in Little Rock, Arkansas to General Arthur Macarthur and wife, Mary Pinckney Hardy. Like his father, he decided to pursue a military career and entered the army. He went to West Point Military Academy and graduated as a valedictorian in 1903. He began his career as an engineering officer in the army but climbed through the ranks and became a General. He was also nominated and given several honors and awards throughout his lifetime. He was known to be aggressive, radical and brave, which led him to make some decisions that were not generally approved (McCullough). Early in his career, Douglas Macarthur was sent to the Philippines and Panama, and was promoted to the position of first lieutenant. In 1906, he joined his father and served under President Theodore Roosevelt. Later, he joined the mission of US occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. In World War 1, he prevailed as the commander of 42nd Division and by the end of the war, he was promoted to brigadier general. From 1919 to 1922, he became the youngest superintendent for West Point Military Aca... ... middle of paper ... ...Mayo, Wayland. “B-29s over Korea. 601 Media, 02/Apr/2010.” Web. 20 Apr 2010. . Perret, Geoffrey (1996), “Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life of Douglas MacArthur.” New York: Random House, Schaller, Michael. "Douglas Macarthur." American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press, 2009. Web. . Simkin, John T. "Douglas Macarthur." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr 2010. . Schaller, Michael. “Douglas MacArthur: The Far Eastern General.” Oxford University Press, 1989. Unknown, “Douglas MacArthur. American Decades.” Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010.

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