On this episode of Our American Stories, Harry S. Truman was never expected to become president of the United States. He grew up as a farm boy in rural Missouri, and though he later served as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president, he was not Roosevelt’s first choice for the role, nor did Truman initially seek it.

But his presidency would shape the course of history. Truman oversaw the end of World War II with the use of the atomic bomb, introduced the Truman Doctrine to confront Soviet expansion, and led the country into the beginning of the Korean War. Here’s the story of Truman’s presidency and how his decisions helped shape the modern United States.

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