The following interpretive themes have been identified for Harry S Truman
National Historic Site:
·· Character and Leadership. The current popularity of Harry S Truman and his
decisions as president are partially attributed to his positive and optimistic character
traits and leadership skills that were grounded in his Missouri upbringing and shaped
by family, community, relationships, military training, and experiences.
·· Retirement in Independence. After rising to the highest office in the land, President
Harry S Truman and his wife, Bess, returned in retirement to the family home in
Independence, Missouri, and sought to assume a lifestyle that was relatively unchanged
by the power and fame of the White House, while still fulfilling their responsibilities as
former president and first lady.
·· Political and Social Legacy and Memorialization. Harry S Truman was a modest
man of ambition who, as president, led the United States from isolationism into the age
of international involvement and, in retirement, resisted memorialization, while still
working to shape his legacy as president by writing his memoirs, opening his library,
and supporting the establishment of the national historic landmark district. To help
preserve President Truman’s life and legacy, Mrs. Truman left the Truman Home, its
contents, and grounds to the American people upon her death in 1982.