As a decorated and well known military leader, General Dwight D. Eisenhower became the Republican nominee for the 1952 election. It was a landslide victory. In 1956, with Richard M. Nixon as his Vice-President, he was re-elected in another decisive victory, due in part to his great popularity, ending the Korean War, and moderate foreign policy. Eisenhower also greatly expanded the country‟s infrastructure to include superhighways and bridges.

President Eisenhower, for the first time since 1877, introduced civil rights legislation and the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed. The Act was essentially a voting rights act for minorities and much of the opposition to the act came from the Democratic Party. Senators John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson initially opposed the Act but voted for it when provisions were watered down.

In 1960, Vice-President Nixon was easily nominated by the Republican Party but lost the election to John F. Kennedy. The election was won by one of the smallest popular margins-with a difference of just over 100,000 votes out of more than 68 million cast. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater would redefine Republican Party Conservatism-winning the Republican nomination for the 1964 election, but losing the election to President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1968, with the unpopular Viet Nam War in full swing, Richard M. Nixon with Maryland Governor Spiro T. Agnew as his running mate became the next President.