Charles Lindbergh



Few men embody the American spirit of rags to riches as well as Charles Lindbergh. Starting as a humble mail pilot, he quickly rose to fame in 1927 for making a daring nonstop flight from New York City to Paris. Capitalizing on his newly won fame, he quickly became a outspoken proponent the growth of the American Air Force and also became a leading symbol of the growing isolationist movement. In 1935, he announced his candidacy for the presidency, running as a Republican but calling himself a "New Republican." The New Republicans sought to emphasize American identity and courted the Dixiecrats in South as the New Republican platform was soft on the issue of segregation, and attracted the more racist elements of the Democrat party.

Lindbergh's platform proved to be immensely popular with the isolationist America First Committee in the North and Midwest and the Dixiecrats of the South, ensuring him a overwhelming majority of the votes against his opponent, Franklin Roosevelt, who many America Firsters saw as being too slippery on the issue of isolationism.

In 1937, Lindbergh signed the Tokyo Accords, which helped open up trade between the United States and the resource hungry Empire of Japan. Lindbergh remarked that he hoped this was a new era of co-operation between the 'Asiatic and White race.' On the home front, Lindbergh implemented the Fair Deal, a system of limited government aid to small business and tax cuts on large corporations which somewhat eased the effects of the Great Depression. Lindbergh has continued to enjoy immense popularity with the American people, who view him as a man of principle who has kept America out of 'European problems' and has restored a degree of national pride during the difficult times of the Great Depression. Lindbergh has flown himself across America, especially focusing on the Midwest, areas in which Americans felt ignored and forgotten under previous administrations.

Lindbergh is entering his third and what he has promised will be his last term. His policy is likely to continue to be much the same as the last two terms. In particular, he is intent on focusing on expanding the civilian air infrastructure, and has promised to finish the remaining implementation of the Fair Deal.