risy was hated. People were put down if they started like they were the best and people were judged by the work that they do.# Harry was one of the few boys in his town who went to high school. However, he didn't go to college because his family's financial situation was not good at the time. Going to West Point was one of his hopes, but unfortunately his poor eyesight ruined that hope. Harry S. Truman started taking jobs that came his way. He was a mailroom boy for a newspaper, a timekeeper for a railroad construction company and a bank clerk. After four years, he had a good salary and finally seemed to settle down. As bad timing had it, his father, John Truman, was forced to sell his house, all his livestock, and he even had to take a job as a night watchman. John Truman's mother in law asked him to take over the family ranch 15 miles South of Independence. However J. Truman knew that he couldn't run it by himself, and at 21 years of age, Harry Truman quit his job and moved back home to help his father. He spent the next 11 years on the farm. After being in that environment for so long, Truman "experienced a personality change, becoming less withdrawn, much more gregarious, much more confident in his realizations with other people than before."# He began to actively participate in Democratic party politics. He also joined several organizations, including the Masons.
             When World War I came along, so did new chances for Truman. He joined the National Guard. Captain Truman served in France fighting in major battles late in World War I. He discovered that he had talents as a leader, "and he gained the affection and esteem of a group of men who voted for him later."#
             After WWI, Truman once again came back home in 1919 and married Elizabeth "Bess" Wallace. He also established a clothing store which did not have as much luck as his marriage. The store collapsed duri...