Throughout the history of the presidency, scholars have ranked each president in various ways. Despite the debate surrounding whom the “greatest” leaders of our nation are, ranking consistently proves difficult given the vast successes and failures each individual encountered. Similar to previous scholars, I have a created a rubric that outlines different characteristics of a … Read more
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, at the end of his second Presidential term, delivered his farewell address to the nation. The generation of the day was apparently more focused on the up and coming next President, John F. Kennedy then they were with the warning that President Eisenhower issued. The … Read more
Inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, 1989, Bush brought an informal atmosphere to the White House. The Bushes greeted tourists on his first full day as president. In June 1990 Bush abandoned his “Read my lips. No new taxes” campaign pledge and acknowledged that new or increased taxes were necessary. Many Republican conservatives were critical … Read more
Reagan’s first term was dominated by efforts to carry out his economic program–dubbed “Reaganomics” by the media–which consisted in part of large budget reductions in domestic programs and substantial tax cuts for individuals and businesses. The theory of supply-side economics–generating growth by stimulating a greater supply of goods and services, thereby increasing jobs–was a mainstay … Read more
On assuming office in 1977, President Carter inherited an economy that was slowly emerging from a recession. He had severely criticized former President Ford for his failures to control inflation and relieve unemployment, but after four years of the Carter presidency, both inflation and unemployment were considerably worse than at the time of his inauguration. … Read more
The new president tried to restore public confidence in the national leadership and in the institutions of government. His administration was one of the most open in years, and Ford sought to emphasize candor in his relationships with the public and the press. But in both domestic and world affairs he inherited problems that did … Read more
As the United States shifted toward a peacetime economy, inflation and unemployment beset it. In 1971 Nixon temporarily froze wages and prices, cut federal spending, and announced that the United States would no longer convert foreign-held dollars into gold. The subsequent decline in the value of the dollar in relation to other major currencies made … Read more
At the top of the new president’s agenda was enactment of Kennedy’s proposals on civil rights and taxes. The proposals had been made earlier in the year, but Congress had failed to take final action on them. Now, however, Congress acted. With Johnson in the White House, Congress behaved in domestic affairs, as it had … Read more
Prior to the election, Kennedy had planned to present to Congress a sweeping legislative program similar to that of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first “100 days.” The closeness of the election caused him to proceed more cautiously, but in his first months in office he sent CONGRESS a record number of messages proposing broad programs to … Read more
The initial domestic objectives of the new administration were to balance the budget, reduce the agricultural surplus by lowering price supports for farm products, and institute a loyalty program that would discourage the investigations of Senator McCarthy. Apart from Eisenhower’s inexperience, other obstacles impeded his efforts. Groups accustomed to receiving financial aid from the federal … Read more
The Truman Doctrine, which granted aid to Greece and Turkey and promised assistance to other nations threatened “by armed minorities or by outside pressure”; the Marshall Plan, which used American economic resources to stimulate the recovery of European economies outside the Soviet sphere; the Berlin airlift, designed to maintain the Western presence in that city, … Read more
While Roosevelt was governor of New York, the Great Depression tightened its grip on the country. Roosevelt, seeking new ideas, enlisted a “brains trust” of Columbia University professors to help him devise programs against hard times. These professors included Rexford Tugwell, Raymond Moley, and Adolf Berle, Jr. All became leading figures in the national administration … Read more
With the nation unprecedentedly prosperous and with large Republican majorities in Congress, Hoover began his administration under auspicious circumstances. In his campaign he had promised to call Congress into special session to consider farm relief and limited changes in the tariff. He called Congress into special session on April 15, 1929, and on June 15 … Read more
Coolidge set out to establish a working relationship with the leading members of the Harding administration, and he drew on many people for advice and help. The scandals of Harding’s presidency, particularly the Teapot Dome oil affair, were coming to light, and Coolidge spent much of his time defending his party. His relations with Congress … Read more
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Lincoln entered office at a critical period in U. S. history, just before the Civil War, and died from an assassin’s bullet at the war’s end, but before the greater implications of the conflict could be resolved. He brought to the office personal integrity, intelligence, and … Read more
The position of being the president of the United States is the most powerful office in the world. The president is the leader of a nation of wealth and great military strength. Unlike most governments around the world, our president is the chief of state and a head of government. Also each and every president … Read more
Like any hall of fame, its inductees are the best in whatever they do, from baseball or football to something like being President. If you are a member of any hall of fame (including the one for the Presidents), it means that you have done something special or have a certain quality about yourself that … Read more
Jimmy Carter’s parents, Earl and Lillian Carter, owned a peanut farm and warehouse and a store outside the small town of Plains, Georgia. Earl was bright, hardworking, and a very good businessman. “Miz” Lillian had been trained as a nurse. Jimmy Carter was born in a house that lacked electricity and indoor plumbing. By the … Read more
“The method of choosing the president proved to be But one of many vexing problems for the fifty-five men who assembled in Philadelphia in May 1887” (Euchner, and Maltese 2). Our forefathers were faced with many hard decisions that would have repercussions for the next two centuries. One of the most perplexing problems facing them … Read more
Perhaps one of the most interesting times in a president’s administration is during the end of his term in office. Having reached the ultimate goal in a politician’s career, a president no longer has to worry about public opinion or any of the other political give and takes that usually influence a politician’s actions. He … Read more
The post Civil War era known as The Gilded Age took place from approximately 1870 until about 1896. This period of time possibly received its name from a novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. In this novel, they told that underneath the diplomatic and successful eminence of the late nineteenth century lurked dishonesty … Read more
The evidence against President Clinton for sexual misconduct is very strong. There have been too many scandals that have surrounded his presidency. This forces the citizens of the United States to deny his plea of innocence. In the spring of 1995, Monica Lewinsky graduated from Lewis and Clark College. She then started an unpaid internship … Read more
If I had to choose a candidate based on, background, position on issues, and intangibles I think it would be George W. Bush. I would choose George W. Bush because he supports some issues that Im interested in and he seems like the kind of guy who will do a good job. I think that … Read more
Politics have been the family business for more than one family in the United States. The familiar family of several generations is the Kennedy family who remains in the political spotlight for fifty-three years and running. As Elizabeth Dole attempts to gain the Republican nomination for the 2000 presidential race she hopes to continue the … Read more
FDR’s Influence as president Some have called him the best president yet. Others have even claimed that he was the world’s most influential and successful leader of the twentieth century. Those claims can be backed up by the overwhelming support that he received from his citizens throughout his four terms in office. President Franklin Delano … Read more
“Roosevelt was among the best-liked Presidents and, in many respects, the most interesting” (World Book 149). Theodore Roosevelt did many things, some in which impacted America. Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City, making him the only president born there (Lamb 152). As a child Roosevelt was always very sick … Read more
Though both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson served as members of President Washington’s cabinet, the two held very different views on the newly founded U. S. government, interpretation of its constitution, and the role of the “masses” in that government. These conflicting views would develop in two political parties, the Federalists led by Hamilton and … Read more
There are many things that set Andrew Jackson apart from other presidents. His policies and personality set him apart from most. Although he was the seventh president, he was the first in many ways. Jackson was the first president to be born in a log cabin, and he was the first president to ride on … Read more
Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America, was born on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda in Southern California to Francis A. and Hannah Milhous Nixon. Nixon had a very rough childhood. Due to the illness of Richard’s brother, his mother was rarely around. Richard’s father was a very loud … Read more
Lyndon Johnson began his rule as president and ended it in sadness. He took over after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and ended in the middle of the Vietnam War. This war was one that tore the United States in half. Some people thought that it was good to defend democracy, and some people thought that … Read more
James Knox Polk, (1795-1849), 11th President of the United States, he was one of the hardest-working presidents in American history, Polk was unusually successful in accomplishing in a single four-year term his ambitious goals in both domestic and foreign policy. The vigor with which he pushed the annexation of Texas, the settlement of the territorial … Read more
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation is one of the most famous speeches made throughout history. In my essay I will evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of the president’s famous speech and show that the way his words are used creates a successful argument to United States. I will show that through the … Read more
Like any hall of fame, its inductees are the best in whatever they do, from baseball or football to something like being President. If you are a member of any hall of fame (including the one for the Presidents), it means that you have done something special or have a certain quality about yourself that … Read more
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. He was the youngest president ever to be elected, the first Roman Catholic president, and the first president to be born in the 20th century. Although, he didn’t get the chance to live out his term and possible another one, he changed the entire … Read more
Throughout American history, the fear that our leaders may sometimes think themselves above the law has always been evident. The fear is that power brings corruptness. To prevent this, however, the system of checks and balances has been installed into the Constitution. No one branch of government stands above the law in this setup. This … Read more
“The decision of the Jackson administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830’s was more a reformulation of the national policy that had been in effect since the 1790’s than a change in that policy.” The dictum above is firm and can be easily proved by examining … Read more