U.S. Presidents For DummiesJohn Wiley & Sons, 2011 M05 12 - 408 pages Forty-three Americans have held the job of President of the United States. Each has a story, be it one of vision, accomplishment, conflict, scandal, triumph, or tragedy. And each story is at the center of the national story, a part of what we all experience. History buffs find endless fascination – and a greater understanding of America today – in the colorful personalities and momentous events that surround the Oval Office. If you want the complete take on U. S. presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush, you’ll appreciate U. S. Presidents for Dummies. Written in a lively style by a history professor at the University of Texas, this fun guidebook of chief executives is packed with information, factoids, and memorable quotes. Inside, you’ll find out which president:
U. S. Presidents for Dummies offers a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to be the leader of the free world, and who has stepped up to the challenge. Dividing the ranks of presidents into chronological groups for a broader, historical understanding of the office, this book discusses:
A treasury of information, this book features an easy-to-comprehend style and sharp historical analysis. Sidebars, photos, timelines, and best and worst lists make U. S. Presidents for Dummies a historical blast to read and a must-have for understanding the state of both yesterday’s and today’s union. |
Contents
Introduction | |
About This Book | |
Conventions Used in This Book | |
How This Book is Organized | |
Examining the Office and the Officeholders | |
Enduring the Best and the Worst Jackson to Buchanan | |
Becoming a Force in the World Lincoln to Hoover | |
Instituting the Imperial Presidency Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon | |
President Theodore Roosevelt 19011909 | |
Winning reelection in 1904 | |
Saying no to a third term | |
Becoming a Bull Moose | |
Retiring for good | |
William Howard Taft 19091913 | |
Tafts early career | |
President William Howard Taft 19091913 | |
Changing the Dynamics Gerald Ford to George W Bush | |
The Part of Tens | |
Icons Used in This Book | |
Where to Go from Here | |
Part I | |
Chapter 1 | |
Establishing the First US Government | |
Facing problems | |
Writing a constitution | |
Drawing up the presidency | |
Interpreting presidential powers | |
Examining Presidential Influence on the Presidency | |
Andrew Jackson | |
Franklin Roosevelt | |
Richard Nixon | |
Perfecting the Power to Shape Public Opinion | |
Making use of the media | |
Todays President | |
Chapter 2 | |
Evaluating the Presidents | |
Policy leadership | |
Crisis management | |
Presidential appointments | |
Foreign standing | |
Character and integrity | |
Public persuasion | |
Presidential vision | |
Ranking US Presidents | |
Explaining the differences | |
Changing rankings over time | |
Part II | |
Chapter 3 | |
Washingtons Early Career | |
Proving his prowess in the military | |
Turning to politics | |
Fighting for Independence | |
Designing the New Country | |
President George Washington 17891797 | |
Dealing with the Issues of the Day | |
Passing the Bill of Rights | |
Splitting into two parties | |
Running unopposed for a second term | |
Establishing a policy of neutrality | |
Quelling civil strife | |
Stepping Down | |
Retiring Briefly | |
Chapter 4 | |
John Adams | |
Adamss early career | |
Representing the new country | |
Running for president | |
President John Adams 17971801 | |
Losing the presidency in 1800 | |
Thomas Jefferson | |
Jeffersons early political career | |
President Thomas Jefferson 18011809 | |
Keeping busy in retirement | |
Chapter 5 | |
From Founding Father to Presidential Flop | |
Madisons early career | |
Serving in Congress | |
Returning to national politics | |
Fighting the British for the last time | |
Changing policies and retiring | |
James Monroe | |
Monroes early career | |
Monroes foreign policy | |
Monroes domestic policy | |
Running unopposed | |
Calling it quits after two terms | |
John Quincy Adams | |
Getting elected at home | |
Going Back to Europe | |
Picked by the House | |
President John Quincy Adams 18251829 | |
Going back to Congress | |
Part III | |
Chapter 6 | |
Jacksons Early Career | |
Going to war | |
Saved by a political enemy | |
Suffering through the Stolen Election of 1824 | |
President Andrew Jackson 18291837 | |
Dealing with states rights and tariffs | |
Hating banks | |
Forcing Native Americans west | |
Getting tough with France | |
Deciding what to do with Texas | |
Reaching retirement | |
Chapter 7 | |
Martin Van Buren Master of Politics | |
Going from law to politics | |
Establishing a political machine | |
Politicking at the national level | |
President Martin Van Buren 18371841 | |
Losing badly in 1840 | |
William Henry Harrison | |
Using politics and militia against Native Americans | |
Focusing on politics | |
President William Henry Harrison 18411841 | |
John Tyler | |
Supporting states rights and slavery | |
Balancing the ticket becoming president | |
President John Tyler 18411845 | |
Dying a Confederate | |
Chapter 8 | |
Young Hickory | |
Polks Early Political Career | |
Texas to the Rescue | |
Keeping His Campaign Simple | |
President James Polk 18451849 | |
Establishing a treasury system | |
Expanding north and south | |
Winning the War but Losing the Battle | |
Choosing Not to Run Again | |
Chapter 9 | |
Zachary Taylor | |
Fighting Native Americans and Mexicans | |
President Zachary Taylor 18491850 | |
Serving for just one year | |
Millard Fillmore | |
Fillmores early career | |
President Millard Fillmore 18501853 | |
Turning racist | |
Franklin Pierce | |
A Northern Democrat with a Southern soul | |
President Franklin Pierce 18531857 | |
Controversial to the end | |
Buchanans early career | |
President James Buchanan 18571861 | |
Sitting by through secession | |
Part IV | |
Chapter 10 | |
Lincolns Early Political Career | |
Getting ready for the national level | |
Studying law on the side | |
Voting his conscience on slavery | |
Debating his way to national prominence | |
President Abraham Lincoln 18611865 | |
Dealing with secession | |
Confronting the Confederacy | |
The Civil War | |
Issuing the Emancipation Proclamation | |
Motivating the Confederacy | |
North and South | |
Addressing the crowds at Gettysburg | |
Lincolns Short Second Term | |
Offering terms of surrender | |
Serving briefly | |
Chapter 11 | |
Andrew Johnson | |
Johnsons early career | |
Acting on his prejudices | |
President Andrew Johnson 18651869 | |
Ulysses Simpson Grant | |
Grants early career | |
Becoming a war hero | |
Entering politics | |
President Ulysses Simpson Grant 18691877 | |
Passing on a third term | |
Rutherford Birchard Hayes | |
Governing Ohio | |
President Rutherford Birchard Hayes 18771881 | |
Chapter 12 | |
James Abram Garfield | |
Garfields early political career | |
President James Abram Garfield 18811881 | |
Being assassinated | |
Chester Alan Arthur | |
Arthurs early political career | |
Staging the comeback of his life | |
President Chester Alan Arthur 18811885 | |
Grover Cleveland | |
Clevelands early political career | |
President Stephen Grover Cleveland 18851889 and 18931897 | |
Serving again | |
Retiring to Princeton | |
Benjamin Harrison | |
Harrisons early political career | |
President Benjamin Harrison 18891893 | |
Losing in 1892 | |
Returning to his legal career | |
Chapter 13 | |
William McKinley | |
Being a loyal Republican | |
President William McKinley 18971901 | |
Getting reelected and assassinated | |
Theodore Roosevelt | |
Roosevelts early political career | |
Becoming governor of New York and vice president | |
Beating the odds and accomplishing quite a bit | |
Losing the presidency gaining the Supreme Court | |
Chapter 14 | |
Studying Government | |
Breaking into Politics in New Jersey | |
Governing New Jersey | |
Running for president in 1912 | |
President Woodrow Wilson 19131921 | |
Managing the media | |
Establishing a moral foreign policy | |
Being Drawn into the War | |
Winning reelection and preparing for war | |
Getting the public involved | |
Making the Peace | |
Traveling to Europe | |
Losing the peace at home | |
Serving out his term | |
Chapter 15 | |
Warren G Harding | |
Hardings early political career | |
Becoming president by default | |
President Warren Gamaliel Harding 19211923 | |
Dying suddenly | |
John Calvin Coolidge | |
Coolidges early career | |
President Calvin Coolidge 19231929 | |
Serving a second term | |
Choosing not to run | |
Herbert Hoover | |
Hoovers early career | |
President Herbert Clark Hoover 19291933 | |
Staying active in retirement | |
Part V | |
Chapter 16 | |
Roosevelts Early Political Career | |
Serving in the executive branch | |
Overcoming polio | |
Governing New York | |
Preparing for the presidency | |
Winning in 1932 | |
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 19331945 | |
Rescuing the economy | |
Fighting the Supreme Court in term two | |
Winning a Third Term Facing a World War | |
Fighting isolationism | |
Dealing with neutrality | |
Creeping closer to war | |
Fighting World War II | |
Winning the War | |
Running and Winning One More Time | |
Pondering postwar problems | |
Chapter 17 | |
Trumans Early Political Career | |
Entering the Senate | |
Making his mark in the Senate | |
Receiving the vicepresidential nomination | |
President Harry S Truman 19451953 | |
Stopping the spread of communism and recognizing Israel | |
Reforming the country | |
Defeating Dewey in 1948 | |
Hating His Second Term | |
Losing China to communism | |
Fighting in Korea | |
Succeeding at home | |
Ceding to Stevenson | |
Chapter 18 | |
Eisenhowers Early Military Career | |
Getting ready for World War II | |
Liberating France | |
Finishing off Germany | |
Defending NATO | |
Squeaking by | |
President Dwight David Eisenhower 19531961 | |
Dealing with the Brown vs the Board of Education case | |
Managing military matters | |
Changing foreign policy | |
Running for reelection | |
Staying active in retirement | |
Chapter 19 | |
Kennedys Early Political Career | |
Serving in the Senate | |
Campaigning for the presidency | |
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy 19611963 | |
Changing Foreign Policy | |
Creating the Peace Corps | |
Building a wall in Berlin | |
Increasing US involvement in Vietnam | |
Attending to Domestic Policy | |
Pushing for civil rights | |
Heading to the moon | |
A Promising Life Cut Short | |
Chapter 20 | |
Johnsons Early Political Career | |
Serving in the House of Representatives | |
Trying for the Senate | |
Serving in the Senate | |
Becoming vice president and president | |
President Lyndon Baines Johnson 19631969 | |
Honoring Kennedys agenda | |
The Great Society | |
Getting involved in Vietnam | |
Chapter 21 | |
Nixons Early Political Career | |
Pursuing communists in the House | |
Redbaiting his way to the Senate | |
Delivering California and being chosen vice president | |
Serving as vice president | |
Losing the Presidential Race in 1960 | |
Contending from Coast to Coast | |
President Richard Milhous Nixon 19691974 | |
Ending the war in Vietnam | |
Having more successes in foreign policy | |
Dealing with domestic issues | |
Serving Part of a Second Term | |
Resigning the presidency | |
Retiring and rehabilitating | |
Part VI | |
Chapter 22 | |
Gerald Ford | |
Fords early political career | |
President Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr 19741977 | |
Retiring publicly | |
Jimmy Carter | |
Carters early political career | |
President James Earl Carter Jr 19771981 | |
Losing his reelection bid | |
Retiring but not retreating | |
Chapter 23 | |
Reagans Early Career | |
Governing California | |
Challenging Ford in 1976 | |
President Ronald Wilson Reagan 19811989 | |
Surviving an assassination attempt | |
Stimulating the economy | |
Increasing the national debt | |
Breaking a strike | |
Packing the Supreme Court | |
Reestablishing US World Domination | |
Dealing with the Soviets | |
Dealing with Scandal in his Second Term | |
Keeping the Revolution Alive during Retirement | |
Chapter 24 | |
George Bush | |
Bushs early political career | |
President George Herbert Walker Bush 19891993 | |
Losing reelection in 1992 | |
Bill Clinton | |
Clintons early political career | |
Running for president in 1992 | |
President William Jefferson Clinton 19932001 | |
Losing Congress in 1994 | |
Winning reelection in 1996 | |
Leaving under a cloud | |
Chapter 25 | |
Bushs Early Career | |
Running for governor | |
Governing Texas | |
Running for the Presidency | |
Surviving the 2000 Election | |
Going to court | |
Being appointed | |
President George Walker Bush 2001Present | |
Foreign policy | |
Punishing terrorists | |
Becoming a national hero | |
Part VII | |
Chapter 26 | |
Abraham Lincoln | |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt | |
George Washington | |
Ronald Reagan | |
Thomas Jefferson | |
Dwight D Eisenhower | |
Chapter 27 | |
Andrew Johnson | |
Franklin Pierce | |
James Buchanan | |
Millard Fillmore | |
William Henry Harrison | |
Herbert Hoover | |
Chapter 28 | |
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library | |
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum | |
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum | |
Dwight D Eisenhower Library and Museum | |
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum | |
Gerald R Ford Library and Museum | |
Appendix | |