Historic American Presidents

today in the daily dose American Presidents George Washington born in 1732 Virginia George Washington was homeschooled by tutors on the family Plantation until his father passed away when George was only 11 the families lost forced Washington to assist in the management of the plantation until as Adept math skills landed him a job as a surveyor in his teen years which earned him enough money to buy land of his own when his half-brother and Mentor Lawrence Washington passed away in 1752 George inherited Lawrence's Mount Vernon estate along the pomac river which would become his home for the remainder of his life that same year despite a complete lack of military experience Washington was made commanderin-chief of the Virginia militia due to his uncanny leadership skills during the French and Indian War which saw two horses shot out from under him before returning to Mount Vernon with four near Miss bullet holes in his Overcoat after resigning as commissioned to grow Mount Vernon from 2,000 acres into an 8,000 acre Mega complex of five working farms in 1759 Washington married wealthy Widow Martha Dandridge C custus before his election to the Virginia House of Burgesses that same year his growing skills as a Statesman made him a delegate to the first and second continental congress and after war broke out between the young Republic and Great Britain Washington was named commanderin-chief of the Continental Army where he inspired Patriot forces despite overwhelming odds against the largest superpower of the day after eight grueling years of war Washington 's performance at the Battle of Yorktown the last major engagement of the Revolutionary War made him a national hero to a war-weary yet Victorious Young Nation combined with his impressive leadership skills during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Washington was elected the first American President in 1789 serving two terms that saw the ratification of five new States into the Union during his lifetime George Washington suffered a dizzying array of illnesses including smallpox repeated bouts of malaria tuberculosis dissenter and multiple infections in abscesses with recurrent high fevers in December of 1799 Washington caught a cold while inspecting his properties in the rain which soon worsened into a throat infection that took his life on December 14th 1799 at the the time of his death Washington owned over 300 slaves yet due to his growing opposition to slavery in his later years by order of his last will and testament his slaves were freed after his wife's death in 1802 making George Washington one of the most recognized men in American history the resignation of George Washington in the summer of 1781 British General George Cornwallis marched an approximate 8,000 man army into the Virginia Port City of Yorktown expecting to meet British ships sent from New York to replenish his badly reduced stores of food and ammunition by early October however with no British ships on the horizon General George Washington and French General John batist Rambo lay Siege to New Yorktown by surrounding the city with 177,000 French and American troops while French Admiral Fran swad degrass patrolled the Chesapeake Bay in the mouth of the York River intent on blocking any British attempts to flee 3 weeks later on October 19th of that same year Cornwallis agreed to Washington's terms of surrender as laid out in his articles of capitulation effectively ending the Revolutionary War peace negotiations stalled for the next two years in Paris due to Britain's initial refusal to acknowledge American independence and sovereignty a point which Americans John Adams Ben Franklin and John J refused to remove from the negotiating Table after the election of a new more pro-american Parliament was seated in London led by newly elected British prime minister Lord shelburn who saw the chance to build a lucrative trade Alliance with the new nation minus the cost of civil and Military oversight the British signed the Treaty of Paris at the hotel di York on September 3rd 1783 before its ratification by the Continental Congress on January 14th 1784 from their seat at the Maryland State House in Annapolis in between the formalities of ending the war on December 23rd 1783 standing before the Continental Congress George Washington resigned his commission as commanderin-chief of the Continental Army expressing his desire to return to his beloved Mount Vernon as a private citizen an event which historians consider a lasting Testament to Washington's Republican values by handing his power back to the federal government I have now the honor of offering my sincere congratulations to Congress he addressed the body of legislators and of presenting myself before them to surrender into their hands the trust committed to me and to claim the Indulgence of retiring from the service of my country little did Washington know that his service would continue as the nation's first two-term president making the resignation of George Washington a turning point moment during The Birth of a Nation Thomas Jefferson after graduating from the College of William and Mary in 1762 Thomas Jefferson studied law under Virginia attorney George wi before opening his own practice in 1767 well respected from an early age from 1769 to 1775 Jefferson became a member of the Virginia House of purchases later renamed the Virginia House of delegates after independence from Great Britain inheriting land near Charlottesville Virginia Jefferson's Keen interest in architecture and gardening led to the construction of his beloved monachello or little mountain in the Italian where he and his young wife Martha gave birth to six children before Martha's untimely death at the tender AG of 33 while only two of their children would survive into adulthood Jefferson was so devastated by the loss of his beloved wife that he would never marry again as war broke out with Great Britain in 1775 Jefferson was selected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress where he penned the first draft of the Declaration of Independence at 33 years of age resigning the following year when he was reelected to the Virginia House of delegates from 177 9 to 1781 Jefferson served as governor of Virginia before landing his second stint in Congress from 1783 to 1784 a year later Jefferson succeeded Benjamin Franklin as US minister to France and upon his return to the states in 1789 President George Washington appointed him as the nation's first Secretary of State where he frequently bucked heads with Secretary of the Treasury and staunch big government Federalist Alexander Hamilton over Foreign Affairs interpretations of the Constitution and the size and authority of the federal government Hamilton's insistence on a strong federal government would lead Jefferson to co-found the Democratic Republican party which was an ideological precursor of today's Republican Party in the presidential election of 1796 6 Jefferson defeated John Adams for the office of Vice President later running a second time against Adams for president during the election of 1800 which proved to be a bitter fight between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans just a few short years after both political sides had been so United in their revolutionary calls for Independence the crowning achievement of Jefferson's first term was his successful orchestration of the Louisiana Purchase from France followed by Lewis and Clark's expedition into the newly purchased lands an 8,000m Journey which took them to the Pacific Ocean in back handily reelected in 1804 Jefferson's second-term Focus was to steer the United States safely away from involvement in the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 to 1815 which at one point or another draged much of Europe into the conflict after turning down a third term as President Jefferson returned home to his beloved monachello where he continued to pursue his interest in architecture music reading and gardening at the same time helping to found the University of Virginia Which opened its doors for its first student body in 1825 after his death on July 4th 1826 50 years to the day after he signed the Declaration of Independence his surviving estate was heavily mired in debt due to a lifetime of extravagant spending which in turn required that his slaves be sold at auction alongside his landh Holdings art and Furnishings forever cementing Thomas Jefferson into the early history of a newly formed Nation John Quincy Adams born in 1767 Massachusetts the first son of John and Abigail Adams as a boy John Quincy Adams witnessed the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill from a rise near his family's Farm later achieving Proficiency in seven foreign languages while studying at several European universities completing his education at Harvard Adams studied law before his admittance to the bar in 179 90 setting up a law practice in Boston before his election to the Massachusetts state senate followed by the US Senate in 1803 growing ever more estranged from the Federalist Party Adams resigned his senate seat in 1808 to join the faculty at Harvard as a full Professor a year later President James Madison appointed Adams ambassador to the Russian Court of Zar Alexander I where he witnessed Napoleon's invasion in subsequent Retreat from Russia an event which resulted in the near destruction of Napoleon's Grand Army and the deaths of some 38,000 French soldiers after the war of 1812 resulted in an American victory over Great Britain's attempted aggression in 1814 Madison sent Adams to Belgium where he negotiated the war- ending Treaty of gent 3 years later President James Monroe named Adams his secretary of state where he negotiated The Joint occupation of Oregon with England and the acquisition of Florida from Spain followed by his role as Chief Architect behind the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which warned European powers against further colonization in the Western Hemisphere winning the White House in 1824 after a five-way presidential race was decided by the House of Representatives something Andrew Jackson supporters called a corrupt bargain Adams's one-term presidency would be largely styed by Jacksonian Democrats in Congress and while his bid for a second term was marred by accusations of corruption and steady push back against his unpopular domestic programs including Federal funding of an interstate Road and Canal system and his staunch opposition to slavery John Quincy Adams like his father before him became the second president in US history who failed to win a second term losing to Andrew Jackson in the election of 1828 Adam spent the remainder of his life as a congressman from Massachusetts in the US House of Representatives earning the nickname old man eloquent before passing away following backtack Strokes on February 23rd 1848 forever cementing John Quincy Adams into the annals of American politics Martin Van buan Born in 1782 Kinderhook New York Martin Van beran apprenticed as an attorney before opening his own private practice in 1803 subscribing to the political theories of Thomas Jefferson who favored State's rights over a strong federal government van beran served two terms in the New York State Senate divided by a stint as State Attorney General before winning a seat in the US Senate in 1821 where he founded a State political organization known as the Aly Regency after John Quincy Adams won the White House in the presidential election of 1824 van beran helped form a coalition of Jeffersonian Republicans who backed Andrew Jackson in the presidential election of 1828 which soon emerged as the Democratic party depart starting the Senate that same year van Beren successfully ran for governor of New York before resigning from office when newly elected president Jackson appointed van veren as his Secretary of State resigning his cabinet Post in 1831 van beran served as minister to Great Britain before earning a spot as Jackson's running mate during the presidential election cycle of 1832 where they swept both the popular and electoral vote over wig party opposition candidate Henry Clay winning the White House himself in the presidential election of 1836 against wig party upstart William Henry Harrison van beran took office just in time for the panic of 1837 which collapsed Banks and much of the American economy after federal funds were transferred to State Banks from the now defunct Bank of the United States after van buran's deflationary monetary policies failed to improve the economy his push for the establishment of an independent Federal treasury drove many conservative Democrats into the wig party which in turn handed the White House to Harrison in the presidential election of 1840 running again in 1844 his refusal to endorse the annexation of Texas LED Southern Democrats to elect James K pulk before van Beren final political defeat as the Free Soil candidate during the presidential election of 1848 losing handal to Zachary Taylor van beran retired to Kinderhook to write his autobiography which proved to be a valuable primer into the politics of the era he died on July 24th 1862 a little more than 3 months after the outbreak of Civil War making the life and Public Service of Martin Van Buran an aged defining politician during the years leading up to war James Buchanan born in 1791 kovap Pennsylvania James Buchanan opened a successful law practice in 1812 before serving in the Pennsylvania legislature as a member of the Federalist Party elected to the US House of Representatives in 1820 over the next decade of service Buchanan flipped to the Democratic party following the dissolution of the Federalist Party appointed ambassador to Russia in 1831 by President Andrew Jackson returning to the states 2 years later in 1834 Buchanan was elected to the US Senate for the state of Pennsylvania holding office for the next 11 years until he resigned his seat to become President James P Secretary of State helping to expand the nation's territory by oneir thanks to the annexation of Texas and much of the present day American southwest following the defeat of Mexico during the Mexican American War after serving as minister to Great Britain during the presidency of Franklin Pierce by the time duanan ran for president in 1856 the country by then had grown deeply divided over the issue of slavery and while his prime Republican Challenger John Fremont asserted that the federal government should ban slavery in all US states and territories Buchanan win the White House on a more moderate platform that the issue of slavery should be decided by individual states and territories the only bachelor to hold the office of US President Buchanan earned his nickname 10 cent Jimmy by his Republican opponents after Buchanan maintained during his presidential campaign that 10 cents was a fair daily wage for manual laborers the issue of slavery in America came to a head 2 days after banan was sworn into office when the Supreme Court handed down its Dread Scott Decision ruling that the federal government had no regulatory power over the issue of slavery at the same time denying African-Americans free or Enslaved the rights of citizenship tensions between the Abolitionist North and the slaveholding South worsened with Buchanan's support of the L Compton Constitution which would have allowed Kansas to become a slave state while in October of 1859 John Brown's raid on the federal Arsenal at Harper Ferry Virginia pushed a nation to the brink of Civil War upholding his campaign promise not to run for reelection after Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 Buchanan reportedly told his successor if you are as happy in entering the White House as As I Shall feel on returning to Wheatland his Lancaster Pennsylvania estate you are a happy man making James Buchanan the last sitting president before a nation went to war with itself the tragedies of Mary and Abraham Lincoln prior to the November 4th 1842 marriage of maryan a blinkin historians of Unearthed strong evidence of Abraham's persistent depression and Suicidal Thoughts made worse after the tragic death of his first love anime rutage in August of 1835 leading a one-time neighbor and friend Mentor Graham to confess that Lincoln told me that he felt like committing suicide often Lincoln suffered a second major depression in 1841 after he broke off his engagement to Mary because of his affection for another woman prompting friends and relatives to remove guns and knives from Lincoln's home following their marriage a devoted Lincoln watched helplessly as his wife developed illnesses and erratic behaviors made worse by the death of their 11-year-old son Willie to typhoid fever in 1862 followed by an 1863 head injury caused by a carriage accident that left her complaining of migraines as the Civil War slogged on President Lincoln's depression worsened over the weight of his office and the heavy death toll taking place on American battlefields while Mary's worsened Under The Continuous death threats heaped upon her husband by pro-slavery Southerners who also labeled Mary a traitor to her own Southern Roots as for the president historians now point to Marfan syndrome as the cause of his depression which is an inherited genetic disorder that weakens the connect of papillary tendons and muscles in the valves of the human heart a condition frequently associated with depression after Lincoln's assassination Mary's psychotic behavior worsen dramatically further exacerbated 6 years later when on July 15th 1871 her forth son Tad died at 18 years of age with a cause of death variously blamed on tuberculosis pneumonia or congestive heart failure the loss sent Mary off the deep end as she combed the United States Canada and Europe for spiritualists in Hope of communicating with their lost loved ones as her mental health worsened her eldest son Robert petitioned the courts until his mother was omitted against her will into Belleview Place sanitarium in bavia Illinois after two suicide attempts at B Mary was released into the custody of her sister Elizabeth in Springfield Illinois where she passed away from a stroke on July 16th 1882 at 63 years of age making the tragedies of Mary and Abe Lincoln a latent Testament to the precious of their time the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 9 1865 after four years of bloody Warfare that cost the lives of 620,000 Americans Confederate general-in-chief robertt E Lee and his army of Northern Virginia officially surrendered to the Union Army of the pomac under the Commanding General of the United States the surrender took place at the mlan house in aomax Courthouse Virginia after one of the final battles of of the Civil War less than a week later The American Nation would shudder at the loss of one of its most historic and impactful leaders on April 14th 1865 after a long day tending to the nation's business the 16th American president and his wife Mary went to Ford's Theater in Washington DC to take in the wildly popular stage playay comedy our American cousin due to his National Fame as a stage actor Confederate sympathizer John wilk's Booth maintained ready access to all parts of Ford's Theater using his cart blanch access for the planned assassination of President Lincoln Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H seaward while Booth's co-conspirator Lewis pal was tasked with killing seaward George aterod was tasked with killing the vice president arriving late to the theater with major Henry Rathbone and his fiance Clara Harris the play was interrupted so that the orchestra could play Hail to the Chief as the packed House of some 1700 theater goers Rose in Applause as the play resumed Booth who knew the play by heart entered the Lincoln Sky Box from behind timing his lone shot to coincide with one of the funniest lines of the play as laughter peeled throughout the theater Booth approached the president and shot him in the back of the head with a 6-in singleshot daringer the bullet entered Lincoln's skull behind IND his left ear passed through his brain and came to rest near the front of his skull fracturing both his orbital plates major WTH bone jumped from his seat and struggled with Booth who dropped his daringer and Drew a knife stabbing wrath bone in his left forearm Rathbone again grabbed at booth just as the Assassin jumped from the sky boox to the stage a 12-ft drop but not before one of his Spurs became entangled with the treasury flag decorating the Lincoln Skybox booths fall to the stage was a painful One landing him awkwardly on his left foot but as he began to cross the stage many in the audience thought he was part of the play and began to laugh before Booth fled into the night most eyewitness accounts indicate that Booth held up his bloody knife and yelled sick Seer tyranis which is Latin for thus always to tyrants with the help of three doctors in attendance that night the com to's president was moved across the street to a first floor bedroom in Taylor William Peterson's house more Physicians arrived to offer aid but the 16th president of the United States left this Earth the following day at 7:22 in the morning Lincoln's death was mourned around the world hundreds of thousands attended his funeral procession through the streets of Washington DC on April 19th followed by a 1700m train ride procession from New York to Lincoln's hometown of Springfield Illinois often passing Trackside tributes in the form of bands bonfires and hymn singing The Hunt for the conspirators quickly became the largest in US history involving thousands of federal troops and countless civilians Booth was cornered by the 16th New York calvalry while the Assassin was sleeping in a barn in Virginia a lone soldier snuck up behind him and shot booth in the back of the head a just reprisal for what the Assassin had done to the president of the United States many of Booth's Co conspirators were freed after lengthy trials while Mary Sarat Lewis pal David Harold and George aterod were hang by the neck on June 30th 1865 ulyses S Grant born in 1822 Ohio ulyses S Grant graduated 21st in his class from West Point serving with distinction during the Mexican-American war in 1848 he married Julia dent and after the birth of their four children in 1854 Grant resigned his commission to live in relative poverty with his family he reenlisted after the Civil War broke out in 1861 rising to prominence after several early Union victories in the western theater in 1863 he led the Vicksburg Campaign which gained control of the Mississippi River followed by the Chattanooga Campaign which led to his promotion to Lieutenant General by President Abraham Lincoln over the next 133 months Grant fought Confederate General Robert E Lee during the high casualty Overland campaign and at Petersburg and when Lee surrendered to Grant at appam matic's courthouse on April 9th 1865 one week later President Lincoln was assassinated by fed stage actor John wils booth at Washington's Ford's Theater when Andrew Johnson succeeded Lincoln into the White House he promoted Grant to General of the Army in 1866 after openly departing with Johnson over the president's hands-off enforcement of the Reconstruction acts designed to improve civil rights for freed African-Americans grants status as a civil war hero propelled him into the White House in 1868 where he stabilized the nation's postwar economy supported ratification of the 15th Amendment while Prosecuting the Klux clan in 1871 Grant formed the Civil Service Commission which was created to select employees for federal jobs on Merit rather than political relationships in the presidential election Of 1872 Liberal Republicans and Democrats United Behind grant against presidential candidate Horus gy winning reelection to a second term in office during his final term Grant would oversee the great Sue War while his foreign policy saw the peaceful resolution of the Alabama claims against Great Britain although his attempted annexation of his prized Dominican Republic were rejected by the Senate in his retirement Grant was the first president to circumnavigate the world where he dined with Queen Victoria and met many prominent foreign leaders after his failed 1880 bid to obtain the Republican Presidential nomination for a third term in office Grant suffered a string of severe financial reversals and after his diagnosis of throat cancer he wrote his Memoir less than a month before his death in July of 1885 which proved to be a major critical and financial success enjoyed solely by his beloved Julia Grover Cleveland born in 1837 Caldwell New Jersey Grover Cleveland dropped out of school at 16 after his father died in 1853 working as a teacher for the New York Institute for the blind to help support his eight brothers and sisters passing the New York bar exam in 1859 without attending Law School Cleveland opened his own law firm in 1862 avoiding conscription into the Civil War by paying a Polish immigrant to serve in his place elected Sheriff of Erie County New York in 1871 a decade later he became mayor of Buffalo New York in 1882 followed by his election as New York State governor in 1883 due to his growing reputation as an anti-corruption politician which soon put him at odds with the powerful tamony Hall political machine in New York City despite a paternity Scandal where he admittedly paid child support to a woman who claimed he was the father of her child Cleveland won the White House in 1884 with the support of crossover Republican mugwumps Cleveland based his political appointments on Merit rather than party affiliation using his presidential veto power 414 times during his first term more times than all preceding US presidents combined in an attempt to curb government spending at the federal level marrying 21-year-old Francis fsam at a White House ceremony in 1886 27 years as Junior and the youngest first lady in US history Cleveland lost his bid for a second term to Republican Benjamin Harrison largely due to Cleveland's persistent fight to lower or eliminate protective tariffs on Foreign imports winning the Democratic presidential nomination and later the White House in 1892 the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms despite his reputation as a political reformer his lackluster and almost bewildered response to the Panic of 1893 angered his original reporters when the US economy was crippled by a string of railroad and bank failures a stock market crash Transportation strikes a nationwide credit crisis and skyrocketing unemployment that peaked at 19% declining to run for a third term Cleveland retired to his estate in Princeton New Jersey serving as a trustee of Princeton University until his death by heart attack on June 24th 1908 where he uttered on his deathbed I have tried so hard to do right making the life and achievements of Grover Cleveland a guiding influence in late 19th century American politics the assassination of President McKinley elected president in 1896 against Democratic rival William Jennings Brian William McKinley successfully led the nation back to Prosperity after the Panic of 1893 as well as leading the military to victory in the Spanish American War which saw the Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico and the Philippines handed over to the United States reelected handily in a rematch against Brian in 1900 McKinley was poised for another four years of high popularity along with his second term vice president Theodore Roosevelt despite the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James Garfield in 1881 McKinley frequently chose to sideline his security detail so that the president could mingle with the American people any chance he could get during a long trip scheduled for the months following his second inauguration McKinley scheduled major speeches intending to promote his plan for more protective tariffs on foreign Goods culminating with a speech at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo New York when McKinley's wife Ida became Gravely ill on the cross-country train trip McKinley postponed his visit to the exposition finally making his way to Buffalo on September 5th 1901 on September 5th while McKinley and his wife disembarked their private car at the Buffalo train station Anarchist George chus made his first secretive attempt on the president's life but finding McKinley tooo well guarded he dropped back for a second attempt on September 6 an immigrant from Poland chalus regarded McKinley as a symbol of wealth and oppression Over The Working Man and when McKinley reached to shake chagas's hand in the reception line at the exposition chaus shot the president twice in the abdomen with a concealed pistol he kept wrapped in a linen napkin in the days following his injuries McKinley appeared to be recovering however he died of gang green on September 14th making him the third sitting American president to lose his life to an Assassin's bullet after chaus was executed by means of electrocution in 1906 Congress passed legislation designating the Secret Service as the agency in charge of all future presidential security Teddy Roosevelt born a sickly child in 18 58 New York City as a teenager Teddy Roosevelt took up weightlifting and gymnastics which transformed him into a strapping young man graduating Harvard College in 1880 Roosevelt studied law at Columbia University before his election to the New York State Assembly at age 23 losing both his wife and his mother on the same day in 1884 escaping overwhelming grief by spending the next 2 years at his Ranch in the bad lands of the Dakota territory upon his return to New York Roosevelt married his childhood sweetheart Edith Kermit Carroll raising six children over the coming years following an unsuccessful 1886 run for mayor of New York president Grover Cleveland awarded Roosevelt a job at the US Civil Service Commission followed by President William McKinley's Choice as assistant Secretary of the Navy where Roosevelt's participation with the Rough Riders made him a standout war hero following the end of the Spanish American war an image which won him the governor's office for the state of New York in 1900 after campaigning as William McKinley's running mate covering 24 States and some 21,000 mil by train McKinley won the White House after a landslide victory over Democrats William Jennings Bryan and adlay Stevenson following McKinley's assassination on September 6th 1901 42-year-old Teddy Roosevelt transformed the public image of the presidency with his Youth and vigor becoming the first president of the Progressive Era where he unfurled his Square Deal domestic program promising to mediate between the conflicting interests of capital and labor of isolationism and expansionism of land conservation and development all with the intent of stabilizing America American society Roosevelt's two terms in office witnessed the successful breakup of a railroad Monopoly under the Sherman anti trust act while mediating an equitable settlement of a coal miner strike in Pennsylvania he also set aside some 200 million Acres as protected National Forest while preserving 86 million Acres of ancestral Native American lands from a foreign policy standpoint Roosevelt coined the motto speak softly and carry a big stick which he applied liberally in his dealings in Latin America including the successful secession of Panama from Colombia which paved the way for the construction of the Panama Canal he also successfully medled in Affairs outside the Western Hemisphere winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations to end the Russo Japanese war of 1904 to 1905 which included Japan's acceptance of a an ongoing US military presence in the Philippines avowing not to run for a third term as president Roosevelt formed the progressive or Bull Moose Party in 1912 after President William Howard Taft failed to live up to his promises for Progressive reforms shot in the chest by a fanatic would be assassin while campaigning for president in Milwaukee Roosevelt quickly recovered at the same time losing his third bid for the White House to woodro Wilson due to Roosevelt's division of Republicans during a three-party election cycle he passed away on January 6th 1919 after suffering a pulmonary embolism in his sleep making Teddy Roosevelt one of the most dynamic leaders in American history Teddy Roosevelt and the river of Doubt 4 years after America's 20 six president left office a man averse to idle vacations Teddy Roosevelt and his son Kermit embarked on a perilous Journey Down the Amazon's Uncharted Rio de duv or river of Doubt an adventure that nearly cost the 55-year-old ex-president his life whether hurting cattle on his Ranch in the dtas or hunting cougar in Arizona even spending a year on Safari in Africa all of Roosevelt's Pursuits came with high levels of hardship and risk two components which he once famously termed as the strenuous life calling the trip as last chance to be a boy the two Roosevelts set out with veteran Brazilian Explorer Colonel candido Rondon and when the head of the American Museum of Natural History attempted to warn Roosevelt of the dangers that lay ahead Roosevelt replied if it is necessary for me to leave my bones in South America I am quite ready to do so so after completing a lecture tour of South America in late 1913 Roosevelt and Rondon set out with a small army of Porters scientists and explorers traveling by steamship to the remote Brazilian town of tapara poan before embarking on a two-month Overland Journey to the river of Doubt reaching the river in February of 1914 22 Intrepid explorers began their treacherous descent of the Uncharted River despite constant attacks by snakes alligators piranhas hostile indigenous people mosquitoes and stinging flies slowed by repeated waterfalls on the river the team of explorers were forced to either run the Rapids or Portage their Dugout canoes Overland but when Roosevelt's 23-year-old son decided to run one particularly dangerous Rapids on March 15th Kermit's canoe was into a hydraulic before plunging over a waterfall taking the life of a Brazilian named simplio Stu by hostile Natives and plagued by malaria dissenter and a troubling lack of supplies Roosevelt fell ill to malaria before slicing his leg open on a rock reaching a low point in early April after a porter named hulo shot and killed another man who had caught him stealing food when the team failed to capture the the murderer they simply abandoned him to certain death in the jungle their clothes reduced to rags Rosevelt weakened badly as the party survived on fish and hearts of palm losing a fourth of his body weight and now Delirious with fever and infection Roosevelt repeatedly implored the team to leave him behind to die but Kermit would have no part of that rowing his father to civilization on April 26th 19 194 after a 2-month journey that left every man thankful to be alive making Teddy Roosevelt's trip down the river of Doubt a life-altering adventure for the record books woodro Wilson born in 1856 Virginia wdro Wilson graduated Princeton in 1879 before attending UVA law School followed by a PhD from John's Hopkins before teaching jurist Prudence in politics at brinmar wesan in Princeton becoming the 13th president of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 during his time as an educator he also published the five volume history of the American people which romanticized both the Confederacy and the Klux Clan before winning the New Jersey governor's office in 19 1910 where he captured national attention as a progressive reformer at age 56 Wilson won the White House in 1912 in a landslide election over a divided Republican party becoming the last American president to arrive at his inauguration in a horsedrawn carriage during his first term in office Wilson's Progressive reforms included the Underwood Simmons act which reduceed tariffs on Imports while imposing a new federal income tax he also established the Federal Reserve to provide oversight over the nation's banking system and money supply as well as the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission for the policing of unfair business practices he also led the push for child labor laws while establishing an 8-hour workday for Railroad employees and a system of government loans for farmers on the downside however he reversed hard-fought gains for African-Americans by reega a number of federal agencies effectively undoing important gains in Racial equality since post Civil War reconstruction winning a second ter by a narrow electoral margin Wilson's campaign slogan he kept us out of war ended in early 1917 when Germany began the systematic sinking of us Merchant ships when us officials learned about the Zimmerman Telegram which exposed Germany's plot to draw Mexico into World War I on the side of Germany in exchange for land seated to the US after the Mexican American War on April 2nd 1917 Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany a decision which ultimately hastened the end of the first world war in a January 1918 speech to Congress Wilson outlined his 14 points to prevent future world wars proposing A League of Nations to arbitrate international disputes between nations a year later he helped to negotiate the Treaty of Versa at the Paris peace conference which placed untenable reparations on Germany and ultimately led to the second world war his second term also saw the ratification of the Volstead Act which brought prohibition to America on January 17th 1920 as well as passage at the 19th amendment that same year which gave women the right to vote leaving office in March of 1921 he passed away at his Washington DC home on February 3rd 1924 making the life in public policies of woodro Wilson a productive yet complex figure in 20th century history woodro Wilson's racist policies while woodo Wilson was lted by most Americans for his leadership during the first world war as well as his Progressive reforms for American Business and labor his upbringing in antibellum Virginia tainted his views on race and segregation which followed him all the way to the White House for instance in his five volume history series a history of the American people his written views on the institution of Slavery adheres to what historians have called a lost cause Narrative of the antibellum South insisting that slavery was a gentle Patrician affair while recasting the Civil War as an issue of states rights instead of slavy his recorded views on post Civil War reconstruction further illuminate his racist bent insisting that reconstruction placed southern white men under the Intolerable burden of governments sustained by the votes of ignorant Negroes while casting the klex clan as an invisible Empire of the south bound together in loose organization to protect the southern country from some of the ugliest hazards of a time of Revolution when Wilson entered the White House in 1913 he allowed the southern members of of his cabinet to segregate the treasury the post office the Bureau of Engraving and printing the Navy the interior the Marine Hospital the war department and the government printing office forcing the creation of separate offices lunchrooms and bathrooms for black federal employees at the same time crushing whatever gains African-Americans had made since the end of the Civil War in a surviving transcript regarding an oval office meeting with civil rights activists Webb DUIs and William Monroe Trotter whom Wilson angrily threw out of his office in 1914 Wilson argued that segregation is not humiliating but a benefit and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen since Wilson's racist views have surfaced institutions and politicians have grappled with this Legacy prompting Monmouth University officials in June of 2020 to announce their intentions to rename woodro Wilson Hall while after years of protests Princeton University plans to remove Wilson's name from its prestigious public policy School announcing that his segregationist sympathies and policies made Wilson an especially inappropriate namesake making the racist policies of woodro Wilson a backsliding disappointment for racial equality in early 20th century America wilsonianism as the horrors of World War I approached its final months of bloody conflict taking the lives of some 40 million people on January 8th 1918 President woodro Wilson outlined his now famous 14 points as a basis for ending the war while promoting world peace for future Generations woven into his 14 points was a call for democracy instead of authoritarian rule the later Wilson believed contributing greatly to the outbreak of the first world war he also called for conflict resolution bodies such as the League of Nations and the United Nations as well as an emphasis on the spread of capitalism and self-determination among nation states Wilson also called for collective security by means of a new sense of liberal internationalism in instead of isolationism including Freedom of the Seas open borders and an end to secret treaties between nations in his own words Wilson advocated for the general Association of Nations for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political Independence and territorial Integrity to great and small states alike and in a later speech to Congress that National aspirations must be respected while allowing people around around the world to be governed by their own consent Wilson's 14 Points launched an intense wave of optimism within Colonial ruled nations in Asia Africa and the Middle East elevating Wilson to an almost Godlike figurehead in colonial ruled states around the world prompting Indian nationalist Ganesh shangar vardi toale Wilson as the modern Apostle of Freedom optimism within Colonial ruled Nations proved short-lived however when the June 28th 1919 signing of the Treaty of versailes failed to end colonial rule of First World countries over third world Nations descending citizens of marginalized countries into a communal state of disillusionment and continued despair some historians have suggested that not only did the punitive demands the treaty placed on Germany lead directly to the second world war but the treaty's complete rejection of wilsonianism as Wilson's 14 points are known today led to a number of protest movements in colonial ruled Nations including the Egyptian revolution of 1919 Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement in India the March 1st movement in Korea and China's 1919 May 4th movement making WRA Wilson's 14 Points a telling missed opportunity for World Peace woodro Wilson hallucinates at the Paris peace Conference during the Spanish pandemic of 1918 like other presidents before and since his administration US President woodro Wilson attempted to downplay the disease as the deadly pathogen spread to every corner of the globe citing key evidence from Wilson's papers presidential historian tevy Troy called Wilson the worst us president in terms of handling a disaster Troy writes in his book entitled shall we wake the president two centuries of disaster management from the Oval Office the federal response to the influenza outbreak in 1918 can best be described as neglectful hundreds of thousands of Americans died without President Wilson saying anything or mobilizing non-military components of the US government to help the civilian population in April of 1919 while sailing to the big four peace talks in Paris Wilson and many of his staff contracted Spanish Flu including Wilson's daughter Margaret several members of his secret service Detachment Wilson's stenographer and his chief Usher while the big four were trying to resolve questions concerning German reparations the creation of the League of Nations and the threat of bolshevism Wilson's hallucinatory response to the flu and and its Associated high fever severely jeopardized the outcome of the talks as the president's illness worsened key AIDS became alarmed when the normally predictable Wilson began to blurt out unexpected orders on one occasion the president created a scene over pieces of furniture that had suddenly disappeared in his suet room even though nothing about the Furnishings had been moved the president further became convinced that he was surround Ed by French spies we could but surmise that something queer was happening in his mind Chief Usher irn Hoover later recalled one thing was certain Hoover goes on Wilson was never the same after his little spell of sickness Wilson's shift in mentation would forever impact the outcome of the Paris peace conference and ultimately the Treaty of Versa for while Wilson's initial stance was that the winners of World War I should go e easy on Germany to facilitate a lasting peace after coming down with influenza Wilson conceded to the Otherworld leaders demands setting the stage for a settlement so harsh and onerous to Germans that it became the leading rallying call for a revitalized German nationalism the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Advent of World War II woodro Wilson's White House sheep after the United States entered the first world war in 1917 President woodro Wilson appealed to average Americans to make personal sacrifices in support of the war effort using his bully pulpit to stoke American sense of patriotism and compassion for soldiers abroad through food rationing and other personal sacrifices in an attempt to lead by example the president in Lady Edith Wilson sacrificed with wheatless Mondays and meatless Tuesdays riding in their horsedrawn Carriage instead of an automobile to conserve fuel for the war effort setting a further example by encouraging American women to care for American fighting men overseas the first lady swed clothes for doughbys at a feverish Pace to further drive down taxpayer expense for maintaining the expansive Lawns that surrounded the White House in 1918 Dr Carrie Grayson a close friend in personal aid to the president purchased 12 sheep and four Lambs from William Woodward's Farm in nearby Buoy Maryland A Flock that not only trimmed the White House Lawns but also produced over 90 lbs of wool that was auctioned off for the Red Cross War Fund Raising more than $50,000 or slightly more than a million dollar in today's currency over the next three Summers the White House flock grew to 48 sheep until glaring problems arose due to an overabundance of destructive gluttonous sheep according to a Washington Post article the White House sheep grew increasingly spooked by the steady parade of cars that fed tourists past the White House for a glimpse at the president's sheet at the same time falling ill with pneumonia at the height of the Spanish Flu pandemic which infected more than one3 of the world's population while taking the lives of an estimated 50 million people they also tore up much of the back lawn of the White House prompting Wilson to move them to the front lawn after erecting fences to protect the flowers and trees which the Sheep managed to destroy anyway sold off in 1920 the legacy of Wilson's sheep lives on in his Presidential Library in Stanton Virginia making woodro Wilson the one and only American president to show his patriotism through sheep Warren G Harding born in 1865 Cora Ohio Warren G Harding graduated from the now defunct Ohio Central College in 1882 before moving to Marian and Landing a job as a reporter 3 years after marrying Florence cling to Wolf in 1881 Harding and several business partners purchased the struggling marry and Star newspaper turning it into a thriving success with the help of his wife's business Acumen and marketing skills winning an Ohio senate seat in 1898 for the next 5 years in 1904 Harding became Ohio's lieutenant governor for a 2-year stint before losing his own gubinatorial bid in 1910 gaining national attention following this nomination speech at the Republican National Convention for President William ta's second term Harding was elected to the US Senate in 1914 holding his seat until his election to the White House in 1921 alongside Massachusetts governor Calvin kulage as his running mate winning 60% of the popular vote and a landslide electoral margin advocating for a return to normaly following a nation's bloody involvement in the first world war Harding followed a pro business Conservative Republican agenda reducing taxes on corporations and Wealthy Americans while severely limiting immigration and imposing heavy import tariffs on Goods competing with American Industries he also signed the budget and accounting Act of 1921 which streamlined the Federal budet budget system while establishing the general Accounting Office to audit Federal expenditures at the same time hosting a postwar naval disarmament Summit for the world's leading powers of the day while Harding's cabinet appointments of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes were viewed as outstanding choices other cabinet members became embroiled in scandals and other misconduct and while Harding was never accused of misconduct Beyond alleged extramarital Affairs and alcohol consumption in the white house after his sudden death from a possible heart attack in 1923 His postumus Image was tarnished by such corrupt access the Teapot Dome scandal when interior secretary Albert Fall rented public lands to oil companies in exchange for lavish gifts and personal loans after his death in a San Francisco Hotel Harding's body was returned to Washington DC on a funeral train which Drew massive crowds of mourners Trackside as the train moved East for Harding's well attended funeral making the life and politics of Warren G Harding a tragic end for America's 29th president Herbert Hoover born born in West Branch Iowa in 1874 later to become the first US president born west of the Mississippi Herbert Clark Hoover was orphaned at age nine forced to move to Oregon to be raised by an uncle after attending Quaker schools up through High School Hoover studied geology at Stanford University before traveling the world in search of valuable mineral deposits growing Rich from his entrepreneurial mining operations that made him a multi-millionaire he married his college sweetheart Lou Henry in 1899 and together they raised two boys to adulthood after the start of World War I Hoover dedicated himself to humanitarian Works helping to repatriate 120,000 stranded American tourists caught in Europe when hostilities commenced later coordinating the delivery of food and supplies into Belgium following Germany's Invasion and occupation after President woodro Wilson appointed Hoover director of The Food Administration Hoover became a household name when he encouraged Americans to reduce their consumption of meat to ensure that adequate supplies of food and clothing could fully reach and support Allied troops in Europe at War's end Hoover earned worldwide a claim when he arranged shipments of food to destitute Europeans receiving thousands of thank you letters from those who had benefited from from what Europeans called Hoover lunches Hoover's success later earned him appointments in the Harding and coolage administrations finally ascending to the White House in the landslide presidential election of 1928 much to his bad fortune 7 months after taking office America entered the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 which forced unemployed Americans onto food lines and shanty towns that became known derisively as Hoover vills a political conservative Hoover believed strongly that excessive Federal intervention into the nation's failed economy posed a threat to capitalism causing most Americans to view Hoover as callous insensitive and uncaring over the plight of so many destitute Americans as a result Hoover was soundly defeated in the presidential election of 1932 ushering in Franklin D Rose velt who would become the only four-term president in American history after his single term in office Hoover became a prominent and persistent critic of FDR's new deal policies writing articles and books that warned against excessive power in the federal government he returned to public service in the 1950s serving on government efficiency commissions for the administrations of Harry S Truman and Dwight D Eisenhower he passed away at age 90 in 1964 at a time when his legacy had grown more favorable after Americans saw eight more years of Great Depression hardship despite Roosevelt's New Deal attempts to stimulate the economy FDR in the New Deal on March the 4th 1933 during the bleakest days of the Great Depression I newly elected President Franklin D Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural address before 100,000 people on Washington's Capital Plaza let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself after assuring Americans that he would wage a war against the emergency the following day Rosevelt declared a 4-day bank holiday day to stop people from withdrawing their money from teetering Banks and on March the 9th Congress passed Roosevelt's Emergency Banking Act which reorganized the banks and closed the ones that remained hopelessly insolvent in his first fireside chat Roosevelt urged Americans to put their savings back into Banks and by the end of the month almost 3/4 of All American Banks had reopened their doors during the first 100 days of of Roosevelt's first term in office FDR moved decisively to end prohibition by Amendment to the US Constitution followed by the signing of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act or TVA which allowed the federal government to build dams along the Tennessee River for both flood control and the generation of inexpensive hydroelectric power simultaneously Congress passed a bill that paid Farmers to fow their feed fields in order to end Agricultural surpluses and boost food prices the following month saw the enactment of the national industrial Recovery Act which guaranteed workers the right to unionize and negotiate for higher wages and better working conditions along with the passage of 12 other major laws almost every American found something to be pleased about and something to complain about in FDR's robust collection of bills but it was clear to everyone that FDR was engaging in the sort of direct and vigorous action he had promised in his inaugural address despite FDR's efforts to stimulate the economy the depression worsened with high unemployment and low wages obliging Roosevelt to launch a second more aggressive series of New Deal programs in the spring of 1935 known as the second new deal he created the works progress administ ation or WPA providing federally funded jobs for the unemployed which in turn improve the American infrastructure through the construction of post offices Bridges schools highways and parks along with additional legislation to protect labor unions in August of 1935 FDR signed the Social Security Act which guaranteed pensions for working Americans as well as unemployment insurance for workers laid off for reasons outside their own conduct or performance most historians concur that Roosevelt's New Deal era came to an abrupt end on December 8th 1941 when the United States entered World War II just one day after the Japanese bombed American Naval assets at Pearl Harbor the passing of FDR serving an unprecedented four terms in office President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had guided The American Nation through the darkest days of the Great Depression as well as through the majority of World War II it is my resolve and yours to build up our armed defenses on April 12th 1945 in what would become the final days of the war FDR passed away at his retreat in Warm Springs Georgia leaving vice president Harry S Truman in charge of a Nation Deep In conflict Roosevelt sat in his living room with his two cousins and Lucy Mercer the later having resumed an extramarital affair with the president while artist Elizabeth shatov painted his portrait at 1 p.m. the president suddenly complained of a terrific pain in the back of his head collapsing moments later into an unconscious Heap the victim of a massive cerebral aneurism back at the White House after Elanor Roosevelt was given the news she met with Vice President Truman who had not yet been told a common collected Elanor said Harry the president is dead to which he replied is there anything I can do for you Eleanor replied Harry is there anything we can do for you for you are the one in trouble now overseas American servicemen and women were made Numb by the news for the majority of the young Fighters had known no other president for the entirety of their lives as FDR's funeral train rolled across the southern Countryside people thr song for a last farewell to their wartime president in Washington DC FDR's mortal remains were paraded in honor to the capital where he was to lay in state after the formal National ceremonies were over he was buried in his hom toown of Hy Park New York following the only four-term presidency in American history Congress passed the 22nd Amendment which limited a sitting president to no more than two terms the amendment was passed on February Ary 27th 1951 Harry S Truman born in 1884 Missouri Harry S Truman saw action in France during the first world war returning home to win a judge seat in Jackson County Missouri before his election to the US Senate in 1934 during much of World War II Truman headed his senate committee focused on reducing waste and mismanagement in the US military which saved American taxpayers millions of dollars gaining popular notoriety during his time on the Truman committee as it became known FDR chose Truman as his running mate during his unprecedented fourth term in office passing away from a cerebral hamage 3 months into his term which in turn propelled Truman into the White House at a time when crucial leadership decision were required of a sitting president following Germany's surrender on May 8 1945 Truman attended the Potsdam Conference to determine the postwar fate of Germany and Europe and after Allied War planners estimated 1 million Allied lives would be lost during a ground invasion of the still belligerent Empire of Japan Truman gave his approval for the first nuclear bombs dropped on humans at Hiroshima and Nagasaki which ended the second world war when us Soviet relations soured after the end of War Truman adopted a policy of containment against the spread of Soviet back communism sparking the early years of the Cold War at the same time instituting the Marshall Plan which gave billions in Aid to rebuild and stimulate War ravaged Europe he also approved the Berlin airlift of 1948 after the Soviets blockaded vital supplies into Allied held parts of Berlin widely expected to lose his bid for a second term in office largely due to his failing popularity amid post-war labor disputes and shortages of consumer goods Truman won re-election over Republican Challenger Thomas dwey after undertaking a whirlwind campaign by train while as Fair Deal social reform agenda was largely blocked by conservatives in Congress he did in ining the Housing Act of 1949 as well as issuing executive orders to end segregation in the military and discrimination in federal jobs his second term also saw the creation of NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949 as well as the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 which erupted after North Korean communist forces invaded South Korea deciding not to seek a third term as president after Dwight D Eisenhower's Presidential Inauguration in January of 1953 Harry and his wife Bess returned home to Independence Missouri where Harry wrote his Memoirs and raised funds for the Harry S Truman Presidential Library which opened in Independence in 1957 he passed away on December 26th 1972 at 88 years of age making har S Truman one of the most impactful leaders of the 20th century the Truman Doctrine buried in debt caused by their participation in World War II in February of 1947 Britain announced to the United States that it could no longer provide military and economic aid to Turkey tury and Greece which led the Truman Administration to fear that both nations were under Threat by the Soviets for communist expansion and aggression leftist forces in Greece had conducted ongoing battles with the Greek Royal government since the end of World War II while the Soviets were pushing for greater control over the dard Nels which was a strategic Waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean in a speech delivered on March the 12th 1947 before a joint session of Congress President Harry S Truman pledged to contain the spread of Communism in both turkey and Greece declaring it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure he went on to say that Nations could adopt a way of of life based upon the will of the majority which allowed governments to provide guarantees of individual liberty or face an opposite way of life based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority considered by most historians to be the starting point of the Cold War Congress soon appropriated $400 million in Aid to both turkey and Greece while establishing US Cold War foreign policy in a proactive attempt to protect nations against communist aggression while Truman's logic successfully convinced many Americans that the United States was locked in a life and death struggle against the spread of Communism not everyone embraced the Truman Doctrine as gospel truth upon closer examination many saw that the Insurgency in Greece was supported by the Tito regime in Yugoslavia who was was in the process of breaking from the Soviets shortly after Truman's anti-communist declarations had been made while the Soviets were not demanding outright control over the dardel but were merely seeking assurances that they would not be denied access to the Waterway as the Nazis had done in World War II in the end despite Hefty infusions of cash into the economies of Greece and Turkey both Nations drifted into repressive right-wing regime in the Years following the Truman Doctrine setting the United States and the Soviet Union on a costly 40-year cold war path of puppet wars around the world all the while cloaked under the underlying fear of mutually assured nuclear destruction Dwight D Eisenhower born in 1890 Dennis in Texas Dwight D Eisenhower grew up in a poor family in abalene Kansas before attending West Point despite his mother's pacifist objections after marrying M Geneva da in 1916 Eisenhower served as a military aid to General John J persing during World War I followed by General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines from 1935 to 1939 until General George C Marshall called him to Washington to spearhead the successful Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II followed by the amphibious invasion of Sicily and the Italian mainland in 1943 In late 1943 Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the Allied expeditionary force in Europe where his astute leadership called for Air Supremacy over the German LOF wafa which then led to the June 6 1944 D-Day invasion of five beaches in Normandy France when 150,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel before fighting their way to the liberation of Paris on August 25th 1944 followed by VE Day on May 8th 1945 World War II ended after nuclear detonations over Hiroshima and Nagasaki despite Eisenhower's adamant objection to the use of nuclear weapons on a Japanese Nation clearly on the brink of surrender returning home to a hero was welcome Eisenhower served a short stin as president of Columbia University until President harrius Truman tapped him out to command the newly formed North Atlantic Treaty Organization or nato in 1950 intended to combat communist aggression abroad winning the White House with running mate Richard M Nixon in 1953 Eisenhower's two terms in office witnessed numerous legislative victories despite a democratic majority in Congress six out of his eight years in office leading to the creation of the department of health education and Welfare a strengthened Social Security Administration and the passage of the national interstate and defense highways Act of 1956 which led to the construction of 41,000 Mi of interstate highways Across the Nation he also signed an Armistice ending the Korean War while deciding against an air strike to rescue French troops from emminent defeat at denb Fu Vietnam leaving office with a Stern yet largely overlooked warning against an escalating military-industrial complex during the peak years of the Cold War he passed away from congestive heart failure at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on March 28th 1969 ending the life of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century JFK the first tele telion president in January 1961 when the newly minted president and his first lady emerged from the White House they ushered in a new era in Washington which would later become known as The Age of Camelot the Public's fascination with Jackie Kennedy began during the presidential campaign of 1959 and 1960 when the growing influence of televised news news coverage placed Jack and Jackie in nearly every American household while less than 20% of households owned a single television in 1950 by the beginning of the next decade nearly 90% of American homes contained one or more TVs elevating the first couple to Role Model status regarding what American families could look like the couple's appeal extended well beyond the United States particularly Jackie who became an International Celebrity when she accompanied the president to Europe I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy at to Paris and I've enjoyed it back at home due to the broad reach of television news reporting the kennedies projected the image of a thriving All-American family and while Jackie was well aware of her husband's long-standing reputation as a womanizer even before she married him the couple projected a squeaky clean auro with the American public the image would hold throughout his shortened presidency in life despite his many rumored Affairs and the fact that his entire life had been plagued by illnesses and a debilitating degenerative spinal condition which required him to wear a back brace along with a 6-in wide elastic bandage wrapped around his upper legs in lower torso television cameras followed the first couple during their frequent escapes from the pressures of washing Washington when the iconic Duo invited close friends to relax near the president's hyannisport family Compound on Cape Cod many historians believe that John Kennedy's appeal before the American people was a combination of Dashing good looks a subtle blending of style and substance combined with an oratory panach rarely achieved by sitting presidents before or since his administration and so my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your [Music] country in the final months of JFK's life the president had finally achieved what poet Robert Frost urged him to do during Kennedy's January 1961 inauguration which was to marry poetry to power forever cementing the days of Camelot into the fabric of American history the television camera became JFK's ticket to National stardom which he used to his favor in the first generation of televised Politics As for the origins of Kennedy's enduring Mystique it was Jackie Kennedy who a week after her husband's assassination compared their time in the White House to Camelot JFK's isine Berliner speech after the surrender of Germany near the end of World War II Berlin and the whole of Germany was divided between the Communist East and the Democratic West causing Soviet leader Nikita kusf to call West Berlin a bone in my throat further vowing to eradicate this Splinter from the heart of Europe when KF later threatened to restrict Western access to West Berlin in a vised address to the nation on July 25th 1961 President John F Kennedy pushed back at the Soviet leaders threat announcing a major military buildup in Western held Germany further declaring that any attack on West Berlin would be viewed as an attack on the United States as the Cold War reached its Zenith years less than 7 months after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis and an equal number of months before JFK's assassination on June 26th 1963 after the young president viewed the Berlin wall and the barrenness of East Berlin he rejected a script written by his speech writers Penning his own words for an address before an enthusiastic crowd of West berliners a speech that would Galvanize his presidency at the same time highlighting his staunch defense of democracy and self-determination there are many people in the world who really don't understand or say they don't what is the great issue between the Free World and the Communist World let them come to Berlin there are some who say there are some who say that communism is the wave of the future let them come to Berlin Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in to prevent them from leaving us for it is as your Mar has said an offense not only against history but an offense Against Humanity separating families dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters and dividing a people who wish to be joined together freedom is indivisible and when one man is enslaved all are not free all all free men wherever they may live are citizens of Berlin and therefore as a free man I take pride in the words ish bin beina the assassination of John F Kennedy with election season fast approaching on November 22nd 1963 first lady Jacqueline Kennedy joined her husband on a 10mi motorcade through Dallas Texas in a convertible Lincoln Continental limousine waving to an enthusiastic crowd that ly the Parade route along for the ride said Texas governor John Connelly and his wife Nelly when at 12:30 in the afternoon as their limo passed the Texas School Book Depository building three shots rang out from a sixf floor window ending the life of the 35th President of the United States and seriously wounding Governor [Music] Connelly from Dallas Texas The Flash apparently official President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time 2:00 Eastern Standard Time some 38 minutes ago vice president Lyndon Johnson has left the hospital in uh Dallas but we do not know uh to where he has proceeded a flash from Dallas two priests who were with President Kennedy say he is dead of bullet wounds this is the latest information we have from Dallas I will repeat with the greatest regret two priests who were with President Kennedy say he has died of bullet wounds John F Kennedy died at approximately 1:00 central standard time today here in Dallas for those Americans alive at the time the tragic murder of the commander-in-chief gutted a nation to its core passing away at Parkland Hospital at the still young age of 46 at 2:39 that same afternoon vice president lynon Baines Johnson took the presidential oath aboard Air Force 1 as it sat on the runway at Dallas Love Field in front of 30 eyewitnesses including Jackie Kennedy who still wore clothes stained with her dead husband's blood 7 minutes later later Air Force One departed Dallas for its return flight to Washington carrying with it the slain president's body less than an hour after JFK's murder 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald took the life of Dallas police officer JD tibit who had stopped Oswald near the suspect's Dallas rooming House 2 days later while Oswald was being moved from Dallas Police Headquarters to a more secure location the suspected assassin was himself slain by strip club owner Jack Ruby which in turn laid the groundwork for years of speculation and conspiracy theories regarding who ordered the president's assassination on November 25th 1963 a nation came together to mourn the loss of a dynamic American Icon as Kennedy's HRA Quon traveled from the US capital to a requium mass at St Matthew's Cathedral before leaders from 92 countries followed his keson to Arlington National Cemetery where he was buried with full military honors on a slope below Arlington House at the request of his widow Jacqueline lit an eternal flame which still Burns to this day in honor of the Fallen president making the assassination of John F Kennedy AE foreshadowing of a nation's violent years to come lynnden Baines Johnson born in 1908 Central Texas lynen Baines Johnson graduated from Southwest State Teachers College while paying for his education by teaching disadvantaged Mexican-American students in South Texas providing young Johnson with a firsthand Taste of poverty and discrimination that would would later bear fruit for a nation's disadvantage poor moving to Washington DC as a congressional secretary for Texas representative Richard Kleberg Johnson met and married Claudia Alta ladybird Taylor who would later become a critical part of Johnson's political success his political career took off in Earnest in 1937 when he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat becoming the first member M of Congress to volunteer into the military when the United States entered World War II in 1941 serving as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy until all members of Congress were recalled to Washington in the summer of 1942 elected to the US Senate in 1948 by a narrow margin of just 87 votes Johnson became a driving force in congress with his knack for pushing through key pieces of legislation serving first as the minority leader of the Senate followed by Senate Majority Leader when Democrats took control of Congress in 1955 despite Bad Blood between Johnson and the kennedies in 1960 John F Kennedy asked Johnson to be his running mate for his successful bid for the White House only to be sworn in as president following JFK's assassination on November 22nd 1963 an event which gutted a nation to its core Johnson quickly declared a war on poverty in America pushing Congress to pass legislation addressing illiteracy unemployment and racial discrimination winning a second term by more than 15 million votes over Republican candidate Barry Goldwater Johnson launched his Great Society Campaign which created Medicare and Medicaid and federal health insurance for the elderly and the poor at the same time combating ongoing Jim Crow racial Prejudice by signing the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a firm believer in the now discredited domino theory regarding the spread of Communism Johnson's escalation of the Vietnam War made him widely unpopular with the American voting public leading to his decision not to run for reelection in the presidential season of 1968 and I will he retired to his Ranch in Texas to write his Memoir and to establish his Presidential Library passing away from a heart attack on January 22nd 1973 making the life and politics of Lynden Baines Johnson a mixed bag of social advances on the homefront amidst a deepening war in Southeast Asia the Watergate scandal in 1972 when Richard Milhouse Nixon began campaigning for a second term in office Americans were politically divided over the Vietnam War leading Nixon's advisers to employ aggressive and quite illegal campaigning techniques which saw members of Nixon's committee to reelect the president known derisively as creep to break into the Democratic National committee's headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington DC bugging phone lines and copying top secret documents in an effort to gain an upper hand on their political Rivals when the wir Taps began to fail however on June 17th of that same year five burglars were caught red-handed as they prepared for a second Breakin leading detectives to find evidence on the men including a phone number to an office in the White House people have got to know whether or not their president's a well I'm not [Music] a over the next two years the truth would be revealed through the efforts of a senate investigating committee led by trial judge John Sia and an independent special prosecutor named archal Cox along with two investigative reporters from The Washington Post named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein aided by an anonymous whistleblower code named deep throat later revealed in 2005 to be Mark felt a former associate director at the FBI Woodward and Bernstein exposed hush money payments to seven burglars linked directly to the White House as well as Nixon's push to have the CIA impede investigative efforts by the FBI when White House Council John Dean testified before the Senate's investigative committee about Nixon's insistence on taping all conversations to and from the Oval Office lawmakers began a full court press demanding that Nixon hand over all tapes in question in what became known as the Saturday night Massacre when Cox refused to back down on his demands on October 20th 1973 Nixon ordered his firing which in turn LED several Justice Department officials to resign in protest matters worsened in March the following year when a special grand jury indicted seven former aids to the president followed by a July order by the Supreme Court demanding that Nixon hand over all his tapes and when Nixon dragged his feet on the matter the house Judiciary Committee voted to impeach the president on charges of obstruction of justice abuse of power as well as criminal violations to the Constitution cornered and out of options Nixon released the tapes on August 5th 1974 which exposed irrefutable evidence of his complicity 3 Days Later Nixon would become the first sitting American President to resign from office I have never been a quitter to leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every Instinct in my body but as president I must put the interests of America First therefore I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow a day later Nixon would leave Washington for his adopted city of San Clemente California living quietly and largely out of the Public's eye until his death on April 22nd 1994 making the Watergate scandal a Shakespearean tragedy come to life the resignation of Richard Milhouse Nixon born into a poor family in Southern California Richard Nixon would go on to graduate from Duke University School of Law followed by a succession of political offices including congressman and later senator from California followed by 8 years as vice president under President Dwight de Eisenhower elected into office as the 37th president in 1969 Nixon's 5-year presidency saw the conclusion of us involvement in the Vietnam war dayon with the Soviet Union and China and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency as well as presiding over the Apollo 11 moon landing during his second term in office Nixon's presidency would disintegrate under the Watergate scandal which stemmed from the Nixon administration's repeated attempts to cover up its involvement in the failed Breakin of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington DC after the five break-in perpetrators were arrested two reporters from The Washington Post and the US justice department connected the cash found on the men at the time of the Breakin to Nixon's reelection Campaign Committee a clear violation of campaign funding law during his resultant impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives the US Supreme Court ruled that Nixon was mandated to releases Oval Office tapes to government investigators which would later reveal Nixon's direct attempts to cover up activities that took place after the Watergate break-in while attempting to use federal officials to derail the investigation against him on August 9th 1974 in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from Office Richard Nixon became the only sitting President to resign from office we leave proud of the people who have stood by us and worked for us and serve this country we want you to be proud of what you've done we want you to continue to serve in government if that is your wish always give your best never get discouraged never be Petty always remember Others May hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them and then you destroy yourself just think how much you're going to be missing you don't have Nixon to kick around anymore Gerald Ford born in 1913 Omaha Nebraska Gerald Ford became a standout football player during his high school years in Grand Rapids Michigan attending the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship that earned him a degree in economics followed by a law degree from Yale University after serving aboard an aircraft carrier in World War II Ford married his wife D in 1948 before winning a seat in the US House of Representatives where he served with distinction for 25 years including 8 years as House minority leader from 1965 to 1973 in 1972 as pressure began to mount on President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal vice president speo agu stepped down due to unrelated charges of tax evasion and accepting bribes prompting Nixon to invoke his power under the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution appointing Ford as his new vice president when Nixon chose to resign from office rather than face an impeachment trial on August 9th 1974 Gerald Ford became the first unelected president in American history declaring in his inaugural address that our long National nightmare is over and that the constitution works because our great Republic is a government of laws and not men during his two years as President Ford oversaw the fall of Saigon when he was unable to convince a Democrat majority Congress to approve further military aid he also oversaw a domestic energy crisis and a weak economy marred by runaway inflation and high unemployment while his controversial pardon of Nixon left many Americans believing that Ford had reached the Oval Office under a pre-arranged deal in 1976 Ford lost a close election to Democrat Jimmy Carter and although he stated that he had planned to retire from Congress that same year anyway he also said that he was pleased to help the American people emerged from the shadow of Watergate with a renewed sense of trust in democratically elected officials Ford remained active in retirement sitting on a multitude of major corporate boards while giving speeches and staying actively engaged in his passions for golf and downhill skiing known for his clumsiness in truth Ford was one of the most accomplished athletes of any American president having won two back-to-back National Football Championships in 1932 and 1933 as a grid iron standout during his student years at Michigan awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1999 americ America's highest civilian honor he passed away at the age of 93 the day after Christmas 2006 the oldest sex president at the time of his death making Gerald Ford's presidency the fifth shortest in American history but also one of Integrity compassion and National healing Jimmy Carter born in 192 24 Plains Georgia Jimmy Carter served as a Submariner in the US Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy resigning as commissioned to run the family Peanut Farm after his father passed away in 1953 becoming a vocal opponent of racial segregation during the Civil Rights Movement Carter's activism went him a seat in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 followed by his Ascension to Georgia Governor from 1970 to 1975 a year later the politically unknown Outsider narily defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford to become the nation's 39th president of the United States following his inauguration in January of 1977 Carter's presidency would see the creation of the Departments of energy and education a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel known as the Camp David Accords the Handover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control and the salt 2 strategic arms limitations talks on the downside however his single term presidency became overwhelmed by high inflation high unemployment and tepid economic growth other overshadowing events included the 1979 energy crisis the 3M Island nuclear accident and the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 not to mention GE political challenges such as the Nicaraguan Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan further escalating the Cold War when Carter ended dayon by imposing a grain embargo against the Soviets Carter's gloomy yet honest Outlook was rejected by voters in the landslide presidential election of 1980 which propelled Ronald Reagan's telegenic optimism into office in January of 1981 in the decades following his exit from public service Carter founded the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights which won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 authoring over 30 books ranging from political Memoirs to poetry Carter has traveled extensively to oversee peace negotiations and election monitoring around the world contributing greatly to the advance of disease prevention and eradication in developing countries while as charitable Works have made him the face of Habitat for Humanity for over 30 years leading with steadiness courage and idealism while in office Jimmy Carter and his predecessor Gerald Ford have been credited with restoring faith in the American presidency after the corrupt years of Richard Nixon making Jimmy Carter a National Treasure and role model for humanitarians everywhere Ronald Reagan born on February 6 1911 in tampo Illinois Ronald Reagan grew up to attend high school in nearby Dixon before working his way through Eureka College at Eureka he studied economics and sociology played on the football team and honed his acting skills in school productions upon graduation he became a radio sports announcer followed by a screen test in 1937 that won him a contract in Hollywood leading to a two decades long acting career that spanned 53 films anyway that is what I came over to talk about that's strange I thought gab's welfare was your only reason for coming here I'm getting tired of telling you you're beautiful but I'm not getting tired of hearing it what the marvelous thing about you you're the only person in the world who likes my dialogue as president of the Screen Actors Guild Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry during the McCarthy era which helped to shift his political views from Liberal to conservative he toured the country as a television host becoming a spokesman for conservatism in 1966 he was elected governor of California by a margin of a million votes only to be reelected in 1970 by another Landslide margin Ronald Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush fearful over runaway inflation and the year-long Iran hostage crisis voters went in big for Reagan who won 489 election electoral votes to Jimmy Carter's 49 assuming office on January 20th 1981 only 69 days into his first term he was shot by a wouldbe assassin while he recovered quickly from his injuries his grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar propelling him to a second term victory over Democratic Challengers Walter mandale and Geraldine Ferraro by its very existence and character Berlin Remains the most compelling argument for an open world we're reminded of the many traditions of openness and democracy that have marked the history of this city Amer missed [Applause] me Reagan's two terms as president oversaw the return of prosperity at home as well as Resolute for foreign policy objectives achieved through his peace through strength initiative abroad from his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman he had two children Moren and Michael while in 1952 he married screen actress Nancy Davis raising two more children Patricia Anne and Ronald Prescott Reagan was the oldest first-term US president in history during his time a distinction he held until 2017 when Donald Trump was inaugurated at age 70 Reagan passed away on June the 5th 2004 after struggling for years with Alzheimer's disease Mr gorbachov tear down this wall after years of economic Decline and a rising awareness by Average Joe Russians that the Soviet political Elites ate caviar in their docas while Average Joe stood hungry in food lines the Soviet Union's Ironclad grip over her citizens began to crumble by the late 1980s fully aware of the failing state of the Soviet economy in 1985 General Secretary male gorbachov began to usher in reforms that would move his Nation from strict Marxist leninist communism to social democracy sensing change in the soviet's core ideology of after 40 Years of budget draining Cold War US President Ronald Reagan called out gorbachov during a 1987 speech near the Berlin wall that divided communist East Berlin from democratic West Berlin behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe General Secretary gorbachov if you seek peace if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe if you seek liberalization come here to this gate Mr garbatov Open this gate [Applause] [Music] Mr gorbachov teared down this Waller two years later on the 9th of November 1987 East German politician Gunther schabowski inadvertently triggered the fall of the Berlin wall when at a live press conference he read a draft bill just passed by the East German government which eased restrict on the rights of citizens to immigrate to the West when asked by reporters when these more lenient measures would take effect chabowski answered immediately known by Germans as der Mau when the news broke people amassed on both sides of the Berlin Wall celebrating the end of their divided City for the first time in 26 years early breach attempts to the wall met with only mild resistance from border guards which ushered in a full reunion as people freely crossed through Checkpoint Charlie the following ing morning after berliners had chipped away at the wall for souvenirs the Wall came down in Earnest when excavators were brought in to officially bring the wall to its highly anticipated end George HW Bush born in 1924 Milton Massachusetts the son of Senator Prescott Bush George HW Bush attended the elite Phillips Academy in Andover until Japan's unprovoked attack on American Naval assets at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 enlisting into the Navy on his 18th birthday Bush became the youngest Naval fighter pilot during World War II flying 58 combat missions including a September 2nd 1944 bombing run over the Japanese island of shishima when his TBM event was shot down by enemy aircraft fire the only Survivor of three aviators Bush floated in the Pacific Ocean for 4 hours until he was rescued by the USS finback a gotass submarine marrying his prep school sweetheart Barbara Pierce in January of 1945 Bush graduated from Yale with an economics degree before starting an oil and gas exploration company in 1953 which ultimately made him a wealthy man elected to the US House of Representatives in 1966 Bush would later be appointed as US ambassador to the United Nations headed the Republican National Committee during the Watergate scandal us Envoy at China and director of the CIA before running for president in 1980 losing his party's nomination Bush became the two-term vice president under Ronald Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1989 winning the White House during the election cycle of 1988 against Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis during his one-term presidency Bush skillfully handled complex Foreign Affairs including the fall of the Berlin wall and the removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Nora from power when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on August 2nd 1990 Bush's Swift response during two offensives known as Desert Shield and Desert Storm gave him one of the highest approval ratings in American presidential history losing to Bill Clinton in the presidential election cycle of 1992 due to a failing economy and perceptions that he was out of touch with average Americans Bush remained active in retirement until his death on November 30th 2018 leaving behind a legacy example of patriotism and Leadership and there you have it American Presidents today in the daily dose today's daily dose documentary is brought to you by Plato peach.com a lesson planning tool leveraging content like this and much more for educators and homeschooling parents check out the description for more information so that you too can teach 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