Discover how the Oval Office’s occupants have made and make history

Which one was the tallest? Which one fought a duel? Which had liquor smuggled into the White House during Prohibition? And why is the president even called the president in the first place? From periwigs and knee breeches to the 24-hour news cycle and presidential Tweets, the fascinating and colorful stories of the 45 incumbents are a powerful lens through which to view U.S. history and get insight into the present.

Taking readers on a fact-filled journey through two centuries, this book examines how each individual obtained their dream (or nightmare) position, what they stood for (or against), achieved (or didn’t), and how their actions affected the country—for better or worse. And—remembering that presidents are people too—it shows how the personal really can be political, exploring how each president’s vision, strengths, and foibles helped or hindered them in building the country and their own legacy.

Accessible biographies of all presidents
Sidebars, timelines, and photos
Lists of best and worst administrations
Bonus online content, including quizzes galore to help build retention

Whether you’re a student, a history buff—or are even interested in becoming president yourself one day—U. S. Presidents For Dummies is the perfect guide to what it takes to be leader of the free world, who has stepped up to that challenge, and how those personal histories can help us understand yesterday’s, today’s, and even tomorrow’s union.

Marcus A. Stadelmann, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science and History at the University of Texas at Tyler. He received his PhD from the University of California at Riverside and has subsequently taught at universities in California, Utah, and Texas.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Understanding U.S. Presidents 5

Chapter 1: Presidents and the Presidency 7

Establishing the First U.S. Government 7

Facing problems 8

Writing a constitution 8

Drawing up the presidency 9

Interpreting presidential powers 12

Examining Presidential Influence on the Presidency 12

Challenging Congress: Andrew Jackson 13

Creating the imperial presidency: Franklin Roosevelt 13

Dethroning the imperial presidency: Richard Nixon 14

Restoring the imperial presidency: George W Bush 15

Perfecting the Power to Shape Public Opinion 16

Persuading the people 16

Making use of the media 16

Performing Many Roles: Today’s President 18

Chapter 2: Presidential Rankings and Evaluations 19

Evaluating the Presidents 20

Policy leadership 21

Crisis management 21

Presidential appointments 22

Foreign standing 22

Character and integrity 23

Public persuasion 23

Presidential vision 24

Ranking U.S Presidents 24

Explaining results 26

Changing rankings over time 27

Part 2: Starting with Known Quantities: Washington to John Quincy Adams 29

Chapter 3: Starting Well with George Washington 31

Washington’s Early Career 31

Proving his prowess in the military 33

Turning to politics 33

Fighting for Independence 34

Designing the New Country 36

President George Washington (1789–1797) 36

Dealing with the Issues of the Day 37

Passing the Bill of Rights 38

Splitting into two parties 39

Running unopposed for a second term 40

Establishing a policy of neutrality 41

Quelling civil strife 41

Stepping Down 42

Retiring Briefly 43

Chapter 4: The Authoritarian and the Philosopher: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson 45

Founding the Country and Almost Destroying It: John Adams 46

Adams’s early career 46

Representing the new country 47

Running for president 49

President John Adams (1797–1801) 50

Losing the presidency in 1800 53

Master of Multitasking: Thomas Jefferson 54

Jefferson’s early political career 55

President Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) 58

Keeping busy in retirement 61

Chapter 5: Prominent but Ineffective: Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams 63

James Madison: From Founding Father to Presidential Flop 64

Madison’s early career 65

Serving in Congress 67

Returning to national politics 68

Fighting the British for the last time 68

Changing policies and retiring 69

Succeeding Abroad, Failing at Home: James Monroe 69

Monroe’s early career 70

Serving well: Monroe’s foreign policy 72

Serving not so well: Monroe’s domestic policy 73

Running unopposed 74

Calling it quits after two terms 74

Like Father, Like Son: John Quincy Adams 75

Getting elected at home 76

Going back to Europe 76

Picked by the House 78

President John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) 78

Going back to Congress 79

Part 3: Enduring the Best and the Worst: Jackson to Buchanan 81

Chapter 6: Standing Firm: Andrew Jackson 83

Jackson’s Early Career 83

Going to war 84

Saved by a political enemy 85

Suffering through the Stolen Election of 1824 86

President Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) 87

Dealing with states’ rights and tariffs 88

Hating banks 89

Forcing Native Americans west 90

Getting tough with France 91

Cruising toward reelection 91

Deciding what to do with Texas 92

Reaching retirement 93

Chapter 7: Forgettable: Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and Tyler 95

Martin Van Buren, Master of Politics 96

Going from law to politics 97

Establishing a political machine 98

Politicking at the national level 98

President Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) 101

Losing badly in 1840 102

Staging a minor comeback and retiring 103

The Founder of the Image Campaign: William Henry Harrison 103

Using politics and militia against Native Americans 104

Focusing on politics 105

President William Henry Harrison (1841–1841) 106

Stepping into the Presidency: John Tyler 107

Supporting states’ rights and slavery 108

Balancing the ticket; becoming president 109

President John Tyler (1841–1845) 109

Dying a Confederate 110

Chapter 8: Dreaming of California: James K Polk 111

Young Hickory 111

Polk’s Early Political Career 112

Texas to the Rescue 113

Keeping His Campaign Simple 114

President James Polk (1845–1849) 115

Establishing a treasury system 115

Expanding north and south 116

Winning the War but Losing the Battle 118

Choosing Not to Run Again 119

Chapter 9: Working Up to the Civil War: Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan 121

Trying to Preserve the Union: Zachary Taylor 122

Fighting Native Americans and Mexicans 122

President Zachary Taylor (1849–1850) 124

Serving for just one year 125

Making Things Worse: Millard Fillmore 125

Fillmore’s early career 126

President Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) 127

Turning racist 128

Sympathizing with the South: Franklin Pierce 128

A Northern Democrat with a Southern soul 129

Pierce’s early political career 129

President Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) 130

Controversial to the end 132

Failing to Save the Union: James Buchanan 132

Buchanan’s early career 134

President James Buchanan (1857–1861) 134

Sitting by through secession 136

Part 4: Becoming a Force in the World: Lincoln to Hoover 137

Chapter 10: Preserving the Union: Abraham Lincoln 139

Lincoln’s Early Political Career 140

Getting ready for the national level 141

Studying law on the side 141

A Star Is Born 142

Annoying everyone 142

Voting his conscience on slavery 143

Debating his way to national prominence 143

President Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) 144

Dealing with secession 146

Confronting the Confederacy 147

The Civil War 147

Issuing the Emancipation Proclamation 149

Motivating the Confederacy 150

Drafting soldiers: North and South 151

Addressing the crowds at Gettysburg 152

Lincoln’s Short Second Term 153

Offering terms of surrender 154

Serving briefly 154

Chapter 11: Reconstructing the Country: Johnson, Grant, and Hayes 155

From Poverty to the Presidency: Andrew Johnson 156

Getting into politics: Johnson’s early career 156

Acting on his prejudices 157

President Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) 158

Enter a War Hero: Ulysses Simpson Grant 162

Grant’s early career 163

Becoming a war hero 164

Entering politics 165

President Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869–1877) 165

Passing on a third term 166

Corruption Leads to an Uncorrupt President: Rutherford Birchard Hayes 167

Hayes’s early career 167

Governing Ohio 168

President Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877–1881) 168

Chapter 12: Closing Out the Century: Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison 173

A Promising President Is Assassinated: James Abram Garfield 174

Garfield’s early political career 174

President James Abram Garfield (1881–1881) 175

Being assassinated 176

The Unexpected President: Chester Alan Arthur 177

Arthur’s early political career 178

Staging the comeback of his life 178

President Chester Alan Arthur (1881–1885) 179

Making History by Serving Nonconsecutive Terms: Grover Cleveland 180

Cleveland’s early political career 181

President Stephen Grover Cleveland (1885–1889 and 1893–1897) 182

Serving again 184

Retiring to Princeton 186

The Spoiled Republican: Benjamin Harrison 186

Harrison’s early political career 186

President Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) 189

Losing in 1892 190

Returning to his legal career 190

Chapter 13: Influencing the World: McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft 191

Discarding Isolationism: William McKinley 192

Being a loyal Republican 192

President William McKinley (1897–1901) 194

Getting reelected and assassinated 196

Building a Strong Foreign Policy: Theodore Roosevelt 197

Becoming governor of New York and vice president 200

President Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) 200

Winning reelection in 1904 203

Saying no to a third term 204

Becoming a Bull Moose 205

Retiring for good 206

The President Who Hated Politics: William Howard Taft (1909–1913) 206

Taft’s early career 208

President William Howard Taft (1909–1913) 209

Beating the odds and accomplishing quite a bit 210

Losing the presidency, gaining the Supreme Court 210

Chapter 14: Protecting Democracy: Woodrow Wilson 213

Studying Government 213

Breaking into Politics in New Jersey 215

Governing New Jersey 215

Running for president in 1912 216

President Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) 216

Managing the media 218

Establishing a moral foreign policy 219

Being Drawn into the War 221

Winning reelection and preparing for war 222

Entering World War I 223

Getting the public involved 223

Making the Peace 224

Advocating Fourteen Points 224

Traveling to Europe 225

Losing the peace at home 225

Serving out his term 226

Chapter 15: Roaring through the ’20s with Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover 227

Living the High Life: Warren G Harding 227

Harding’s early political career 228

Becoming president by default 230

President Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921–1923) 230

Dying suddenly 232

Quietly Doing Nothing: John Calvin Coolidge 232

Coolidge’s early career 232

President Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) 234

Serving a second term 235

Choosing not to run 235

A Great Humanitarian, but a Bad President: Herbert Hoover 236

Hoover’s early career 237

President Herbert Clark Hoover (1929–1933) 239

Staying active in retirement 241

Part 5: Instituting the Imperial Presidency: Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon 243

Chapter 16: Boosting the Country and Bringing Back Beer: Franklin D Roosevelt 245

Roosevelt’s Early Political Career 246

Serving in the executive branch 247

Overcoming polio 247

Governing New York 248

Preparing for the presidency 248

Winning in 1932 249

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–1945) 249

Rescuing the economy 250

Fighting the Supreme Court in term two 253

Winning a Third Term, Facing a World War 254

Fighting isolationism 254

Dealing with neutrality 255

Helping democracy survive 256

Creeping closer to war 256

Fighting World War II 257

Winning the War 257

Running and Winning One More Time 258

Pondering postwar problems 258

Dying suddenly 259

Chapter 17: Stopping the Buck at Harry Truman 261

Truman’s Early Political Career 261

Entering the Senate 263

Making his mark in the Senate 263

Receiving the vice-presidential nomination 264

President Harry S Truman (1945–1953) 264

Getting up to speed on the war effort 265

Stopping the spread of communism and recognizing Israel 267

Reforming the country 269

Defeating Dewey in 1948 271

Hating His Second Term 272

Losing China to communism 272

Fighting in Korea 273

Succeeding at home 273

Ceding to Stevenson 274

Chapter 18: Liking Ike: Dwight David Eisenhower 277

Eisenhower’s Early Military Career 277

Getting ready for World War II 278

Liberating France 279

Finishing off Germany 279

Retiring from the Military 280

Defending NATO 280

Squeaking by 280

Campaigning in 1952 281

President Dwight David Eisenhower (1953–1961) 281

Dealing with the Brown vs the Board of Education case 282

Managing military matters 283

Changing foreign policy 285

Running for reelection 286

Staying active in retirement 288

Chapter 19: Fulfilling Family Expectations: John Fitzgerald Kennedy 291

Kennedy’s Early Political Career 291

Serving in the Senate 293

Campaigning for the presidency 293

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961–1963) 295

Changing Foreign Policy 296

Dealing with arms and the U.S.S.R 296

Helping the Third World: Creating the Peace Corps 297

Stepping into the Bay of Pigs 297

Building a wall in Berlin 298

Increasing U.S. involvement in Vietnam 299

Attending to Domestic Policy 299

Pushing for civil rights 299

Heading to the moon 300

A Promising Life Cut Short 301

Chapter 20: Fighting for Might and Right: Lyndon Johnson 303

Johnson’s Early Political Career 304

Serving in the House of Representatives 305

Trying for the Senate 305

Serving in the Senate 306

Becoming vice president and president 307

President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–1969) 308

Honoring Kennedy’s agenda 308

Pushing his own agenda: The Great Society 309

Getting involved in Vietnam 311

Chapter 21: Covering Up: Richard Nixon 315

Nixon’s Early Political Career 316

Pursuing communists in the House 317

Red-baiting his way to the Senate 317

Delivering California and being chosen vice president 317

Serving as vice president 318

Losing the Presidential Race in 1960 319

Contending from Coast to Coast 319

President Richard Milhous Nixon (1969–1974) 320

Ending the war in Vietnam 320

Having more successes in foreign policy 322

Dealing with domestic issues 322

Serving Part of a Second Term 323

Falling prey to the Watergate scandal 323

Resigning the presidency 324

Retiring and rehabilitating 325

Part 6: Changing the Dynamics: Gerald Ford to Donald J Trump 327

Chapter 22: The Career Politician and the Peanut Farmer: Ford and Carter 329

Stepping in for Nixon: Gerald Ford 330

Ford’s early political career 331

President Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr (1974–1977) 333

Retiring publicly 335

Sharing Faith and Principles: Jimmy Carter 336

Carter’s early political career 336

President James Earl Carter, Jr (1977–1981) 338

Losing his reelection bid 341

Retiring but not retreating 341

Chapter 23: A Starring Role for Ronald Reagan 343

Reagan’s Early Career 344

Governing California 345

Challenging Ford in 1976 345

Winning the presidency in 1980 346

President Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981–1989) 346

Surviving an assassination attempt 347

Stimulating the economy 348

Increasing the national debt 349

Breaking a strike 349

Implementing conservative social policies 349

Packing the Supreme Court 350

Reestablishing U.S. World Domination 350

Influencing events around the globe 350

Dealing with the Soviets 351

Dealing with Scandal in His Second Term 352

Keeping the Revolution Alive during Retirement 353

Chapter 24: Acting Out: George H W Bush and Bill Clinton 355

Bringing an End to the Cold War: George Bush 356

Bush’s early political career 357

President George Herbert Walker Bush (1989–1993) 359

Losing reelection in 1992 362

Retiring and advising 362

Scandal Amid Domestic Policy Success: Bill Clinton 363

Clinton’s early political career 364

Running for president in 1992 365

President William Jefferson Clinton (1993–2001) 366

Losing Congress in 1994 368

Winning reelection in 1996 368

Leaving under a cloud 370

Chapter 25: Getting the Call: George W Bush 373

Bush’s Early Career 375

Running for governor 375

Governing Texas 375

Running for the Presidency 376

Surviving the 2000 Election 377

Going to court 377

Being appointed 378

President George Walker Bush (2001–2009) 378

Domestic accomplishments 378

Foreign policy 379

Disaster Strikes 379

Punishing terrorists 380

Dealing with Afghanistan 381

Going to war against Iraq 382

Dealing with the defeated Iraq 383

Winning Reelection 384

Getting sunk by a hurricane 384

The Great Recession of 2007/2008 385

Going into Retirement 385

Chapter 26: Breaking Tradition: Barack H Obama 387

Growing Up Global 388

Getting involved in politics 388

Going back to school 389

From Senator to President: Obama’s Political Journey 389

Starting at the state level 389

Serving in the U.S. Senate 390

Campaigning for the nomination 391

Getting elected president 391

President Barack H Obama (2009–2017) 392

Tackling the recession 393

Changing healthcare 394

Being progressive 395

Protecting the environment 395

Getting reelected 396

Dealing with Foreign Policy 396

Being stuck in Afghanistan 396

Fighting a new enemy 397

The Arab Spring and failing in Syria 398

Being Active in Retirement 399

Chapter 27: A Billionaire in the White House: Donald John Trump 401

Growing Up Wealthy 402

Succeeding in Business 403

Marrying a model 403

Failing in Atlantic City 403

Getting into golf and loving Florida 404

Entering Politics 404

Going on TV and receiving national exposure 404

Turning on democrats 405

Running for the presidency 405

Winning the nomination 406

Winning in 2016 406

Shocking the world 407

Being Controversial at Home 408

Implementing domestic policies 408

Succeeding economically 408

Being Controversial Abroad 409

Scandals: Defining Trump’s Presidency 411

The Russia scandal 411

The Ukraine scandal 412

Part 7: the Part of Tens 413

Chapter 28: The Ten Best Presidents 415

Abraham Lincoln 416

Franklin Delano Roosevelt 416

Theodore Roosevelt 416

George Washington 417

Harry Truman 417

Ronald Reagan 417

Thomas Jefferson 418

Woodrow Wilson 418

Dwight D Eisenhower 418

James Polk 419

Chapter 29: The Ten Worst Presidents 421

Andrew Johnson 421

Warren G Harding 422

Franklin Pierce 422

James Buchanan 423

John Tyler 423

Millard Fillmore 423

Ulysses S Grant 424

William Henry Harrison 424

Martin Van Buren 424

Herbert Hoover 425

Chapter 30: Ten Presidential Libraries Worth Visiting 427

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum 428

George W Bush Presidential Library and Museum 428

William J Clinton Presidential Library and Museum 429

George H W Bush Presidential Library and Museum 429

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum 430

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum 430

Franklin D Roosevelt Library and Museum 430

Dwight D Eisenhower Library and Museum 431

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum 431

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum 431

Appendix: Presidential Facts 433

Index 443

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