G. Washington 1789-1797

• First President • Set lots of precedents– Bank of US – Veto– Whiskey Rebellion– Neutrality– Use of Cabinet– 2 terms

• No official party affiliation • Heavily influenced by Hamilton

J. Adams 1797-1801

• Federalist• XYZ Affair, Quasi War,

Alien and Sedition Acts

• Loses re-election in very close election of 1800

T. Jefferson 1801-1809

• Democratic Republican• 3 Way election of 1800• Lousiana Purchase• Embargo Act• Shrinks gov• Does not try to

overturn the bank• Barbary Pirates War

J. Madison 1809-1817

• Democratic Republican

• “Father of the Constitution”

• Embargo • War of 1812

J. Monroe 1817-1825• D/R **• Last of “Founding

Fathers”• Era of Good

Feelings• Monroe Doctrine• Missouri

Compromise• Panic of 1819

John Quincy Adams – 1825-1829

• New generation • No clear party rivalry • Corrupt Bargain

election / Rivalry with Jackson

• Fails to adapt to electoral / campaigning shifts

• Single term

Andrew Jackson – 1829 - 1837

• Democrat• Expands Presidential Power• Expands Voting Rights• Indian Removal • Conflict with the Bank • Love ‘em or hate ‘em figure• Spurs growth of Whig Party

• “Mr. Marshall has issued his ruling.. Now let’s see him enforce it.”

Martin Van Buren 1837-1841

• Democrat • “The Little

Magician”• Had been

political brains behind Jackson

• Panic of 1837 • 1 term president

Harrison, Tyler 1841-1845• Harrison – 1812 War

Hero, Hard Cider Campaign – 1st President to die in office (1 month)

• Tyler – “His Accidency” – Has little power / authority because he ascended / wasn’t elected

• Tyler – Annexes TX near end of term

James K. Polk 1845-1849

• Democrat• The Dark Horse• Manifest Destiny • 54 40 or Fight• Mexican War • Does not seek re-

election

Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan 1849-1861

• Several “who cares” presidencies

• Real leaders were in Congress

• Their poor leadership contributed to the 1850s crises

Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865• 1st Republican• Speeches – “House

divided”, “Gettysburg”, “2nd Inaugural”

• Election spurs secession• Key leadership in Civil War• Biggest use of Prez power

since Jackson• Generous plan for

reconstruction • 1st President Assassinated

Andrew Johnson 1861-1869• Ascends due to

Lincoln’s death• Democrat / Southerner• Clashes with Congress

over Reconstruction • Impeached over

Tenure of Office Act• Survives but is

politically powerless after impeachment

Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877

• War hero President – Great general – Bad president

• Freedmen votes helped elect him

• Many corrupt officials in his government

• Credit Moblier Scandal

Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, Cleveland 1877-1897

• Weak “caretaker presidents” of the Gilded Age

• Time period of high voter participation, but few major differences in the ideology of the parties

• Republicans – Bloody Shirt, Tariffs, Pro-Business, Supported by Freedmen

• Democrats – Reinvention , New South, Supported by westerners and immigrants

• Compromise of 1877, Pendleton Act, Slaughterhouse Cases, Sherman Act

• Plessy v. Ferguson

William McKinley 1897 - 1901

• Hawaii• Spanish American War /

Philippines • Open Door Policy• Questions over Tariffs

and Coinage of Silver• Last Bloody Shirt

Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909

• Rough Rider• Conservation• Big Stick• Square Deal• Progressives /

Muckrakers• Panama• Treaty of Portsmouth

William Taft 1909-1913

• TR’s Successor• Dollar Diplomacy • Surprisingly

Conservative• Height of Immigration

Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921• “Bull Moose” Election• Surprisingly Progressive• Interventionism in Caribbean • Mexico • Bank and trust reform • Height of Lynching / Riots• WWI / Treaty of Versailles• Income Tax, Direct Election

of Senators, Suffrage, Prohibition

Harding, Coolidge, Hoover1921-1933

• “a return to normalcy”• “the business of America is

business”• The “roaring 20s”• Great Migration, Harlem

Renaissance• Consumer Economy / speculative

buying• Perceived wealth v. reality • Isolationism• Prohibition / Organized Crime• 1929 Crash Start of Depression • Trickle Down Economics

Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945• Height of Great Depression• Brains Trust• New Deal – Bank Holiday– Alphabet Agencies– Social Security– Fireside Chats

• Arsenal of Democracy / Lend Lease

• WWII • “the only thing we have to

fear, is fear itself

Truman 1945-1953• End of WWII• Start of Cold War / NATO• Truman Doctrine and

Marshall Plan• Containment• Korean War –

Desegregation of Military• Maintaining New Deal

Programs • Taft Hartley Act • “the buck stops here”

Eisenhower (1953-1961) • General – WWII D-Day • Start of Arms Race• Interstate Highway system• Guatemala Interventions• Start of Vietnam• Brown v. Board of Ed.• Federal De-Segregation• New Youth Culture• Quote: “beware the rise of

the military industrial complex”

Kennedy (1961-1963)• only Catholic Prez• Television• Berlin Wall • Bay of Pigs • Cuban Missile Crisis• Expansion of Vietnam • Camelot image, Space

program, Peace Corps • “ask not what your country

can do for you, but what you can do for your country”

Johnson (1963-1969)• Escalation of Vietnam• Anti War / Anti Government • Great Society• Civil Rights Bills • Hippies / Counterculture • “I’m not going to send American

boys over to do what Asian boys should be doing for themselves”

Nixon (1969-1974)• Expansion / End of Vietnam• Détente• Relations with China• Watergate• Man on the moon• Institutes some Great Society • Race Riots• Roe v. Wade• “you won’t have Richard

Nixon to kick around anymore”

Ford (1974-1977)

• Endgame of Vietnam• Oil Problems / OPEC• Challenge to US

industry• Inflation / Stagflation

Carter (1977-1981)• Governor of Georgia• Camp David Accords• Oil Crisis• Iran Hostage Crisis• Soviet Invasion of

Afghanistan• Inflation /

Unemployment • 3 Mile Island • Disco

Reagan (1981-1989)

Cold War Re-intensification“Reaganomics”De-regulationIran Contra ScandalLibya Issues Grenada“it’s morning in America”“the Soviet Union is an evil

empire”

Bush (late 80s early 90s)• Before Prez– Ambassador, CIA director, VP

• For Policy as Prez– Panama, Gulf War, Early Somalia

• Dom Policy as Pres– Continue Reagan era Deregulation– Recession that he refuses to name

• Quote: “Read my lips, no new taxes”

Clinton (90s)

• Before Prez1. Governor of AR

• As Prez– Whitewater Scandal

a. Real Estate Dealb. Special Prosecuterc. Lewinskyd. Impeachmente. Result

– Tech Boom, Stock Market Boom– Waco, Oklahoma City – Somalia, Kosovo– 1st WTC Bombing, Kenya/ Tanzania Embassy Bombings, USS Cole

C. Quote: “It’s the economy, stupid!”

Bush II (2001-2009)• Before Prez

– Oil Business, Baseball Business,Governor of TX

– “Compassionate Conservative”• As Prez

– Influenced by old “neocons” – 9/11– Afghanistan / Iraq Wars – Return to Reagan style Tax Cuts / De-

Regulation– Hurricane Katrina – Great Recession of 2008

• Quote ; “N. Korea, Iran, and Iraq constitute an axis of evil”

Obama (2009 - • Before President:

– Community organizer, Senator (IL), 2004 convention

• As President– Great Recession of 2008

• The Jobless Recovery– Health Care Law (Obamacare)– End of Iraq / Afghanistan Wars – Benghazi Attack– MidEast Revolutions … $4 gas

Quote – “If you like the health insurance you have now, you can keep it.”