APUSH President Project

Clausen 1

Christopher Clausen

Mrs. Brubaker

AP US History

1-6-13

APUSH President Project

1. George Washington: April 30, 1789-March 4, 1797a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. 1st president of the United States2. Established a court system with the Judiciary Act of 17893. 1st Bank4. Ended Whiskey Rebellion

ii. Failures:1. Whiskey Rebellion

b. Foreign Policy:i. Achievements:

1. Pickney Treaty2. Jay’s Treaty

ii. Failures:1. The Neutrality Proclamation of 1793

c. Great president: Washington was the first president and he set the precedents for the rest of the presidents.

2. John Adams: March 4, 1797-March 4, 1801a. Domestic Policy

i. Failures:1. Alien and Sedition Acts2. Naturalization Act


1. XYZ Affair2. French Revolution3. Organized the Marine Corps.

c. Average president: Adams had more foreign achievements than domestic achievements. There were more failures in the United States than foreign countries during his presidency.

3. Thomas Jefferson: March 4, 1801-March 4, 1809a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Louisiana Purchase2. Louis and Clark Expeditions

ii. Failures:1. Cut army and navy

b. Foreign Policy:i. Failures

1. Embargo Actc. Average: Jefferson had some good and bad things about his presidency. He did

acquire a ginormous amount of land. But Jefferson placed the embargo act which did hurt the United States economy tremendously.

4. James Madison: March 4, 1809-March 4, 1817a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Marbury vs. Madison


1. Non-Intercourse Act of 18092. Macon’s Bill No.23. Cadore Letter of 1810

c. Average: Like Adams, Madison had more foreign affairs than domestic affairs. The Non-Intercourse Act was a really good call for Madison though.

5. James Monroe: March 4, 1817-March 4, 1825a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. War of 18122. Era of Good Feelings3. The Missouri Compromise4. The American System

ii. Failures:1. The Panic of 1819

b. Foreign Policyi. Achievements:

1. Acquired Spanish Florida2. Monroe Doctrine3. Rush-Bagot Treaty

c. Near Great: Monroe had a ton of good achievements during his presidency. There were successful compromises and he acquired a good chunk of land for Manifest Destiny.

6. John Q. Adams: March 4, 1825-March 4, 1829a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. The American System

ii. Failures:1. The Tariff of Abominations


1. Set up many trade affairsc. Below Average: John Q. Adams had a lot of corruption between him and the

House which made him a below average president.

7. Andrew Jackson: March 4, 1829-March 4, 1837a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Indian Removal2. The American System3. Pushed the limits of presidency4. Compromise of 18335. Force Bill

ii. Failures:1. The Spoils System2. The Eaton Affair3. Nullification Crisis

b. Foreign Policy:i. Failures:

1. Revolt against Mexicoc. Near Great: Even though Jackson was somewhat ruthless with his Indian removal

acts, he pushed the boundaries of what a president can do and he did what he was supposed to do.

8. Martin Van Buren: March 4, 1837-March 4, 1841a. Domestic Policy:

i. Failures:1. Did not get the annexation of Texas2. Panic of 1837


1. Maine and Canada crisisc. Average: Van Buren was an average president. He did not really do anything

special and had a couple domestic failures.

9. William Henry Harrison: March 4, 1841-April 4, 1841a. No rating

10. John Tyler: April 4, 1841-March 4, 1845a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Annexation of Texas


1. Webster-Ashburton treaty of 1842c. Below Average: Tyler was an accidental president. The only good thing he did

was annex Texas.

11. James K. Polk: March 4, 1845-March 4, 1849 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Walker Tariff of 18462. Independent Treasury Act of 1846

ii. Failures1. Wilmot Proviso


1. Oregon2. Texas3. War with Mexico4. Treaty of New Granada

c. Above Average: Pol helped America reach Manifest Destiny. Polk was a major expansionist and he succeeded with his expansionist ideas.

12. Zachary Taylor: March 4, 1849-July 9, 1850a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Compromise of 1850


1. Clayton-Bulwer Treatyc. Average: Taylor just did a normal presidency. He had his ups and downs as a

president.

13. Millard Fillmore: July 9, 1850-March 4, 1853 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Fugitive Slave Act2. Signed Compromise of 1850


1. Enforced Monroe Doctrine2. Enforced American Foreign System

c. Average: Fillmore was just another one of those presidents that just slid by. He was sort of an “accidental” president.

14. Franklin Pierce: March 4, 1853-March 4, 1857a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Kansas-Nebraska Act

ii. Failures:1. Bleeding Kansas


1. Gadsden Purchaseii. Failures:

1. Tried to acquire Cubac. Below Average:

i. Pierce made a couple of mistakes in his term. He tried to acquire Cuba which was not going to happen. The time of Bleeding Kansas and the problem with popular sovereignty.

15. James Buchanan: March 4, 1857-March 4, 1861 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Popular Sovereignty

ii. Failures:1. Dred Scot Decision2. Bleeding Kansas


1. Popular Sovereigntyii. Failures:

1. Cuba2. Central America

c. Below Average: Buchanan just did not do a good job of helping the north with the abolitionist movement.

16. Abraham Lincoln: March 4, 1861-April 15, 1865a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Victory of Civil War2. Responded to Secession3. American Economy4. Homestead Act of 18625. Morrill Land Grant of 1862

ii. Failures:

1. Emancipation Proclamationb. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Naval Blockade

c. Great: Even though he did not officially plan to free the slaves, Lincoln did indeed help free the slaves in the southern states. Lincoln also helped bring the Union back into unity.

17. Andrew Johnson: April 15, 1865-March 4, 1869 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Black suffrage2. Reconstruction

ii. Failures:1. Impeached


1. Received Alaska from Russiac. Below Average: Johnson was below average due to the fact that he was

impeached, though he was not kicked out of office. A good thing that came from Johnson’s presidency was the acquisition of Alaska.

18. Ulysses S. Grant: March 4, 1869-March 4, 1877a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Won Civil War2. Peace Policy

ii. Failures:1. Credit Mobilier2. Reconstruction3. Panic of 1873


1. Alabamaii. Failures:

1. Annexing Santo Domingo2. Cuba

c. Below Average: Grant had many failures in both domestic and foreign affairs. He also was caught up in a couple scandals which brought him a bad name.

19. Rutherford B. Hayes: March 4, 1877-March 4, 1881a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Civil Service Reform2. Indian Bureau

ii. Failures

1. Reconstructionb. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. 1868 Burlingame Treaty2. Transoceanic Railroad

c. Above Average: Hayes was a better president than most due to his Indian polices and foreign policies.

20. James A. Garfield: March 4, 1881-September 19, 1881a. No Rating

21. Chester A. Arthur: September 19, 1881-March 4, 1885a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Mogrel Tariff of 18832. Renovated White House3. Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

b. Foreign Policy:i. Failure:

1. Chinese Exclusion Actc. Average: Arthur was one of those presidents that was never known. He was more

famous for his foreign failure with the Chinese Exclusion Act.

22. Grover Cleveland: March 4, 1885-March 4, 1889, March 4, 1893-March 4, 1897a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890

ii. Failures: 1. Women’s Rights2. Economic Crisis


1. Frelinghuysen-Zavala Treatyc. Average: Cleveland was an average president both times he was elected. He had

many failures during his presidency. He especially was not an advocate for women’s’ rights.

23. Benjamin Harrison: March 4, 1889-March 4, 1893a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. McKinley Tariff of 18902. Sherman Silver Purchase Act3. Land Revision Act

ii. Failures:1. Sherman Anti-Trust Act

b. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Pan American Conference

c. Above Average: Harrison was president during the start of the Gilded Age. That era was a time of corruption and greed.

24. William McKinley: March 4, 1897-September 14, 1901a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Gold Standard Act2. Dingley Tariff Act

ii. Failures:1. Erdman Act


1. Spanish-American War2. Paris Peace Treaty3. Filipino Revolt4. Boxer Rebellion

c. Average: McKinley was an average president. He had more foreign achievements than domestic achievements.

25. Theodore Roosevelt: September 14, 1901-March 4, 1909a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. ICC2. Conservationist3. Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of

1906ii. Failures:

1. Elkins Actb. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Panama Canal2. Philippines

c. Near Great: Roosevelt was a good president. He took what mattered to him and to his country and made it better for his country.

26. William Howard Taft: March 4, 1909-March 4, 1913a. Domestic Policy:

i. Failures:1. Payne-Aldrich Tariff


1. Peace Billc. Below Average: Taft was a very bad president. He did not do much and what he

did actually do was never significant.

27. Woodrow Wilson: March 4, 1913-March 4, 1921a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Espionage and Sedition Acts2. 4-Minute Men

ii. Failures:1. Food Administration


1. World War I2. 14 Point Plan

ii. Failures:1. 14 Point Plan

c. Great President: Woodrow Wilson built his success off of Roosevelt. He helped the United States win WWI. He also had his amazing 14 Point plan. Unfortunately, his plan was tossed aside for the Treaty of Versailles.

28. Warren G. Harding: March 4, 1921-August 2, 1923a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Budget and Accounting Act of 19212. Johnson Immigrant Quota Act of 1921

ii. Failures:1. Gambling problem2. Himself


1. Fordney-McCumber Tariff Actc. Failure: Harding was a bad president overall. He had a very bad problem with

smoking and gambling. He did not really care for his country.

29. Calvin Coolridge: August 2, 1923-March 4, 1929a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Revenue Acts of 19242. Revenue Acts of 1926

ii. Failures:1. Immigration Act of 1924


1. Kellogg-Briand Pact2. Good Neighbor Policy

c. Near Great: Coolridge was a loveable man. He cherished his work and made peace with a lot of Indian tribes and the people of the United States of America.

30. Herbert Hoover: March 4, 1929-March 4, 1933 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Boulder Canyon Project Act2. Improve Indian Conditions3. The White House Conference on Health and the Protection

of Children of July 1929ii. Failures:

1. Start of the Great Depressionb. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Lausanne Conference

c. Near Great: Hoover cared more about his country and people more than himself. He took on projects for children and the Indians.

31. Franklin D. Roosevelt: March 4, 1933-April 12, 1945a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. New Deal2. CCC3. AAA4. NIRA5. SALT6. Social Security Act7. WWII

ii. Failures:1. Economic Collapse


1. WWIIc. Great: Roosevelt had much success with his presidency. He accomplished many

things and was a great president overall.

32. Harry S. Truman: April 12, 194-January 20, 1953a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Executive Reorganization Act of 19392. Fair Deal3. Employment Act of 1946 4. Anti-Communism5. House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

ii. Failures:1. Internal Security Act


1. Start of Cold Warii. Failures:

1. Bombings in Japan33. Great President: Truman was a great president. He had a ton of domestic achievements

that helped the United States during World War II and the start of the Cold War.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower: January 20, 1953-January 20, 1961a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka2. McCarthy Era3. Modern Republicanism


1. Korean War2. Cold War

ii. Failures:1. Indochina2. Middle East

c. Average: Eisenhower was an average president. He did average things.

35. John F. Kennedy: January 20,1961-November 22, 1963a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Civil Rights2. Wanted Equality for all people


1. Bay of Pigs2. Cuban Missile Crisis3. Cold War

c. Great: Kennedy was great due to the fact that he wanted equal rights for all citizens. Unfortunately he was assassinated for his decision.

36. Lyndon B. Johnson: November 22, 1963-January 20, 1969a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. The Great Society2. Many new Bills and Acts to help the society3. Civil Rights Act

ii. Failures:1. CAA


1. Outer Space Treaty ii. Failures:

1. The Vietnamese War2. Cuba

c. Above Average: Johnson was a good president. He wanted to fix the United States. He set out to create the “Great Society.” His major flop was the Vietnamese War. He angered everyone with his decision.

37. Richard Nixon: January 20, 1969-August 9, 1974a. Domestic Policy:

i. Failures:1. Watergate2. Impeached


1. Retreating from Vietnamii. Failures:

1. The Big 3c. Failure: Nixon was a horrible president. He was caught in his own scandal at

Watergate. He cared more about foreign affairs than his own country.

38. Gerald Ford: August 9, 1974-January 20, 1977 a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Pardoning Richard Nixon2. Ford Administration Team

ii. Failures:1. Stagflation2. Energy Crisis3. Buyouts


1. Cold War2. Soviet Union3. End of Vietnam War4. Administrating the CIA

c. Average: Ford was an average president. He pardoned Nixon, the last failure president. He also got the troops out of Vietnam.

39. Jimmy Carter: January 20, 1977-January 20, 1981a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Emergency Natural Gas Act

ii. Failures:1. Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax2. Malaise Speech3. Own Scandals

b. Foreign Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Panama Canal2. Camp David Accords3. NSC4. Mutual Defense Treaty

ii. Failures:1. Iran2. Oil

c. Average: Carter set out to be a really great and outstanding president. But his image and some scandals brought him down.

40. Ronald Reagan: January 20, 1981-January 20, 1989a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. Cut taxes2. Lower debts3. Federal Reserve4. Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization 5. TEFRA6. AIDS

ii. Failures:1. The Great Inflation


1. SDI2. SALT II3. START4. Reagan Doctrine

ii. Failures:1. Lebanon

c. Above Average: Reagan was a good president. He did many things for the country and for foreign affairs.

41. George Bush: January 20, 1989-January 20, 1993a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. S&L Industry2. Americans with Disabilities Act3. Clean Air Act


1. Panama2. End of Cold War3. German Unification4. Persian Gulf War5. New World Ordeal

c. Near Great: Overall, George Bush was a near great president. He created Acts to help out American society and way of living.

42. William Clinton: January 20, 1993-January 20, 2001a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. NAFTA2. AFDC

ii. Failures:1. Republican Scandals2. Lewinsky Affair3. Impeachment


1. NATOc. Average: Like Bush, Clinton wanted to do well for his country. But scandals and

an affair brought him his downfall.

43. George W. Bush: January 20, 2001-January 20, 2009a. Domestic Policy:

i. Achievements:1. No Child Left Behind Act


1. Axis of Evilii. Failures:

1. Afghanistan2. Baghdad

c. Average: Bush had a couple foreign affairs that are still problems today. He was the one who sent troops to Afghanistan and now we are having problems in today’s society.

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APUSH President Project