The Presidents2013 Class profiles

*Please note that I did not receive projects from all students.

George Washington• Vice President: John Adams• Years in Office: April 30, 1789 - March 4, 1797• On March 26, 1790, Congress passed the U.S.

first naturalization law which established terms of citizenship.

• On December 15, 1791, the states officially ratified the first ten amendments to the constitution.

• On August 20, 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated an Indian force numbering more than 1,000 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Domestic

•George Washington increased the power of the United States by using the federal government and Judiciary Act of 1789 to establish a court system.

•Supported the Federalists way of creating a tax on whiskey and creating a national bank.

•Regulated trade between Indian and Non-Indians.

•Supported the Militia Act of 1792.

Foreign

•Washington wanted to avoid war with Great Britain and denied help from the French during the French Revolution.

•Supported the Jay Treaty which controlled trade relations with Great Britain, removed them from western forts, and resolved financial debts as a result of the war.

President James Monroe

•Years in office: March 4, 1817- March 3, 1825 (served for 2 terms)

• Democratic- Republican Party •Vice President- Daniel D. Tompkins1. Missouri Compromise 2. Convention of 1818 3. Monroe Doctrine4. Cumberland Road Bill 5. Florida purchased from Spain

John Quincy Adams• In office from• (1825-1829)•Vice President -John C. Calhoun

Political Party- Federalist

Formulated the Monroe doctrineMonroe Doctrine stated that European nations

should not intervene with the countries south of the US.

He negotiated the Adams-onis treaty

The treaty set up a border between Spanish land and the Louisiana territory

He passed the tariff of 1828 (tariff of abomination)

The tariff Put a tax on imports angering the south because it devalued southern cotton exports

Andrew Jackson • Vice Presidents: John C. Calhoun (1829-1832). Martin

Van Buren (1833-1837).

• Years in office: March 4, 1829- March 4,1837.

• Political Party: Democrat

• He signed the Indian removal act forcing the Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole tribes off of their land, moving them to the west of the Mississippi.

• Nullification crisis over the Tariff issue: his belief that states are forbidden from nullifying federal laws.

• Force bill-Authorizing Jackson's use of the army to gain compliance for federal law in South Carolina

• In 1833 Jackson shuts down the second bank of The United States.

William Henry Harrison•Vice President- John Tyler•Yrs. In office-March 4, 1841-April 4, 1841•Political Party- Whig Party•Fought in the war of 1812•Major general of the Kentucky Militia•Became major general of the Northwest

Territory•Presidency term too short for any specific

events•First President to die in office.

John Tyler•No vice president•Yrs. In office-April 4, 1841-March 4, 1845•Political Party-Whig Party•Succeeded William Henry Harrison1. First to succeed another president•Signing of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty•Commonwealth v. Hunt case makes the

Massachusetts Supreme Court establish the right for workers to strike.

•The Texas Annexation Treaty

James Knox Polk11th President of the United States

• Vice president: George M. DallasYears in office: March 4th 1845 to March 3rd 1849.Political Party: Democrat 1846 Dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory settled. Both nations get a part of the territory. 1848 Treaty of 1848 with Mexico gave the U.S. control over California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. Gold discovered in California in December.

Zachary Taylor12th President of the United States

•Vice President: Millard FillmoreYears in office: March 5th 1849 to July 9, 1850Political Party: Whig

•1850 -The Clayton-Bulwer Treaty signed with Britain guaranteed that any future canal across Central America would be available to all nations. 

Years in Office 1850-1853Political Party- WhigsNo Vice president

Millard Fillmore

•Compromise of 18505 different bills to settle slavery dispute•Fugitive slave actWhich asked the north to return runaway slaves

Franklin Pierce

• 14th President• Vice president: William R. King• In office in 1853-1857• Political party: Democrat• Important events/actions

▫ May 30, 1854: The Kansas-Nebraska Act is signed into law after being introduced by President Pierce's rival, Senator Stephen Douglas (Democrat - IL). The bill reopens the question of slavery in the West by repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820, organizes the Kansas and Nebraska territories on the basis of "popular sovereignty," and paves the way for the transcontinental railroad from Chicago to California. Although Pierce dislikes the proposal and worries that it will create national controversy, he succumbs to pressure from various senators who threaten to block appointments.

▫ 1854-1856: Bleeding Kansas" -- a guerilla war between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers as they attempt to establish "popular sovereignty" -- emerges and consumes Kansas for two years.

▫ October 23, 1855: In response to the pro-slavery territorial government and its illegal political proceedings, the Topeka Constitution, written by Free State forces and outlawing slavery, creates a second government in Kansas.

James Buchanan (Dem. 1857-1861)Vice President: John C. Breckinridge

•Events and Actions•1.) Attempted to resolve slavery dispute in

Kansas.•2.) Tried to prevent secession in the South.•3.) Sided with the Southern States when the

Supreme Court was determining whether or not the Dred Scott case was unconstitutional

•President when South Carolina seceded from the Union

Abraham Lincoln

• 16th President of the United States• Vice President(s): Hannibal Hamlin

(1861-1865)/Andrew Johnson (1865)• Spent 4 years as President (1861-

1865)• Republican• Participated in the Lincoln-Douglas

debates on slavery during his campaign to become Senator

• Led USA through the Civil War (preserved the Union, emancipated slaves in rebelling colonies with the Emancipation Proclamation)

• Favored a Reconstruction policy that did not alienate the South and was generally generous in his terms to them

• Was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth (shot on April 14, 1865, died April 15,1865)

Andrew Johnson

VICE PRESIDENT: There was no provision in the constitution for replacing a vice president, so Johnson served the rest of Abraham Lincolns second term without one. The idea of choosing a new vice president wasn’t established until the 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967.

POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat

IMPORTANT FACTS:• First to be impeached out of office• During his presidency he was involved in Reconstruction (1865–

1877), the system of bringing the Southern states back into the Unites States after the Civil War.Thirteenth Amendment Ratified (1865) 

• Alaska Purchased (1867)

YEARS IN OFFICE:

1865-1869

VICE PRESIDENT: Ulysses S. Grant Vice presidents Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson

YEARS IN OFFICE: 1869-1877 Served two terms POLITICAL PARTY: REPUBLICAN

IMPORTANT FACTS:• Transcontinental Railroad Completed (1869)• Fifteenth Amendment Ratified (1870)• Panic of 1873- Financial crisis in Europe and U.S• Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)- Tribes revolt

against armed forces

Rutherford B. Hayes

• Vice President- William A. Wheeler• Years In Office-(1877-1881)• Political Party- Republican

Key Facts• Compromise of 1877: End Of Reconstruction• Bland –Allison Act (1878) :The Bland–Allison Act was an 1878 act of

Congress requiring the U.S. Treasury to buy a certain amount of silver and put it into circulation as silver dollars

• Pronounced the necessity of creating an American controlled canal in Panama (1880)

James Garfield• Vice President- Chester A. Arthur• Years In Office-(1881-1881)• Political Party- Republican

Key Facts• Second president to be assassinated in eighty days while in office• First president who was a preacher• He performed only one act which was signing an extradition paper

Grover Cleveland (1st Administration)

Vice President: Thomas A. Hendricks  Years in Office:1885-1889 Political Party: Democratic• He vetoed many private pension bills to Civil War veterans whose claims were a

fraud. When Congress passed a bill granting pensions for disabilities not caused by military service, Cleveland vetoed it too.

• He signed the Interstate Commerce Act, the first law attempting Federal regulation of the railroads.

• In December 1887 he called on Congress to reduce high protective tariffs. • Cleveland was defeated in 1888; although he won a larger popular majority than

the Republican candidate Benjamin Harrison, he received fewer electoral votes.• Other Government Positions:• Sheriff of Erie County, NY, 1870-73• Mayor of Buffalo, NY, 1882• Governor of New York, 1883-85• Mandy Singh

Grover Cleveland (2nd Administration)

• 24th President of the United States• Vice President: Adlai Stevenson I• 8 non-consecutive years in office (4 during

his second term)• Belonged to the Democrats• The Panic of 1893: Caused by the free

coinage of silver, the panic turned into an economic depression. Cleveland urged Congress to repeal the free coinage provisions in the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The repeal eventually restored the economy to a state of normalcy.

• Cleveland, although not getting exactly what he wanted, managed to reduce tariffs via passage of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act which replaced the McKinley Tariff

• Pullman Strike: Supported the railroad owners by filing an injunction against the strikers and sending in federal troops to stop the strike when the injunction was disregarded

Theodore Roosevelt•Years in office 1901-1909•Republican•VP: Charles Fairbanks•Square Deal•Trustbuster, conservationist, reformer

▫Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act▫1902 Coal Strike

•Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine•Panama Canal

William Howard Taft• President : William Howard Taft • Years In Office : From1909–1913• Political Party: Republican• Vice President: James S. Sherman served as his vice

president from 1909-1912, he didn’t have a vice president during 1913

• Important Events/Actions:-Civil Service Reform-Strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission-Passage of the 16TH Amendment-Dollar Diplomacy (sought to further economic

development in nations in Latin America and Asia)

Woodrow Wilson • Vice President : Thomas R. Marshall• Years in Office: From 1913-1921• Political Party: Democrats • Important Events/ Actions:

-The passage of the Underwood Tariff, which reduced tariff rates from 41% to 27%

-the Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed to help labor have more rights. It allowed important labor tools like strikes, pickets, and boycotts.

-Passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913-President during WWIFourteen Points, Treaty of Versailles rejected by Senate

Warren G. HardingWarren G. Harding 29th president Vice president: Calvin CoolidgeYears in office: March- 4-1921 to August- 3- 1925Political Party: Republican

FACTS 1. Belief in isolationism and to move the nation away from

progressivism- Progressivism = reform movement 2. Warren G. Harding gave powerful positions to his friends and supporters- Known as the Ohio Gang - Eventually a case was presented and they were jailed 3. Supported anti- lynching movement - Anti lynching = killing by mob action4. Signed bills and amendments that were passed by congress to

regulate the industry 5. Was involved in Teapot Dome scandal

Calvin CoolidgeCalvin Coolidge30th president Known as “silent Cal” Became president after the death of former president Warren G. Harding

Vice president: Charles G. DawesYears in office : August-2-1923 to March-4-1929Political party: Republican

Facts 1. During the era of Calvin

Coolidge the U.S experienced a boom in the economy known as the “roaring twenties”

2. Signed the Indian citizenship act granting full citizenship to native Americans in 1924

- Permitted them tribal land 3. Favored the civil right movement 4.In 1924 he signed the Revenue act - This act reduce income tax rate 5. In 1927 he signed the radio act- The act regulated the radio

Herbert Hoover• Vice President: Charles Curtis

• Years in office: March 4,1929- March 4,1933

• Great Depression (1929)

• Stock Market Crash (1929)

• Bonus March (1932)- Thousands of unemployed WWI veterans marched on D.C to demand immediate payment of their promised bonus.

• Hoover ordered army to break up camps.

• Hoover was seen as a heartless president at this point

• “Trickle down” theory (Reconstruction Finance corporation).

Franklin Delano Roosevelt • 32nd President of US• Presidential terms (March 4, 1933 – April

12, 1945)• Vice Presidents- John N. Garner (1933-

1941) Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945)Harry S. Truman (1945)

• Democratic President • Great Depression

Domestic policy

• New Deal • Emergency Banking Act• Three Rs• Relief- immediate help

to people without food and shelter (CCC, WPA)

• Recovery- stimulate and restore the economy (NIRA, AAA)

• Reform- prevent the problems that caused the depression (FDIC, SEC)

• Court Packing Plan• Social Security

Foreign policy

• Good neighbor policy- non intervention policy in Latin America

• Neutrality Acts• Destroyers for

Bases agreement• Tripartite Act-

“stand by and cooperate with each other”

• Lend-Lease Act

Harry Truman (Rep. 1945-1953)Vice President: Alben W. Barkley

• 3-5 Important Actions• 1.) Ended World War II, with the bombing

of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And the surrender of the Germans.

• 2.) Signed the charter ratifying the United Nations

• 3.) Becomes the 33rd President after the death Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• 4.) Truman Doctrine- Economic and Military Aid to Turkey and Greece

• 5.) Addresses the NAACP, first President to do so.

Dwight Eisenhower

• 34th President• Vice president: Richard Nixon• In office: 1953-1961• Political party: Republican• Important events actions:

▫ October 8, 1953: Eisenhower announces that the Soviet Union has tested a hydrogen bomb.

▫ May 17, 1954: The Supreme Court announces a decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, ruling that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.

▫ March 16, 1955: Eisenhower announces that the United States would use atomic weapons in the event of war with Communist China.

▫ May 31, 1955: In Brown II, the Supreme Court orders schools integrated "with all deliberate speed."

John F. KennedyVice President : Lyndon B. JohnsonYears in Office : 1961 - 1963Political Party : Democratic

Bay of Pigs (1961) : Unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) : Conflict between the U.S and Soviet Union, missiles were placed in Cuba by Soviets to intimidate the U.S. Ultimately, war was averted with an agreement between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev.

Assassination (1963) : Lee Harvey Oswald shoots and kills John F. Kennedy in Dallas, where the president is campaigning for re-election.

Lyndon B. JohnsonVice President : Hubert HumphreyYears in Office : 1963 - 1969Political Party : Democratic

Presidency (1963) : Becomes President after the assassination of Kennedy.

24th Amendment (1964) : Abolished poll-taxes.Civil Rights Movement (1964 - 65) : He signed the 1964 Civil

Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.Vietnam War (1963 - 69) : Johnson increasingly focused on the

American military effort in Vietnam.

GREAT SOCIETY – “war on poverty”

Richard Nixon• Vice Presidents: Gerald Ford, Spiro Agnew

• Years in office: January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974

• Political Party: Republican Party

Important Events/Actions:

• ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) – never adopted

• Eased tensions during the Cold War: détente

• he reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R.

•  produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons: SALT

• Resigned due to the WATERGATE scandal

Gerald Ford• Vice Presidents: Nelson Rockefeller

• Years in office: August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977

• Political Party: Republican Party

• Important Events/Actions:

• Ford pardoned Nixon

• Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1974

• Ford makes a visit to Japan, the first by an American President. Nov

17, 1974

• Ford is pelted with eggs by an antagonistic crowd while campaigning in

New York City.

• Vice President: Waller Mondale • Years in office: January 20, 1997-January 20, 1981• Political Party: Democratic Party 1. Established the Department of Education2. March 9, 1978 Carter invokes the Taft- Hartley

Act to end a strike by coal miners3. April 22, 1980 the U.S. Olympic committee votes

to boycott the Moscow summer Olympics, supporting Carter in protesting the soviet Union

4. Camp David Accords – peace settlement between Egypt and Israel

5. Treaty with Panama – return control of Canal Zone to Panama

6. Iran-Hostage Crisis

Jimmy Carter

• Vice President: George H.W. Bush • Years in office: January 20, 1981, - January 20, 1989 • Political Party : Republican Party

1. January 22, 1981 Presidential Task force on Regulatory Relief is established to review government regulations

2. August 13, 1986 President Reagan signs the tax bill, the (Economic) recovery Tax Act (ERTA).

3. December 8, 1987 the intermediate- range nuclear forces (INF) Treaty is signed with the Soviet Union eliminatory intermediate range nuclear missiles

“Reaganomics” or supply-side economics

Ronald Regan

George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)• Vice President: Dan Quayle• Party: Republican• He ordered military operations in Panama and the Persian gulf.• He began an effort to persuade the democratic controlled

congress to act on the budget.• Bush signed a bill providing additional benefits for the

unemployed workers.• Americans with disabilities ace of 1990.• Bush reauthorized the clean air act, requiring cleaner burning

fuels.• Bush’s administration, along with the progressive

conservative Canadian prime minister, Brian Mulroney, spearheaded the negotiations of the NAFTA

Bill Clinton (1993-2001)• Vice-President: Al Gore• Party: Democrat• Clinton signed the family and medical leave act of 1993• Congress implemented the “ Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy• The Clinton administration launched the first official white

house website on October 21, 1994• In August1993, Clinton signed the omnibus budget

reconciliation act of 1993• Foster care independent act • Children's health insurance program, the

largest(successful0 health care reform in the years of the Clinton presidency.

• Also in 1993, Clinton controversially supported ratification of the north American free trade agreement by the U.S Senate

George W. BushVice President: Dick CheneyYears in Office:2001-2009Political Party: Republican • Bush formed a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, sent

American forces into Afghanistan to break up the Taliban, a movement under Osama bin Laden that trained financed and exported terrorist teams.

• Following the 9/11 and the Pentagon attacks, the president also recast the nation’s intelligence gathering and analysis services, and ordered reform of the military forces to meet the new enemy.

• At the same time he delivered major tax cuts which had been a campaign pledge.• “President Bush pledged during his 2005 State of the Union Address that the

United States would help the Iraqi people establish a fully democratic government because the victory of freedom in Iraq would strengthen a new ally in the war on terror, bring hope to a troubled region, and lift a threat from the lives of future generations.”

Other Government Positions:Governor of Texas

Mandy Singh

President Barack Obama • Years in office: January 20, 2009- Present

(served for two terms)• Democratic Party • Vice president- Joe Biden

1. Announces the withdrawal of all U.S. troops in Iraq by December 31, fulfilling a 2008 campaign pledge to end the war.

2. Obama announces to the world that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in a raid in Abbottobad, Pakistan.

3. Signs the health care reform bill into law4. Obama addresses the nation from the Oval

Office to mark the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

5. Continuing economic problems