United States Presidents

George Washington1789-1797

• Commander in Chief of Continental Army

• Set precedents- two terms, cabinet

• Strengthen new government- use of force in Whiskey Rebellion

• Kept peace through Proclamation of Neutrality and Jay Treaty

• Farewell Address- set policy of isolationism

John Adams1791-1801

• 1st vice-president; 2nd president

• Undeclared war with France [XYZ Affair]

• Alien and Sedition Acts- attempted to eliminate opposition to Federalist Party-made Adams unpopular

Thomas Jefferson1801-1809

• Wrote Declaration of Independence• Favored limited, decentralized government• Louisiana Purchase- sent Lewis and Clark

to explore Louisiana Territory• Embargo Act of 1807- resulted in hurt U.S.

trade

James Monroe1817-1825

• Purchased Florida (1819)• Monroe Doctrine (1823)-U.S. foreign policy in

Western hemisphere

• Era of Good Feelings (1815-1830)- time of peace, growing nationalism and internal improvements (roads and canals)

Andrew Jackson1829-1837

• Hero of Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)

• Democracy expanding [convention system]• Expands presidential power [spoils system]• Closes Bank of the United States• Fights against nullification act• Forced removal of Native Americans [Trail

of Tears]

James Polk1845-1849

• Supporter of Manifest Destiny

• Oregon Country (1846)

• Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

• Mexican Cession (1848)

Abraham Lincoln1861-1865

• Opposed spread of slavery into territories

• 1st Republican president• President during Civil War- expanded president’s

power during wartime

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

• Lincoln’s plan for reconstruction

Andrew Johnson1865-1869

• Became president after Lincoln’s assassination

• Disagreed with Congress (Radical Republicans) over Reconstruction

• Impeached by the House of Representatives, but not removed from office by Senate

Theodore Roosevelt1901-1909

• Domestic program- Square Deal• Progressive president- “Trustbuster”,

conservationist, Meat Inspection Act & Pure Food and Drug Act

• Roosevelt Corollary [Big Stick Policy]- U.S. would act as police force in Latin America

• Gentlemen’s Agreement

• Panama Canal

Woodrow Wilson1913-1921

• Progressive president- New Freedom-enforcement of antitrust laws

• World War I (1917-1918)- U.S.entered because of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare

• Fourteen Points- included freedom of seas, self-determination

• League of Nations- Senate refused to sign Treaty of Versailles and join the League

Herbert Hoover1929-1933

• Oct. 29, 1929- Stock Market Crash• Depression begins-Tried to restore confidence in

economy, but did not believe government should become directly involved in economy

• Bonus Army- 1932, WWI veterans gathered in DC and Hoover sent in army to disperse veterans

• Took steps to use power of federal government, but lost to FDR in election

Franklin D Roosevelt1933-1945

• New Deal– AAA, WPA, CCC

– FDIC, Social Security Act, Minimum Wage

• Supreme Court- tried to increase # of justices

• Good Neighbor Policy

• Internment of Japanese Americans

Harry Truman1945-1953

• Atomic Bombs- end of World War II (1945)

• Cold War begins

• Truman Doctrine- policy of containment• Marshall Plan- plan to rebuild Europe

• Domestic policy- Fair Deal- extend reforms of New Deal

• Korean War (1950-1953)

Dwight Eisenhower1953-1961

• Domino Theory- if one nation fall to communism, others will

• Arms race- build up of nuclear weapons

• Eisenhower Doctrine- pledge to help Middle East resist communism

• Little Rock, Arkansas- sent troops to protect African American students

• Peaceful coexistence- 1955, relations between superpowers improved

• Space race- 1957 USSR launched Sputnik

John F Kennedy1961-1963

• New Frontier– Peace Corps– Space program

• Alliance for Progress- improve relations with Latin America

• Bay of Pigs-failed attempt to remove Castro from power

• Cuban Missile Crisis- brinksmanship

• Berlin- pledge support to West Berlin after wall is built

Lyndon B Johnson1963-1969

• Great Society Programs– War on Poverty

– Medicare/ Medicaid

– Head Start

• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution-Lead to increased involvement in Vietnam War

• Civil Rights Act of 1964- turning point

• Voting Rights Act of 1965

Richard Nixon1969-1974

• Vietnam War– Vietnamization– Bombing of Cambodia; protest at Kent State– Withdrawal of troops 1973; War Powers Act

• Détente with USSR and China– Recognized China– SALT agreement

• Watergate Affair– United States v. Nixon; president is not above the law– Resignation; public distrust of government

Jimmy Carter1977-1981

• Oil Crisis- OPEC raised oil prices

• Panama Canal Treaty- control of canal returned to Panama in 1999

• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan- U.S. supported rebels

• Camp David Accords-peace agreement between Israel and Egypt

• Iranian hostage Crisis- failed rescue attempt

Ronald Reagan1981-1989

• Reaganomics- supply-side economics

• Federal budget deficits- cut taxes and increased military spending

• Hard line against communism and Soviet Union– Renewed Détente in 1985 when Gorbachev became

leader of Soviet Union

• Iran-Contra Affair

Bill Clinton1993-2000

• Attempted health care and social security reform

• Reduced federal deficit

• NAFTA

• Peacekeeping efforts-Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti

• Arab-Israeli Peace

• Scandals- Whitewater, impeachment

George W Bush2001-2008

• Bush v. Gore• Tax cuts- led to increase federal deficits

• War on Terrorism- Sept. 11th; hunt for Bin Laden and al Qaeda

• Iraq War- WMDS; remove Saddam Hussein from power

• Hurricane Katrina• No Child Left Behind- education reform• Economic Crisis- Bank bailouts