The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American PresidentsWhile there are any number of overviews of the 41 Presidents of the United States published for the juvenile market, few books provide a basic look at each man and his presidency -- the good, the bad, and the in between -- placing him in the context of his time and the major events that shaped him. CIG to American Presidents does just that, focusing on the important moments in his life -- some of them lesser-known -- that helped to determine the essence of the man who would be president. The discussion of each president includes a timeline, photographs, trivia, and other details that expand on the text. |
Contents
Setting the Presidential Precedence with George Washington | 3 |
George George George of the Valley Strong as He Could Be | 4 |
Getting Off on the Good Foot | 7 |
George Washington and Original Sin | 9 |
With a Rebel Yell They Cried More More More Whiskey in ajar | 11 |
Legacy | 13 |
Ive Been Thinkin About Abraham Lincoln | 15 |
The Man from Illinois Is Defined by KansasNebraska | 16 |
American Domination | 218 |
The Spoils and Violent Aftermath | 219 |
Club Fighters | 223 |
That Ole Virginia Dynasty James Madison and James Monroe | 225 |
Father of the Constitution | 227 |
Four Terms in the Formative Years | 228 |
Well Hello Dolley | 230 |
Picking a Fight | 231 |
Theres Sumter Happenin Here What It Is Was Exactly Clear | 17 |
A Rough Start | 18 |
The Question at Hand | 19 |
Free at First Free at First | 21 |
The Only Thing That Mattered | 23 |
Has Anybody Seen My Old Friend Abraham? | 24 |
Four Decisive Reelections | 27 |
Rain Money on the Scarecrow | 28 |
New Dealers Choice | 29 |
The Banking Crisis | 30 |
Executive Trial and Error | 31 |
Packing It In | 35 |
The Date That Lives in Infamy | 36 |
Roosevelt Stalin and Churchill at Yalta | 38 |
The Renaissance President Thomas Jefferson | 39 |
A Colonial Politico | 40 |
Back to Virginia to Add to the Freedoms | 41 |
The Unpopular Governor Jefferson | 42 |
French Class | 43 |
Jefferson vs Hamilton | 44 |
A Federalist President and His Angry Subordinate | 45 |
A New Century a New Party a New President | 46 |
A Great Bargain | 47 |
Second Term Headaches | 48 |
The Embargo Fiasco | 49 |
One Last Masterpiece | 50 |
Heavyweights | 53 |
Give Em Hell Harry S Truman | 55 |
Born to Believe in Independence | 56 |
The Pros and Cons of the Pendergast | 57 |
Rage Against the Machine | 58 |
Cleaning Up on the National Stage | 59 |
The Whole World in His Hands | 60 |
Little Boy and Fat Man | 62 |
From Hero to Goat to HellGiving Survivor | 63 |
Meanwhile Back in Europe | 64 |
WhistleStopping to the Top | 65 |
Four More Years Many More Problems | 67 |
Independence Once Again | 68 |
Truly One of a Kind | 71 |
A Devastating Valentines Day | 72 |
Back in the Race | 73 |
Rough Riders Mount Up | 75 |
A President for the People | 76 |
Coal Miners Defender | 77 |
Regulating the Railroads | 78 |
Roosevelts Pet Project the Panama Canal | 79 |
The Roosevelt Corollary | 80 |
Cleaning Up Food Trains and Forests | 81 |
The Hepburn Act | 82 |
Gone Hunting but Not for a Third Term | 83 |
Do That to Me One More Time | 84 |
Another Tragedy Befalls Roosevelt | 85 |
The Staunchly Sometimes Progressive Woodrow Wilson | 87 |
Joe College | 88 |
What Exit You from Governor Joisey? | 89 |
The GOP Split Is Wilsons Gain | 90 |
Wilson Tries to Remain Neutral | 91 |
Of Course You Realize This Means War | 92 |
Thats Bolshevik | 93 |
The First Sitting President Visits Europe | 94 |
A Nobel Effort to No Effect | 95 |
Backward Thinking | 97 |
You Couldnt Make Up a Character Quite Like Andrew Jackson | 99 |
Old Hickory as a Young Bud | 102 |
Early Political Life | 103 |
A Volunteer Politician | 104 |
The Stolen Election of 1824 | 105 |
Sexual Affairs and Southern Nullification | 106 |
Driving Native Americans from Their Home | 107 |
Taking on the Bank | 108 |
Wildcat Woes | 109 |
French Toast | 110 |
The Formidable Forgotten James K Polk | 113 |
Napoleon of the Stump | 114 |
The Sole Speaker of the House | 115 |
Right Place Right Time | 117 |
Sticking to the Game Plan | 119 |
Oregon Ducks Another Battle | 120 |
Walker Tariff Ranger | 121 |
From Sea to Shining Sea | 122 |
John Adams SecondChair Founding Father | 123 |
The Great Brain from Braintree | 124 |
Liberty Trumps Violent Patriotism | 125 |
John and Sam in Philly | 126 |
Today Is Our Independence Day | 127 |
The European Years | 128 |
The No 1 No 2 | 129 |
Adams Dwells Within the Most Insignificant Office | 130 |
Adams and Jefferson Square Off in the First TwoMan Contest | 131 |
The ABCs of XYZ | 132 |
In the Navy | 133 |
Alienating Free Speech | 134 |
Middleweight | 137 |
Cleveland Rocks the White House Grover Cleveland | 139 |
New York State of Mind | 140 |
Everythings Coming Up Cleveland | 141 |
First Time Around Clean House and Senate | 142 |
Just a FourYear Intermission | 144 |
Major Depression | 145 |
Losing Liberals and Labor | 146 |
Reformist First Nonconsecutive Guy Second | 148 |
Like Forefather Like Son John Quincy Adams | 149 |
Just Another Trial of the Century | 150 |
Wunderkind | 151 |
Mr Adams Goes to Washington | 152 |
The Man Behind Monroe | 153 |
The TwoTime Loser Is the Big Winner | 154 |
The Undistinguished Term | 155 |
One Ugly Election | 156 |
Heeeeeeres Johnny | 157 |
Win Two Terms for the Gipper Ronald Reagan | 159 |
Striking Gold with Goldwater | 162 |
Just a WarmUp | 163 |
Reagans Resounding Victory | 164 |
Reaganomics Takes Shape | 166 |
Facing Down the Evil Empire | 167 |
Trouble Spots Span the Globe | 168 |
Scandal Breaks Reagan Escapes | 169 |
Dutchs Sadly Ironic Final Days | 170 |
The Bigger They Are the Harder They Fall Lyndon Johnson | 173 |
A New Dealers Debut | 175 |
Taking a Step to the Right | 176 |
Civil Action | 177 |
Americas Tragedy Begets Johnsons Presidency | 179 |
Getting Down to Business | 180 |
Landslide Lyndon Lives Up to His Name | 181 |
Four Unbelievable Years | 182 |
The Vietnam War Cripples Johnson at Home and Abroad | 184 |
Johnson Drops a Final Bomb | 185 |
Any Which Way to the White House Rutherford B Hayes | 187 |
OneThats the Magic Number | 188 |
The Tainted Victor | 189 |
Conciliatory Politics | 190 |
Four Wounds and No Funeral | 192 |
The BattleTested Buckeye Enters Politics | 193 |
Ello Guvnuh | 194 |
These Are Hayes to Remember | 195 |
Lucy in the Dry with Lemons | 196 |
If I Could Be Like Ike Dwight David Eisenhower | 199 |
Makings of a Military Man | 201 |
The Big Gun in the Big One | 202 |
Supreme Allied Commander | 203 |
World War II Comes to an End | 204 |
The Call of the White House | 205 |
The Relative Calm of the Eisenhower Era | 206 |
Rockets and HighFlying Spies | 208 |
The McCarthy Era | 209 |
Ike Eisenhower vs Orval Faubus | 210 |
A Second Term and a Booming Economy | 211 |
Has Anyone Seen My Old Friend William McKinley? | 213 |
Before the Newspapers War Business as Usual | 216 |
Our Maine Man Takes Us into the SpanishAmerican War | 217 |
The Wars Pluses and Minuses | 232 |
Back to Montpelier | 233 |
Plenty of Posts Prior to the Presidency | 235 |
The Next Logical Step | 236 |
Died on the Fourth of July | 238 |
Single Days Doom Their Terms Gerald Ford and Herbert Hoover | 241 |
Spending a Long Time in the House | 242 |
Getting Caught in the Tangled Web Dick Weaved | 243 |
The Pardon | 244 |
Playing Out the Back Nine | 245 |
Amnesty | 246 |
You Betty You Betty You Bet | 247 |
Two Attempted Assassinations and a Quiet Departure | 248 |
From the Cornfields to the Gold Mines | 249 |
A European Epicurean in Times of Need | 250 |
Commerce Comes AKnocking | 251 |
Over Before it Began | 252 |
The Inevitable | 254 |
Back Where He Belongs | 255 |
Were They Doomed from the Start? | 256 |
Peanut Farmer and Jelly Belly Jimmy Carter and William Howard Taft | 257 |
From Sea to Shining Sea Wolf | 258 |
Georgia on My Mind | 259 |
Mr Peanut Becomes the Governor | 260 |
Carters Presidential Triumphs and Tribulations | 261 |
Carters Difficulties | 262 |
The 1980 Election | 264 |
Law in Order | 265 |
Philippines or Bust | 266 |
He Aint Heavy Hes My President | 267 |
The PayneAldrich Tariff | 268 |
No Chance Against the Bull Moose | 269 |
Death Does Its Part John Tyler and Mil lard Fillmore | 273 |
A Strict Constitution | 274 |
The Whig Cult Preying on the Disillusioned | 275 |
Presenting His Accidency | 276 |
Jumping Ship but Holding On to Their Whigs | 277 |
Treaties Among the Tricks | 278 |
Progress or Placebo? | 279 |
Fillmore East Balances the Ticket | 280 |
Where the Buffalo Roam | 282 |
Building a Better Library | 283 |
A Couple of Dandies Chester A Arthur and Martin Van Buren | 287 |
Getting in Good with the GOP | 288 |
CustomMade Appointee | 289 |
Arthur Ascends and Surprises the Stalwarts | 290 |
Out with the Slackers in with the Plebes | 291 |
The President of Savoir Faire | 292 |
The Kid from Kinderhook | 293 |
A Dozen Years Half a Dozen Important Positions | 294 |
The Beef with Calhoun | 295 |
A Panic Sets In | 296 |
Van Burens Other Issues | 297 |
Martin Van Ruin Is Beaten by Tippecanoe | 298 |
Tomato Cans Never Coulda Been Contenders and Still in Training | 301 |
The DullNamic Duo Benjamin Harrison and Calvin Coolidge | 303 |
Kid Gloves | 304 |
Whos the Boss? | 305 |
Gentle Ben | 306 |
Cant Trust It | 307 |
Ben There Done That | 309 |
Scaling the Massachusetts Political Scene | 310 |
Speaking Up for Silent Cal | 312 |
All by Myself | 313 |
In Touch with the Wealthy Man | 314 |
More Time to Rest | 315 |
BacktoBack Slacks Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan | 317 |
An Unfortunate HorsePlay | 318 |
The Man of Compromise | 319 |
Tragedy Strikes | 321 |
The Of tend Manifesto | 322 |
Pierces Greatest Unintended GOP Legacy | 323 |
Lancaster Law | 324 |
If at First You Dont Succeed | 325 |
Old Buck Stops Here | 326 |
The Dred Scott Case | 327 |
John Browns Raid at Harpers Ferry | 328 |
Not That Theres Anything Wrong with That | 329 |
Could Anyone Have Made a Difference? | 330 |
With Friends Like These Warren G Harding and Ulysses S Grant | 331 |
A Ladys Man Comes Out of the Closet | 332 |
From Columnist to Candidate | 333 |
The Legend of the SmokeFilled Room | 334 |
Corruption Takes Control | 336 |
Et Tu Daugherty? | 337 |
Innocuous Beginnings | 338 |
Getting to the Bottom of the Bottle | 339 |
Nowhere to Go but Up | 340 |
Vicksburg | 341 |
Grant Leads the Union Victory | 342 |
A Shaky Start | 343 |
Grants Gains | 344 |
Hero of Appomattox and His Unheroic Underlings | 345 |
A Warm Welcome | 346 |
Trouble at the Top Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon | 347 |
Union Yes | 348 |
To the Upper Chamber and Beyond | 349 |
A National Tragedy Elevates Johnson | 350 |
Sewards Folly Is Americas Gain | 351 |
The Radical Case for Johnsons Impeachment | 352 |
Running Afoul of the Radicals | 353 |
Sewn from Quaker Oats | 354 |
An AntiCommunist Crusader Is Born | 355 |
Playing Checkers for Eisenhower | 356 |
Keeping Busy in Times of Peace | 357 |
Back from the Dead | 358 |
The Vietnam War Rages On | 359 |
China Russia and the Middle East | 360 |
Domestic Concerns Minus the Big One | 361 |
Watergate Breaks Nixon Resigns | 362 |
Caught on Tape | 363 |
Later Years and Looking Back | 364 |
What Well Never Know William Henry Harrison and John F Kennedy | 367 |
At Home in Indiana | 368 |
Whiging Out | 369 |
Tippecanoe and the Wicked Flu | 371 |
The Cuban Success | 372 |
Most Likely to Succeed | 373 |
The Saga of PT 109 | 374 |
The Family Helps Elect Senator John Kennedy | 375 |
The Television and the Politician Merge | 376 |
A Stifling Congress | 377 |
International Interests | 378 |
A Penalty for Early Withdrawal? | 379 |
Staying off the Grassy Knoll | 380 |
What Might Have Been James Garfield and Zachary Taylor | 383 |
Gentleman Preacher to Citizen Soldier | 385 |
Going Postal | 388 |
Ignorance Is Bliss | 389 |
Rough and Humble Beginnings | 390 |
The Black Hawk War | 391 |
Battles with the Seminole Indians | 392 |
Mexican War 18451847 | 393 |
Shopping for a Whig | 394 |
The Question for the Ages | 395 |
Making Friends with Daddys Enemy | 396 |
Too Soon to Know George Bush and Bill Clinton | 399 |
The Elected Years | 400 |
The Appointed Years | 401 |
The Presidential Years | 402 |
The Foreign Upside | 403 |
The Gulf War | 404 |
The Domestic Downside | 405 |
Its the Economy and the Bull Moose Effect | 406 |
Never Too Young to Be Governor | 407 |
From a Little Rock Comes the Big Cheese | 408 |
Clintons Domestic Life | 409 |
Patriots Day Tragedies | 410 |
Clintons Mixed Bag of Foreign Situations | 411 |
Lying Under Oath Scandal | 412 |
Its the Economy Stupid | 413 |
| 415 | |
Common terms and phrases
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