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Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt is perhaps best known for his efforts to break up large monopolies or "trusts" that dominated industries like oil, railroads, and steel. He believed that such monopolies killed competition and exploited consumers. His administration filed 44 antitrust lawsuits, including against powerful companies like Standard Oil and American Tobacco, significantly reshaping the relationship between government and business. -
William Taft
Taft continued Roosevelt's conservation policies, though his efforts in this area are sometimes overshadowed by Roosevelt's own groundbreaking achievements. He created new national parks and protected federal land, and his administration added around 2 million acres to the National Parks system. -
Woodrow Wilson
The most significant thing that Woodrow Wilson did during his presidency was his leadership during World War I and the creation of the League of Nations, which laid the groundwork for modern international diplomacy. His presidency was also marked by significant domestic reforms that shaped the future of the U.S. economy and government. -
Warren G Harding
Harding campaigned on the promise of returning the U.S. to "normalcy" after World War I. His administration sought to ease the transition from wartime to peacetime, with a focus on promoting business and reducing government intervention in the economy. -
Calvin Coolidge
Under Coolidge's leadership, the U.S. experienced an economic boom throughout the Roaring Twenties, with rising industrial production and technological advancements. The stock market soared, and many Americans enjoyed greater prosperity. -
Herbert Hoover
Hoover’s presidency began with great optimism, as he had been seen as a successful businessman and humanitarian. However, the Great Depression, which began with the stock market crash of October 1929, quickly plunged the U.S. into widespread unemployment, poverty, and economic hardship. -
Franklin D Roosevelt
FDR’s leadership during World War II is a defining aspect of his presidency. He guided the U.S. through the conflict, which began when the U.S. entered the war in 1941 after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt helped build an alliance with the Allies, and played a crucial role in planning military strategies that led to the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany, Japan, and their allies. -
Harry S Truman
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Dwight D Eisenhower
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John F Kennedy
Kennedy’s commitment to space exploration and his bold vision for America’s role in the Space Race against the Soviet Union was another defining aspect of his presidency. In his famous 1961 speech before Congress, JFK set a goal to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade, stating that the U.S. would commit the necessary resources and efforts to achieve this ambitious goal. -
Lyndon B Johnson
The most significant thing Lyndon B. Johnson did during his presidency was passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was a monumental step in the Civil Rights Movement and changed American society. -
Richard Nixon
Nixon during his presidency opened diplomatic relations with China in 1972. This was a groundbreaking move that reshaped global geopolitics. At the time, China was isolated from much of the Western world, and Nixon’s visit marked the beginning of a new strategic relationship between the U.S. and China. It also helped shift the balance during the Cold War by driving a wedge between China and the Soviet Union -
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford during his presidency pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed during the Watergate scandal. This decision was highly controversial at the time and cost Ford a lot of public support, but he believed it was necessary to help the country move forward and heal after the Watergate crisis. -
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter during his presidency arranged the Camp David Accords in 1978, which led to a historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. This was a major diplomatic achievement. Egypt became the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel, and in return, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula. Carter personally brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin together at Camp David and helped mediate the agreement over 13 tense days. -
Ronald Reagan
The most significant thing Ronald Reagan did during his presidency was helping to end the Cold War through a combination of military buildup, diplomacy, and pressure on the Soviet Union. -
George Bush
After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Bush organized a broad alliance of over 30 countries and launched Operation Desert Storm, a swift and highly successful military campaign that pushed Iraqi forces out in just over a month. It was seen as a major victory for U.S. foreign policy and showed how effective global alliances could be after the Cold War. -
Barack Obama
The killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 was one of the most high-profile moments of Barack Obama’s presidency and a major milestone in the War on Terror. -
Donald Trump
Reshaped the Court for a generation and led to major decisions, most notably the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. That decision ended federal protection for abortion rights and returned the issue to the states one of the most significant legal shifts in modern American history. -
Joe Biden
Ending the war in Afghanistan in 2021 was a significant and highly controversial moment in Joe Biden’s presidency. In April 2021, Biden announced the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, marking the end of nearly 20 years of U.S. military involvement in the country. The decision to pull out came after years of negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban, particularly the 2019 Doha Agreement, which had been negotiated during the Trump administration. -
Donald Trump