-
George Washington
Known as the father of the nation, George Washington (April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797) was the first president of the U.S. He served as commander in chief during the American Revolution and afterward presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Washington insisted he be called "Mr. President," rather than "your excellency." -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809) also played an outsized role in America's birth. He drafted the Declaration of Independence and served as the nation's first secretary of state. While Jefferson was in office, the United States also fought its first foreign war, known as the First Barbary War. -
Andrew Jackson
He is considered the nation's first populist president. Jackson earned fame for his exploits at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and later against the Seminole Indians in Florida. In office, Jackson and his Democratic allies successfully dismantled the Second Bank of the United States, ending federal efforts at regulating the economy -
James K. Polk
He increased the size of the United States more than any president through the acquisition of California and New Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War, which occurred during his tenure.He also settled the nation's dispute with Great Britain over its northwest border, giving the U.S. Washington and Oregon, and giving Canada British Columbia. During his time, the U.S. issued its first postage stamp and the foundation for the Washington Monument was laid. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, who presided during the American Civil War. Lincoln guided the Union through four bloody years of conflict, abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation -
Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1885–March 4, 1889 Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well. Cleveland began to replace more of the partisan Republican officeholders with Democrats.
March 4, 1893–March 4, 1897 Shortly after Cleveland's second term began, the Panic of 1893 struck the stock market, and he soon faced an acute economic depression. -
Theodore Roosevelt
At age 42, Roosevelt was the youngest man to take office. He implemented strong regulations to curb the power of large corporations like Standard Oil and the nation's railroads.He also beefed up consumer protections with the Pure Food and Drug Act, which gave birth to the modern Food and Drug Administration, and created the first national parks.Roosevelt also pursued an aggressive foreign policy, mediating the end of the Russo-Japanese War and developing the Panama Canal. -
Woodrow Wilson
(March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921). Wilson did an about-face and led the U.S. into World War I. He began a vigorous campaign to create a global alliance to prevent future conflicts. But the resulting League of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations of today, was largely hobbled by the United States' refusal to participate after rejecting the Treaty of Versailles. (Signed on June 28th, 1919 as an end to the First World War) -
Period: to
World War I
More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history and precipitated major political change, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. Unresolved rivalries at the end of the conflict contributed to the start of the Second World War twenty-one years later. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt (March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945) is the nation's longest-serving president. Elected during the depths of the Great Depression, he held office until his death in 1945, just months before the end of World War II. During his tenure, the role of the federal government was greatly expanded into the bureaucracy it is today. Depression-era federal programs like Social Security still exist, providing basic financial protections for the nation's most vulnerable. -
Period: to
World War II
The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. -
Harry S. Truman
(April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953). He came to power after serving as vice president during Franklin Roosevelt's final term in office.Following FDR's death, Truman guided the U.S through the closing months of World War II, including the decision to use the new atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.In the years after the war, relations with the Soviet Union quickly deteriorated into a "Cold War" that would last until the 1980s. -
Dwight Eisenhower
(January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961). The conflict in Korea ceased, while at home the U.S. experienced economic growth. A number of milestones in the Civil Rights Movement took place, including the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957. While in office, Eisenhower signed legislation that created the interstate highway system and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA. -
Period: to
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776. The declaration opens with a preamble describing the document's necessity in explaining why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world. -
George H. W. Bush
A member of the Republican Party, he had previously been a congressman, ambassador and Director of Central Intelligence. He entered office at a period of change in the world; the fall of the Berlin Wall came early in his presidency, the collapse of Soviet Union came in 1991. He ordered military operations in Panama and the Persian Gulf, and, at one point, was recorded as having a record-high approval rating of 89% -
George W. Bush
He served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was also the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. Bush had originally outlined an ambitious domestic agenda, but his priorities were significantly altered following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacksWars were waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there were significant domestic debates regarding immigration, healthcare, SS, economic policy, and treatment of terrorist detainees. -
Barack Obama
The first African American to assume the presidency, he was previously the junior United States Senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008. -
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is the 45th and current President of the United States, in office since January 20, 2017. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.