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Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln, our sixteenth president, was very concerned in the issue of southern secession and civil war. In fact, after the first state seceeded, he declared the act illegal and begin the Civil War to fight such acts of rebellion. Eventually, Lincoln led the Union to victory in the Civil War and wrote the groundbreaking "Emancipation Proclamation. -
Andrew Johnson
With the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the task of reconstruction was put on the shoulders of Andrew Johnson. His presidency was marked by his conflicting ideas with congress, especially radical republicans. Among these conflicts were Johnson's pardons with senators from confederate states, and the very different actions of congress, who passed the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, both of which promoted equal rights for African Americans. -
Ulysses S. Grant
As a prominent hero for the Union Army in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was a logical choice as a candidate for the Republican party. During his presidency, Grant was criticized for seeming bewildered at his task, and unqualified for the job. Furthermore, his image was tainted when he was seen with speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk, who had been part of an immoral scheme to "corner the market in gold." -
Rutherford B. Hayes
A Republican candidate for the 1876 election, Hayes ran against
Samuel J. Tilden. Hayes. Rutherford started his administration by implementing the Compromise of 1877, which ended military occupation of the south. Later, he created a policy that placed control of a canal in Central America in the hands of our America, ultimately leading to the Panama Canal. -
James A. Garfield
The twentieth president, and the last of the "log cabin" presidents, James A. Garfield was a president whose term ended by his tragic assassination. When investigating a case of fraudulent mail service, he found a number of Republican party members involved, but did not hesitate to follow justice. His actions regarding this scandal eventually lead to civil service reform. -
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Arthur, our 21st president, was an advocate of civil service reform. This sentiment was marked by the passing of the Pendleton Service Act, which pushed for officials to be chosen by merit and not based on political connections. Arthur also worked hard to lower tarriffs and fight mail fraud. -
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland, our 22nd president, was the first that was a democrat. He was also the first president to leave office and return later. In his second term, he was fighting a case of depression, and his blunt handling of a Chicago railroad strike and his forcing of Great Britain to accept arbitration over a land dispute characterized his second term. -
Benjamin Harrison
Harrison, our 23rd president, had a tough, ambitious foreign policy. This was represented by his submission of a treaty to annex Hawaii, which was later terminated in Cleveland's second term. The most challenging domestic problem he faced involved tarriffs, which had collected to a surplus in the treasury due to high rates. In response to this, Harrison eradicated tarriffs on imported sugar. -
William McKinley
Our 25th president, McKinley entered office at the end of an economic depression. His administration was characterized partly by the conflict between Cuba and Spain, and also by his imperialist ambition. Sadly, his second term ended in September 1901 when he was shot and killed by an anarchist. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Not even having reached his 43rd birthday when inaugurated, Theodore Roosevelt became our youngest president. Roosevelt was commonly known as a "trust buster," with the passing of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Roosevelt was also dedicated to conservation of National Parks and monuments.
