Read America's Greatest 20th Century Presidents Online
Authors: Charles River Charles River Editors
America's Greatest 20th Century Presidents (2 page)
America’s Greatest 20
th
Century Presidents
humanizes the nation’s youngest elected president, explaining the roots of the Kennedy family, the basis for Kennedy’s presidential ambitions, his war service and journalism, his political career and assassination, and all of the accomplishments and shortcomings inbetween. Along the way, you will learn interesting facts about JFK you never knew, like which famous relative also died on November 22, and see pictures of the important people and events in Kennedy’s life.
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)
In the famous movie
Back to the Future
, Marty McFly travels back to 1955, and, in an attempt to convince his friend Doc Brown that he is from 1985, tells the 1955 version of Doc Brown that Ronald Reagan is president. Doc looks at him incredulously and laughs, chortling, “Ronald Reagan? The actor?” In a story that could have come straight out of Hollywood, the golden actor rose through California politics to become California governor and eventually the 40
th
President.
The 70+ year old former actor then went on to have one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20
th
century, unquestionably making him one of the most influential men of the last 50 years. And his name is still as relevant in American politics today, with every politician with an R next to his or her name trying to claim Ronald Reagan’s conservative mantle. In the Republican presidential nomination debates in 2011, Reagan’s name was invoked an average of over 5 times per debate, more than every other president combined. Meanwhile, Americans of all stripes continue to debate the merits of “Reaganomics” more than 30 years after Reagan was elected.
Like all legends, Reagan’s lengthy life and career have been molded to fit certain narratives, to the point that they obscure the actual man.
America’s Greatest 20
th
Century Presidents
looks at the personal and family life of the Golden Age actor, governor and president, while highlighting his accomplishments and assessing his ongoing legacy. Along with pictures of Reagan and other important people and events in his life, you will learn about Reagan like you never have before, in no time at all.
Bill Clinton (1946 - )
"Sometime in my sixteenth year, I decided I wanted to be in public life as an elected official. I loved music and thought I could be very good, but I knew I would never be John Coltrane or Stan Getz. I was interested in medicine and thought I could be a fine doctor, but I knew I would never be Michael DeBakey. But I knew I could be great in public service." – Bill Clinton
It would be impossible to sum up the life and legacy of Bill Clinton in one sentence or even one paragraph, as the former president represents many different things to many different people. Indeed, the yin and yang of Clinton’s life and career are inescapable. Widely hailed as the greatest politician of his era, Clinton proved to be his own worst enemy, creating unnecessary scandals through his womanizing. Clinton was one of the first politicians to truly connect with young adults, yet in the process he provided ludicrous soundbytes like “I did not inhale.” Long considered the Democratic Party’s greatest spokesman and surrogate, Clinton’s presidency was defined by centrist “triangulation”. And though he is still publicly popular and considered a great president, Clinton became just the second president to be impeached in the House of Representatives.
Regardless of what Americans think of him, one thing Clinton does represent is the American Dream. Born to a single mother in Hope, Arkansas, Clinton used his ambition, hard work and intelligence to become a Rhodes scholar. As a teenager, a meeting with President Kennedy helped drive him toward politics, which he pursued after getting his law degree at Yale, where he met future wife Hillary Rodham.
Clinton ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 but was defeated, which spurred him into state politics in Arkansas, where he climbed the ladder from Attorney General to Governor at just 32 years old
. He spent most of the 1980s as Arkansas’ governor and a prominent voice in the more centrist wing of the Democratic Party, favoring welfare reform and smaller government.
In 1992, Clinton truly became “The Comeback Kid”, managing to win the Democratic primaries after losing the first two primaries, and going on to defeat incumbent President George H.W. Bush. After a failed healthcare reform initiative and huge Republican gains in the midterm elections of 1994, Clinton moved to the middle, governing as a centrist. And as the first president with a full term in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Clinton was widely responsible for charting a new foreign policy course for the U.S., which was now the world’s sole superpower. His foreign interventions in places like Bosnia and Somalia greatly influenced future projections of American power and global events.
Clinton left office with budget surpluses and a high approval rating, despite the never-ending controversies swirling around him, and he has since doubled as a political surrogage and global ambassador for his country.
America’s Greatest 20
th
Century Presidents
chronicles Clinton’s life and career, including all of its famous highs and infamous lows, as well as the controversies and legacy he left in his wake. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about The Comeback Kid like you never have before, in no time at all.
Chapter 1: Early Life, Education and Family
Childhood and Education
The Roosevelt Family
Chapter 2: Early Political Career and Ranching
New York Assemblyman
Marriage and Tragedy
North Dakota
Return to New York and Second Marriage
Civil Service Commission and New York Police Commissioner
Chapter 3: Becoming a National Figure
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
The Rough Riders
Governor of New York
The Election of 1900 and the Vice Presidency
Chapter 4: The Presidency
The Assassination of William McKinley
The Panama Canal
The Square Deal
Reelection and the Roosevelt Corollary
Portsmouth Treaty
Making Progress with the Square Deal
Adding Bite to Bark
The Panic of 1907 and Monetary Policy
Chapter 5: The Bull Moose
Going on Safari
The Election of 1912
Chapter 6: Death and Legacy
Death
Legacy
Theodore Roosevelt Bibliography
Chapter 1: Early Life, Education and Family, 1882-1909
Birth and Education
The Roosevelt Family
Marriage
Chapter 2: State Politics, The Navy, and Polio, 1910 – 1921
New York State Senate
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Polio
Chapter 3: Governor of New York, 1922-1932
Smoothing Relations with Tammany Hall
Governor of New York
The Beginning of the Depression
Chapter 4: President Roosevelt Fights the Depression, 1933 – 1941
The Election of 1932
Inauguration
Bank Runs
The First New Deal
Supreme Court Resistance to the Second New Deal
Winning Reelection and Packing the Court
Focusing on Europe
Chapter 5: World War II, 1941 – 1945
Heading for War
Pearl Harbor
1943
D-Day
Planning Victory in Europe
Chapter 6: Death and Legacy, 1945-Present
Roosevelt’s Death
Legacy
FDR Bibliography
Chapter 1: Birth and Education, 1890-1915
Family Background
Birth and Upbringing