US President Summaries

Question 1

George Washington

Answer 1

Set many precedents for the national government and the presidency, including the two-term limit.

Question 2

John Adams

Answer 2

Passed the Alien and Sedition Acts; avoided war with France through diplomacy.

Question 3

Thomas Jefferson

Answer 3

Completed the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the U.S.; Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Question 4

James Madison

Answer 4

Led the nation during the War of 1812 against Britain; oversaw the drafting of the Constitution.

Question 5

James Monroe

Answer 5

Established the Monroe Doctrine, which opposed European colonialism in the Americas.

Question 6

John Quincy Adams

Answer 6

Advocated for modernizing the American economy; faced opposition from the emerging Democratic Party.

Question 7

Andrew Jackson

Answer 7

Implemented the Indian Removal Act; opposed the Bank of the United States; promoted the “common man”.

Question 8

Martin Van Buren

Answer 8

Faced the Panic of 1837, a major economic depression.

Question 9

William Henry Harrison

Answer 9

Died one month into his term, the shortest presidency in U.S. history.

Question 10

John Tyler

Answer 10

Annexed Texas; faced opposition from his own Whig Party.

Question 11

James K. Polk

Answer 11

Oversaw the Mexican-American War; acquired California and much of the Southwest.

Question 12

Zachary Taylor

Answer 12

Died in office; his stance on slavery was moderate, aiming to preserve the Union.

Question 13

Millard Fillmore

Answer 13

Supported the Compromise of 1850, which aimed to ease tensions between slave and free states.

Question 14

Franklin Pierce

Answer 14

Supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which increased sectional conflict over slavery.

Question 15

James Buchanan

Answer 15

His inability to address sectional tensions led to the secession of Southern states.

Question 16

Abraham Lincoln

Answer 16

Led the country through the Civil War; issued the Emancipation Proclamation; assassinated in 1865.

Question 17

Andrew Johnson

Answer 17

Impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate; opposed Radical Reconstruction.

Question 18

Ulysses S. Grant

Answer 18

Worked to reconstruct the South and protect African American rights; his administration was marred by scandals.

Question 19

Rutherford B. Hayes

Answer 19

Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South; promoted civil service reform.

Question 20

James A. Garfield

Answer 20

Advocated for civil service reform; assassinated in office after only a few months.

Question 21

Chester A. Arthur

Answer 21

Signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act; modernized the Navy.

Question 22

Grover Cleveland

Answer 22

Fought political corruption and vetoed numerous bills; supported the gold standard.

Question 23

Benjamin Harrison

Answer 23

Signed the Sherman Antitrust Act; faced economic challenges and increased tariffs.

Question 24

Grover Cleveland

Answer 24

Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms; dealt with the Panic of 1893.

Question 25

William McKinley

Answer 25

Led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War; annexed the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico; assassinated in 1901.

Question 26

Theodore Roosevelt

Answer 26

Promoted Progressive reforms; expanded national parks; strengthened U.S. naval power.

Question 27

William Howard Taft

Answer 27

Continued Progressive policies; later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Question 28

Woodrow Wilson

Answer 28

Led the U.S. through World War I; advocated for the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 29

Warren G. Harding

Answer 29

Promoted a “return to normalcy” after WWI; his administration was marred by scandals, including Teapot Dome.

Question 30

Calvin Coolidge

Answer 30

Promoted small government and laissez-faire economics; presided over a period of economic growth.

Question 31

Herbert Hoover

Answer 31

His presidency was marked by the onset of the Great Depression; his policies were seen as ineffective in dealing with the economic crisis.

Question 32

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Answer 32

Implemented the New Deal to counter the Great Depression; led the U.S. through most of World War II.

Question 33

Harry S. Truman

Answer 33

Made the decision to use atomic bombs on Japan; initiated the Marshall Plan and NATO; led the beginning of the Korean War.

Question 34

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Answer 34

Oversaw the end of the Korean War; promoted infrastructure through the Interstate Highway System; managed Cold War tensions.

Question 35

John F. Kennedy

Answer 35

Navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis; promoted civil rights; assassinated in 1963.

Question 36

Lyndon B. Johnson

Answer 36

Signed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act; launched the Great Society programs; escalated the Vietnam War.

Question 37

Richard Nixon

Answer 37

Ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam; opened relations with China; resigned due to the Watergate scandal.

Question 38

Gerald Ford

Answer 38

Pardoned Nixon; faced economic troubles and the fall of South Vietnam.

Question 39

Jimmy Carter

Answer 39

Brokered the Camp David Accords; faced the Iran Hostage Crisis and economic difficulties.

Question 40

Ronald Reagan

Answer 40

Implemented Reaganomics; survived an assassination attempt; helped end the Cold War.

Question 41

George H. W. Bush

Answer 41

Led a successful Gulf War; faced economic recession and increasing deficit.

Question 42

Bill Clinton

Answer 42

Oversaw economic prosperity and the signing of NAFTA; impeached but acquitted.

Question 43

George W. Bush

Answer 43

Led the response to 9/11 attacks; initiated wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; faced Hurricane Katrina and economic crisis.

Question 44

Barack Obama

Answer 44

Passed the Affordable Care Act; ordered the operation that killed Osama bin Laden; dealt with the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Question 45

Donald Trump

Answer 45

Implemented tax cuts; faced impeachment twice; managed the COVID-19 pandemic; emphasized “America First” policies.

Question 46

Joe Biden

Answer 46

Focused on COVID-19 vaccination rollout, infrastructure investment, and addressing climate change.