US President Summaries Flashcards
Presidents and a summary about each of them.
George Washington
Set many precedents for the national government and the presidency, including the two-term limit.
John Adams
Passed the Alien and Sedition Acts; avoided war with France through diplomacy.
Thomas Jefferson
Completed the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the U.S.; Lewis and Clark Expedition.
James Madison
Led the nation during the War of 1812 against Britain; oversaw the drafting of the Constitution.
James Monroe
Established the Monroe Doctrine, which opposed European colonialism in the Americas.
John Quincy Adams
Advocated for modernizing the American economy; faced opposition from the emerging Democratic Party.
Andrew Jackson
Implemented the Indian Removal Act; opposed the Bank of the United States; promoted the “common man”.
Martin Van Buren
Faced the Panic of 1837, a major economic depression.
William Henry Harrison
Died one month into his term, the shortest presidency in U.S. history.
John Tyler
Annexed Texas; faced opposition from his own Whig Party.
James K. Polk
Oversaw the Mexican-American War; acquired California and much of the Southwest.
Zachary Taylor
Died in office; his stance on slavery was moderate, aiming to preserve the Union.
Millard Fillmore
Supported the Compromise of 1850, which aimed to ease tensions between slave and free states.
Franklin Pierce
Supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which increased sectional conflict over slavery.
James Buchanan
His inability to address sectional tensions led to the secession of Southern states.
Abraham Lincoln
Led the country through the Civil War; issued the Emancipation Proclamation; assassinated in 1865.
Andrew Johnson
Impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate; opposed Radical Reconstruction.
Ulysses S. Grant
Worked to reconstruct the South and protect African American rights; his administration was marred by scandals.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South; promoted civil service reform.
James A. Garfield
Advocated for civil service reform; assassinated in office after only a few months.
Chester A. Arthur
Signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act; modernized the Navy.
Grover Cleveland
Fought political corruption and vetoed numerous bills; supported the gold standard.
Benjamin Harrison
Signed the Sherman Antitrust Act; faced economic challenges and increased tariffs.
Grover Cleveland
Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms; dealt with the Panic of 1893.
William McKinley
Led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War; annexed the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico; assassinated in 1901.
Theodore Roosevelt
Promoted Progressive reforms; expanded national parks; strengthened U.S. naval power.
William Howard Taft
Continued Progressive policies; later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Woodrow Wilson
Led the U.S. through World War I; advocated for the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles.
Warren G. Harding
Promoted a “return to normalcy” after WWI; his administration was marred by scandals, including Teapot Dome.
Calvin Coolidge
Promoted small government and laissez-faire economics; presided over a period of economic growth.
Herbert Hoover
His presidency was marked by the onset of the Great Depression; his policies were seen as ineffective in dealing with the economic crisis.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Implemented the New Deal to counter the Great Depression; led the U.S. through most of World War II.
Harry S. Truman
Made the decision to use atomic bombs on Japan; initiated the Marshall Plan and NATO; led the beginning of the Korean War.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Oversaw the end of the Korean War; promoted infrastructure through the Interstate Highway System; managed Cold War tensions.
John F. Kennedy
Navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis; promoted civil rights; assassinated in 1963.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Signed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act; launched the Great Society programs; escalated the Vietnam War.
Richard Nixon
Ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam; opened relations with China; resigned due to the Watergate scandal.
Gerald Ford
Pardoned Nixon; faced economic troubles and the fall of South Vietnam.
Jimmy Carter
Brokered the Camp David Accords; faced the Iran Hostage Crisis and economic difficulties.
Ronald Reagan
Implemented Reaganomics; survived an assassination attempt; helped end the Cold War.
George H. W. Bush
Led a successful Gulf War; faced economic recession and increasing deficit.
Bill Clinton
Oversaw economic prosperity and the signing of NAFTA; impeached but acquitted.
George W. Bush
Led the response to 9/11 attacks; initiated wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; faced Hurricane Katrina and economic crisis.
Barack Obama
Passed the Affordable Care Act; ordered the operation that killed Osama bin Laden; dealt with the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Donald Trump
Implemented tax cuts; faced impeachment twice; managed the COVID-19 pandemic; emphasized “America First” policies.
Joe Biden
Focused on COVID-19 vaccination rollout, infrastructure investment, and addressing climate change.
