Several weeks ago I posted the beginnings of my oldest sons report on the presidents. The following is his completed report. It is long, but a fun read. It is very interesting to see our country grow through the events that happened during each presidents term.
Enjoy!
1.George Washington was a General who fought the British, and eventually helped beat them. After he beat them and was voted the first president. The legend goes that George Washington could not tell a lie. He was a very great man, and without him, we probably would have lost the Revolutionary War. He retired in March 1796 to Mount Vernon, his plantation, (And now an American landmark.) He is on Mount Rushmore, the quarter and the dollar bill. On December 12, 1799 he spent many hours in snow, hail, and freezing rain inspecting his farm, then came in and ate dinner without changing clothes, and the next day woke up with a cold, a fever, and a throat infection. Two days later, he died. His remains were buried at Mount Vernon.
2. John Adams helped write the Declaration of Independence, he ran with George Washington as vice president and became the first. After Washington did not run for President again, John decided he would. He was the first President to live in the White House. He served one term. He passed away on July 4th 1826, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence
3. Thomas Jefferson was the third president, he was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence. When he became President he purchased a lot of land from Napoleon called the “Louisiana Purchase”. He then had Lewis and Clark travel all the way west to map out the land. He spoke six languages, was a talented musician, architect and inventor. He served 2 terms before dying on the same day as John Adams. July 4th 1826.
4. James Madison was the 4th President. He drafted the Bill of Rights. While he was President people started to call the presidents home the White House. His wife was also the first referred to as “First Lady”. He was very short (5' 4”) and weighed less than 100 pounds.
5. While James Monroe was President, he bought Florida. He traveled further west and north than any other president had so far. As far north to Maine, and as far west as Michigan. He also warned England not to make any new colonies in America. He died exactly 5 years after John Adams and Thomas Jefferson On the 4th of July 1831.
6. John Quincy Adams Was the son of the 2nd president John Adams, when he was eight he saw the Battle of Bunker Hill at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. He loved poetry just like his father. After leaving office he became a member of the House of Representatives.
7. Andrew Jackson Signed the “Indian Removal Act” and forced Native Americans to move. While he was president he had a bullet removed from his arm from one of near a hundred of duels he fought before become president. Someone shot at him with two guns, to try to assassinate him, but both misfired.
8. Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born an American citizen. All presidents before him were born before the end of the Revolutionary War. While he was president the was a economic depression and many people lost their jobs. His campaign may have started the term O.K. As he was from a place called Kinderhook, also known as Old Kinderhook, and his campaign was that he was an O.K. Candidate.
9. William Henry Harrison gave his inauguration speech for two hours! Longer than any other president. It was a cold and rainy day when he did, and he had no coat... just 31 days later he died of pneumonia, thus having the shortest term of any president.
10. John Tyler became the first president to become president without being elected, (Via vice presidency) His granddaughter was the first girl to be born in the White House. He had more kids than any other president, 15.
11. James K. Polk was the first president to govern from coast to coast. He settled an argument about the Canada border with Britain, and got Oregon and Washington. He also bought the land that is now California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
12. Zachary Taylor was a war hero and spent more than 25 years on the frontier fighting Native Americans.' During his presidency the California Gold Rush started. He died from either sunstroke, or food poisoning, no one is sure.
13. Millard Fillmore sent Matthew Perry, a Naval Commodore, to Japan, and thus opened trade with Japan after two hundred years of seclusion. During his presidency, running water was installed into the white house, as well as a stove.
14. Franklin Pierce was so good at memorization, that he memorized all 3'319 words in his inaugural address. He also signed something that allowed any state to have slavery if it wanted to, after “Bleeding Kansas” was fought and many, many people died.
15. James Buchanan was the only president never to marry, so he asked his niece to be white house hostess. During his presidency he saw the events leading to the Civil War, including 7 States secede from the United States.
16. Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest presidents. He was born out on the frontier in a dirt-floor log cabin. His nickname was “Honest Abe” even though he hated the name Abe. He preferred to be called Lincoln. While he was president the Civil war was going on, and he supported freeing the slaves. America was fighting itself. He was killed in 1865 five days after the civil war ended. Shortly after this the Emancipation proclamation freed all the slaves.
17. Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached. He was found not guilty of his crime by one vote. Later on he became the only former president to be elected to the Senate.
18. Ulysses S Grant was a General in the Civil War. He became president after serving and fighting many battles.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to use a telephone. His number was “1”. His wife started the “White House Easter Egg Roll” where children roll eggs downhill. This is still done today.
20. James A. Garfield was ambidextrous. He was assassinated by one of his own supporters, who thought he should be rewarded with a government position. When he didn't get one he shot the president. Garfield lived for 11 weeks before he died.
21. Chester A. Arthur was a teacher before he became president. As president he was an active fisher. He changed his pants several times a day. While he was president the Washington Monument was finished.
22. Grover Cleveland had surgery on his mouth that replaced part of his jaw with rubber, that no one else knew about until after he died, because he didn't want America to worry about him. The Baby Ruth candy bar is named after his daughter.
23. Benjamin Harrison was William Henry Harrison’s grandson. He was president when electric lights were installed in the White House. When they were installed they were so afraid of being shocked, that they didn't turn them on for weeks!
24. Grover Cleveland was elected again after being out of office for 4 years. He was the only president to serve 2 terms that were not in a row. He was also the only president to get married in the White House!
25. William McKinley Was first to use campaign buttons. He said he wanted to be president his whole life. He was assassinated in 1901. He died eight days after being shot down, and became the third president to be assassinated
26. Theodore Roosevelt was weak and sick as a child so was very active as an adult. After his mother and first wife died on the same day he became a cattle rancher, He became a self taught cowboy. While president he acquired land needed to build the Panama Canal. His nickname was “Teddy”.
27. William Howard Taft Started the Seventh Inning Stretch at baseball games, when he got tired in the 7th inning of a baseball game he got up and stretched, and so did everyone else in the area as a sign of respect. He was a large man weighing 332 pounds. A new bathtub was installed in the white house that was big enough to fit four men, just for him.
28. Woodrow Wilson Was president during WWI. He tried to keep America out of the war but eventually we had to enter it. When he suffered a stroke and had to stay in bed his wife was the only one to take messages to and from him.
29. Warding G. Harding Wore size 14 shoes. Some people think he was poisoned because he died suddenly in the middle of his term. Some people that worked for the president had rented oil fields and kept the money for themselves. Some people think he may have been poisoned by them. He suffered a heart attack.
30. Calvin Coolidge Was born on the 4th of July. He was visiting his family at their farm in Vermont when Harding died. At 2 A.M. His father, who was a Notary swore him in at the farm. He was not very talkative, and his nickname was “Silent Cal”.
31. Herbert Hoover made a fortune in the gold mining business. Like john Quincy Adams, while he was in the White House he had 2 pet alligators. While he was president the great depression began. Many people blamed him for it. Many small villages in larger cities were called “Hooverville” and were mostly in parks, and were just cardboard shacks.
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt was related through blood or marriage to 11 other presidents, including but not limited to, George Washington, John (and John Quincy) Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft. He was elected 4 times in a row. After him, there was a limit set on terms.
33. Harry S. Truman Ended WWII by using the atomic bomb on Japan, causing mass destruction, and killing millions. While he was President the cold war began though.
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill that created NASA, after Russians surprised everyone by launching Sputnik, the first man made satellite. His nickname was “Ike” and nearly everyone “Liked Ike.”.
35. John F. Kennedy Was very young and popular. During WWII his ship was blown up, and he swam for 4 hours with another man’s life jacket strap between his teeth to swim to bring them both to safety. He was killed midterm during a Motorcade in Dallas Texas.
36. Lyndon B. Johnson grew up poor, and shined shoes, and trapped animals to make money for his family. During his term the Vietnam War began. President Johnson sent troops to help south Vietnam fight the Communist North Vietnam
37. Richard Nixon was the first president to visit all 50 states. He was also the first to visit communist China. He was the first president to resign after a scandal called Watergate.
38. Gerald Ford didn't run for either presidency or vice presidency, but Ford gave him the vice presidents job when the vice president resigned. He pardoned Nixon for his crimes (Watergate).
39. Jimmy Carter was the first President to be born in a hospital, all those before him had been born at home. As a child his family business was peanuts. He grew up on a peanut farm and his family sold peanuts for a living. As President he sold the Presidential Limo and Yacht because he thought the president should be treated like everyone else.
40. Ronald Reagan Acted in 50 movies before being elected as the oldest president ever. His favorite food was jelly beans. He turned 70 16 days after being inaugurated. After he was shot in the chest presidents started wearing bulletproof vests. After he got shot, a 10 year old boy sent him a goldfish named “Ronald Reagan II”... Which was also the name of one of his sons!
41. George H. W. Bush survived 4 plane crashes while in the Navy. For awhile he was the youngest pilot in the Navy. His Presidential Library is in Texas. He loves Baseball. While he was president the Berlin Wall was torn down. At his presidential library there is a piece of the Berlin wall.
42. Bill Clinton was the second president to almost be kicked out of office. He ran for so many offices in his high school election that his principal said he couldn't run for any more.
43. George W. Bush is the second president to be the son of another president, George H. W. Bush. During his presidency the World Trade Centers were destroyed by terrorists killing many people. After this we went to war with Iraq. He also loves baseball and looks just like his dad.
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