Born: 1732, Pope's Creek, VA
Died: 1799
George Washington was raised in the tradition of the gentlemen farmer. As a young man, he was a surveyor in the Shenandoah Valley. He fought in the French and Indian War (1753-1757) and resigned his commission to manage his Mt. Vernon plantation. These experiences, farming the land and fighting for it, awakened in him a vision of a vast agricultural America reaching into the uncharted West.
In 1775 he served as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress. His opposition to British rule and his military background made him the obvious choice to command the largely untrained Continental Army. Over the next six years, Washington's tenacity and shrewd tactics wore down the British, who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781. Following an interval at Mt. Vernon, Washington chaired the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Constitution was ratified by the states and Washington's immense popularity led to his unopposed election as President. He nurtured the fledgling republic through the adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791), the establishment of the United States Bank and, following his re-election, the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion. He declined to run for a third term and retired to Mt. Vernon. The nation's capital was named in his honor.
First President
Federalist
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
John Adams 1797 - 1801
Born: 1735, Quincy, MA
Died: 1826
John Adams, a staunch New Englander, seems a bit of an anomaly surrounded by the "Virginia planter" Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Reserved and dour, Adams embodied the Puritan ethic. He studied law at Harvard College, and argued eloquently against the British Stamp Act and taxation without Parliamentary representation. Always pressing for the colonies to unite against Britain, "honest John" served as a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses, and in 1776 helped Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence. He furthered the cause as a diplomat in Europe during the Revolutionary War, and later helped negotiate the peace treaty with Britain.
A two-term Vice-President under George Washington, Adams presided over the tumultuous birth of a two-party system. Alexander Hamilton's Federalists believed in a strong central government drawing power from the commercial wealth of the North. Thomas Jefferson's Republicans favored agricultural interests and states' rights. Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson in the Presidential race of 1796, but his rival became Vice President and the two forged an effective if volatile partnership, completing the Franco-American Convention of 1800.
Second President
Federalist
Died: 1826
John Adams, a staunch New Englander, seems a bit of an anomaly surrounded by the "Virginia planter" Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Reserved and dour, Adams embodied the Puritan ethic. He studied law at Harvard College, and argued eloquently against the British Stamp Act and taxation without Parliamentary representation. Always pressing for the colonies to unite against Britain, "honest John" served as a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses, and in 1776 helped Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence. He furthered the cause as a diplomat in Europe during the Revolutionary War, and later helped negotiate the peace treaty with Britain.
A two-term Vice-President under George Washington, Adams presided over the tumultuous birth of a two-party system. Alexander Hamilton's Federalists believed in a strong central government drawing power from the commercial wealth of the North. Thomas Jefferson's Republicans favored agricultural interests and states' rights. Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson in the Presidential race of 1796, but his rival became Vice President and the two forged an effective if volatile partnership, completing the Franco-American Convention of 1800.
Second President
Federalist
Thomas Jefferson 1801 - 1809
Born: 1743, Albemarle County, VA
Died: 1826
Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents: lawyer, farmer, architect, scientist, musician, author, philosopher, and statesman. As a 33-year-old member of the Second Continental Congress, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
A Virginia legislator (1776-1779) and Governor (1779-1781), he wrote the Virginia statue of religious freedom and served as Minister to France, Washington's Secretary of the State and John Adams's Vice President, before being elected President in 1800. Jefferson removed the pomp surrounding Presidential affairs, believing that the best government is the least government. In 1803, his Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the nation. He retired after a second term to Monticello, his beloved Virginia home. There he devoted himself to the cause of public education and the creation of the University of Virginia.
Third President
Republican
Died: 1826
Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents: lawyer, farmer, architect, scientist, musician, author, philosopher, and statesman. As a 33-year-old member of the Second Continental Congress, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
A Virginia legislator (1776-1779) and Governor (1779-1781), he wrote the Virginia statue of religious freedom and served as Minister to France, Washington's Secretary of the State and John Adams's Vice President, before being elected President in 1800. Jefferson removed the pomp surrounding Presidential affairs, believing that the best government is the least government. In 1803, his Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the nation. He retired after a second term to Monticello, his beloved Virginia home. There he devoted himself to the cause of public education and the creation of the University of Virginia.
Third President
Republican
James Madison 1809 - 1817
Born: 1751, Port Conway, VA
Died: 1836
James Madison was a small delicate man with a fierce intelligence. After serving in the Virginia Assembly and the Continental Congress, the 36-year-old lawyer played the leading role at the constitutional convention of 1787, where his skillful debates earned him the title "Father of the Constitution." He later led the Congressional effort to pass the Constitutional Amendments known as the Bill of Rights (1791).
After serving as Jefferson's Secretary of State of eight years, Madison was elected President in 1808. He tried to steer a neutral course in the ongoing Franco-British war, but, partly motivated by a desire to conquer Canada, he finally succumbed to Republican pressures and declared war on Britain in 1812. Despite widespread criticism that Madison was "unfit for war," he was re-elected the same year. Although there were notable victories, the new nation took a beating. In 1814 the British marched on Washington, burning the White House and the Capitol. Peace was restored by the Treaty of Ghent. As America entered an era of expansion and prosperity, the Federalist party, reviled for its opposition to the war, vanished from the political scene.
Fourth President
Republican
Died: 1836
James Madison was a small delicate man with a fierce intelligence. After serving in the Virginia Assembly and the Continental Congress, the 36-year-old lawyer played the leading role at the constitutional convention of 1787, where his skillful debates earned him the title "Father of the Constitution." He later led the Congressional effort to pass the Constitutional Amendments known as the Bill of Rights (1791).
After serving as Jefferson's Secretary of State of eight years, Madison was elected President in 1808. He tried to steer a neutral course in the ongoing Franco-British war, but, partly motivated by a desire to conquer Canada, he finally succumbed to Republican pressures and declared war on Britain in 1812. Despite widespread criticism that Madison was "unfit for war," he was re-elected the same year. Although there were notable victories, the new nation took a beating. In 1814 the British marched on Washington, burning the White House and the Capitol. Peace was restored by the Treaty of Ghent. As America entered an era of expansion and prosperity, the Federalist party, reviled for its opposition to the war, vanished from the political scene.
Fourth President
Republican
James Monroe 1817 - 1825
Born: 1758, Westmoreland Co., VA
Died: 1831
Faithful and competent, James Monroe benefited from the company of men more brilliant than he. He fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War and studied law under Thomas Jefferson. He was a Virginia legislator, Governor, and U.S. Senator. As Jefferson's Minister to France he acquired cultivation and taste, which he put into good use in the White House. The peace-loving President also ushered in the so-called "era of good feeling" with a goodwill tour of the strongly Federalist states of New England. Buoyed by his and a prosperous economy, Monroe handily won a second term.
In 1818, a Treaty set the 49th Parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and Canada. America's southern border was redrawn four years later when Spain ceded Florida to America, following the Seminole War. The Missouri Compromise, an ill-conceived attempt to straddle the deep division over slavery, served only to delay armed conflict between North and South. It permitted the slave state of Missouri to join the Union if the free state of Maine also joined, and prohibited slavery entirely north and west of Missouri. the Monroe Doctrine proved more enduring. Declaring that the U.S. would oppose any foreign interference in North and South America, it remains a keystone of U.S. policy today.
Fifth President
Republican
Died: 1831
Faithful and competent, James Monroe benefited from the company of men more brilliant than he. He fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War and studied law under Thomas Jefferson. He was a Virginia legislator, Governor, and U.S. Senator. As Jefferson's Minister to France he acquired cultivation and taste, which he put into good use in the White House. The peace-loving President also ushered in the so-called "era of good feeling" with a goodwill tour of the strongly Federalist states of New England. Buoyed by his and a prosperous economy, Monroe handily won a second term.
In 1818, a Treaty set the 49th Parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and Canada. America's southern border was redrawn four years later when Spain ceded Florida to America, following the Seminole War. The Missouri Compromise, an ill-conceived attempt to straddle the deep division over slavery, served only to delay armed conflict between North and South. It permitted the slave state of Missouri to join the Union if the free state of Maine also joined, and prohibited slavery entirely north and west of Missouri. the Monroe Doctrine proved more enduring. Declaring that the U.S. would oppose any foreign interference in North and South America, it remains a keystone of U.S. policy today.
Fifth President
Republican
John Quincy Adams 1825 - 1829
Born: 1767, Quincy, MA
Died: 1848
Like his father, President John Adams, John Quincy Adams was steadfast in his principles. But he had a prickly personality that earned him few friends. The Harvard-trained lawyer served as a U.S. Senator and the nation's first Ambassador to Russia. He excelled as Monroe's Secretary of State, helping to formulate the Monroe Doctrine and negotiating the acquisition of Florida.
Adam's election to the Presidency was decided by the House of Representatives since neither he nor his political nemesis, Andrew Jackson, had won a majority (although Jackson received more electoral and popular votes). Jackson and his followers in Congress opposed Adams throughout his Presidency, criticizing him as a monarchist and blocking his efforts to create a National Bank and university, and to improve the nation's infrastructure. Adams did succeed in opening the Erie Canal and established the Smithsonian Institution, but he remained unpopular throughout his term and was soundly defeated in his re-election bid. Returning to Massachusetts, he was elected to Congress, where, for 17 years until he died, he opposed slavery and supported civil liberties.
Sixth President
Republican
Died: 1848
Like his father, President John Adams, John Quincy Adams was steadfast in his principles. But he had a prickly personality that earned him few friends. The Harvard-trained lawyer served as a U.S. Senator and the nation's first Ambassador to Russia. He excelled as Monroe's Secretary of State, helping to formulate the Monroe Doctrine and negotiating the acquisition of Florida.
Adam's election to the Presidency was decided by the House of Representatives since neither he nor his political nemesis, Andrew Jackson, had won a majority (although Jackson received more electoral and popular votes). Jackson and his followers in Congress opposed Adams throughout his Presidency, criticizing him as a monarchist and blocking his efforts to create a National Bank and university, and to improve the nation's infrastructure. Adams did succeed in opening the Erie Canal and established the Smithsonian Institution, but he remained unpopular throughout his term and was soundly defeated in his re-election bid. Returning to Massachusetts, he was elected to Congress, where, for 17 years until he died, he opposed slavery and supported civil liberties.
Sixth President
Republican
Andrew Jackson 1829 - 1837
Born: 1767, Waxhaw, SC
Died: 1845
Andrew Jackson was a Tennessee frontiersman, lawyer and military hero whose stunning defeat of the British at New Orleans in 1815 launched a colorful and tumultuous political career. After losing the presidency to fellow Republican John Quincy Adams in 1825, he started an opposition party in Congress, calling it the Democratic-Republicans (shortened to Democrats). Jackson wrested the Presidency from Adams in 1829. His personal charisma, his penchant for plain talk and his image as a Washington outsider proved irresistible to Americans who had just gained the vote. "Old Hickory" rolled into office on a wave of populist fervor, his supporters nearly causing a riot at his inaugural.
Jackson used the power of the Presidency as none before him. He dismissed almost 2,000 government employees in an effort to eradicate a "corrupt bureaucracy," and filled the vacancies with party loyalists. His veto of a bill to recharter the National Bank infuriated his opponents -- but not the electorate, who re-elected him decisively. In his second term, Jackson defeated South Carolina's attempt to nullify the tariff laws, paid off the national debt, and survived a bungled assassination attempt. He recognized the Republic of Texas in 1836 and retired from office as popular as ever.
Seventh President
Democrat
Died: 1845
Andrew Jackson was a Tennessee frontiersman, lawyer and military hero whose stunning defeat of the British at New Orleans in 1815 launched a colorful and tumultuous political career. After losing the presidency to fellow Republican John Quincy Adams in 1825, he started an opposition party in Congress, calling it the Democratic-Republicans (shortened to Democrats). Jackson wrested the Presidency from Adams in 1829. His personal charisma, his penchant for plain talk and his image as a Washington outsider proved irresistible to Americans who had just gained the vote. "Old Hickory" rolled into office on a wave of populist fervor, his supporters nearly causing a riot at his inaugural.
Jackson used the power of the Presidency as none before him. He dismissed almost 2,000 government employees in an effort to eradicate a "corrupt bureaucracy," and filled the vacancies with party loyalists. His veto of a bill to recharter the National Bank infuriated his opponents -- but not the electorate, who re-elected him decisively. In his second term, Jackson defeated South Carolina's attempt to nullify the tariff laws, paid off the national debt, and survived a bungled assassination attempt. He recognized the Republic of Texas in 1836 and retired from office as popular as ever.
Seventh President
Democrat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)