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James Madison as Commander in Chief: Treaty of Ghent
http://ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=20
Two years into the War of 1812, James Madison acted as Commander in Chief by making amends with the British. The Fall of Napoleon drove the British to offer to make amends with the U.S. Ready to end the war, Madison sent some politicians to Ghent, Belgium to represent the U.S. to come to an agreement. By December 24, 1914, they came up with an agreement named The Treaty of Ghent. In the link, it shows the original treaty signed by both sides. -
John Adams as Chief of Party: Appoints Henry Clay as Secretary of State
During Quincy Adams' race for president, he accumulated more electoral votes then William Crawford and Henry Clay, but not Andrew Jackson. Since Adams did not have more votes than Jackson (neither had the majority), the race was thrown to the House. With the help of Clay, the House chose Adams as their new president. To show his appreciation, President Adams then appointed Clay as Secretary of State. After watching this go down, supporters of Jackson then called this deal “corrupt”. -
Abraham Lincoln as Legislative Leader: The Emancipation Proclamation
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/
Close to three years into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. It was a document that gave ideas about ending slavery, but did not end it immediately. This document also made it more common for African Americans to fight in the war for their freedom. In the link above, it shows the famous document that was written by Lincoln during the Civil War. -
Gerald Ford as Chief Executive: Pardons Richard Nixon
In 1972, Nixon commited illegal acts, like sending men to the Watergate Building for secrets to use against the Democratic Party. When questioned about it, the White House staff denied knowing about it. Nixon then made a public statement saying that he was not aware of anything about the scandal. It was then revealed that Nixon records what goes on in his office. When he refused to give them up, it was over and he was convicted. In this picture, it shows Ford pardoning Nixon for those crimes. -
Ronald Reagan as Head of State: Awards the Medal of Honor to Roy P. Benavidez
May 2nd 1968, Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez saved his team after coming across enemies’ fire. Waiting for a helicopter to come pick them up, he arranged his team members that were dead or severely injured. Being injured himself, he put his team members on the chopper, and helped them after it crashed. Desperate to save a member, he started giving first aid to his teammate. Finally another aircraft came to save the surviving members. In this picture, Reagan awarded Benavidez the Medal of Honor. -
George H. W. Bush as Chief of Executive: State of Union
1991 State Of Union
In the constitution, it requires presidents to inform Congress of U.S. goals and problems we are facing. This in known as the State of Union Address. It is always given in the House and is usually given in February. There have been a total of 94, starting from the first one given by George Washington in 1790. In this picture it shows George H. W. Bush giving his annual State of the Union Address on January 29, 1991. -
George W. Bush as Chief Diplomat: attends funeral of Pope John Paul II
In 1991, Pope John Paul II was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by his doctor. Although it contributed to his failing health and death, like President Franklin Roosevelt with polio, Pope John Paul hid it from the public for 12 years. Within his last weeks, the pope went into a coma after going into septic shock. He took his last breath on April 2, 2005. In this picture it shows George W. Bush mourning the loss of the pope while at his funeral on April 8, 2005. -
Barack Obama as Economic Leader: Vetoed the Annual Defense Authorization Bill
On October 22, 2015, President Obama used a veto to reject the Annual Defense Authorization Bill. This bill discusses the military’s budget that funds them. Obama says that there are three things wrong with it, one being that it still has the sequester included. The sequester is part of the Budget Act which allows cuts within federal agencies to include more money in the military budget. In this picture it shows President Obama vetoing this bill with his official veto pen.
