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George Washington
-Federalist
-The first President unified the new nation and shaped the chief executive's duties. He refused to run for a third term.
On their wedding day, Martha Washington gave him a miniature portrait of herself. He wore it on a chain around his neck until his death 40 years later.
-The Jay Treaty, was an great accomplishment of the Washington Administration and helped to keep exports flowing and helped to keep us out of war in Europe at the end of the 18th century. -
John Adams
-Federalist
-Adams was the first President to live in the White House. He had a tough job filling Washington's shoes. His advocacy of the Alien and Sedition Acts allowed him to silence critics, but made him unpopular. He lost reelection to Thomas Jefferson. -
Thomas Jefferson
-Democratic-Republican
-Considered the most brilliant President, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, founded the University of Virginia, and was an architect, a farmer, and a scientist. Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which nearly doubled the size of the U.S. -
James Madison
-Democratic-Republican
-Madison is considered the father of the Bill of Rights. He presided over the War of 1812 with Britain, during which the White House was burned. The war ended in a draw. -
James Monroe
-Democratic-Republican
-Monroe lived out his retirement in poverty. His term is called the "Era of Good Feeling" because there was little partisan fighting. He formed the Monroe Doctrine, which declared the Americas off-limits to European fighting. -
John Quincy Adams
-Democratic-Republican
-John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the first father and son to have served as Presidents. Accused of winning the White House through corruption, he suffered accusations of misdeeds throughout his presidency. After his presidency, Adams served nine terms in the House of Representatives, until his death in 1848. -
Andrew Jackson
-Democratic
-Jackson was the first President to ride on a train.
Though he was a rich planter, Jackson was considered the common people's friend. Nicknamed "Old Hickory" because he was so tough, Jackson greatly expanded the powers of the Presidency. -
Martin Van Buren
-Democratic
-Van Buren was the first President to be born an American citizen, rather than a British subject. Van Buren's Presidency was marred by an economic depression that led to bank failures and food riots. He was easily defeated for reelection -
William Henry Harrison
-Whig
-Anti-Masonic
-Republican
-Harrison delivered a marathon inaugural speech during which he caught a cold. He died a month later.
Harrison was the first President to die in office and he served the briefest term. -
John Tyler
-Whig
-Democratic
-Tyler had 15 children, more than any President. Tyler was expected to be a passive "acting President" while he finished Harrison's term, but he refused to be passive. He made enemies in Congress and was the first President to be threatened with impeachment. The effort failed. -
James Knox Polk
-Democratic
-Polk is the only President to have served as Speaker of the House. Polk was the first "dark horse" or little-known nominee to become President. He presided over the Mexican War, which added Texas, California, and other territories to the United States. -
Zachary Taylor
-Whig
-Taylor won fame as a general in the Mexican War. His soldiers called him "Old Rough and Ready." Taylor threatened to use force to keep the South from leaving the Union. After his death, a compromise allowed slavery to continue in the South. -
Milliard Fillmore
-Whig
-Fillmore approved the Compromise of 1850, allowing slavery in the South. But neither the North nor the South was happy with it, and Fillmore was blamed for the law's failure. In 1856, Fillmore ran for President on the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party ticket. -
Franklin Pierce
-Democratic
-Pierce's wife hated Washington, D.C., so much, that she fainted when she found out he had been nominated for President. Pierce supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gutted the Compromise of 1850. -
James Buchanan
-Democratic
-Buchanan was the only bachelor to ever serve in the White House. Buchanan tried in vain to find a compromise to keep the South from seceding from the Union, but failed. -
Abraham Lincoln
-Republican
-Lincoln led the Union into the Civil War to preserve the nation and end slavery. He was assassinated just five days after the Confederate armies surrendered.Polls showed that Lincoln is the most admired President. -
Andrew Johnson
-Democratic
-Succeeding Lincoln, Johnson found himself in bitter battles with Congress over Reconstruction. He was impeached and tried by the Senate, but was acquitted by one vote. Johnson was the only southern senator to stay loyal to the Union. -
Ulysses S. Grant
-Republican
-Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but an error on his application to West Point changed his name to Ulysses Simpson Grant. He liked the initials so much that he kept the name.
Grant was the top Union military hero of the Civil War. His two terms were marred by scandals. -
Theodore Roosevelt
-Republican
-Roosevelt was one of the most activist Presidents. His many accomplishments included the building of the Panama Canal, cracking down on business monopolies, and creating many national parks. Roosevelt was the first President to visit a foreign country while in office. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
-Democratic
- Roosevelt led the nation during the Great Depression of the 1930s and to victory in World War II (1941–1945). He also greatly expanded the size and role of the federal government through his New Deal social programs. Roosevelt is the only President elected four times. -
John F. Kennedy
-Democratic
-In 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union hovered on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy eventually forced the Soviets to back down. He was assassinated in the third year of his term. Kennedy is the only Roman Catholic to become President. -
George H. W. Bush
-Republican
-During Bush's term, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. He also led the United States in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. But economic troubles at home cost him his reelection bid. Bush was the first sitting Vice President to be elected President since Martin Van Buren.
