With all due respect to presidents Washington and Lincoln, perhaps this Uniform Monday Holiday should be a day to remember all our chief executives—the great, the not-so-great, and the middling? After all, who needs a holiday to remember George and Abe? Perhaps, we should commemorate Handsome Frank or Old Rough and Ready—those guys could use
Speaking at the National Association of Evangelicals convention in Orlando, Florida, President Reagan lowered the temperature in the Cold War several degrees when he branded the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” The term was coined by Reagan’s chief speechwriter Anthony Dolan and represented the rhetorical side of the escalation in the geopolitical conflict. President Ronald Reagan: Evil
Even before consummating the Louisiana Purchase with France, President Jefferson laid plans to explore the region. In June 1803, he sent a letter to his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, who had recruited to lead the mission. The message lists many objectives for the expedition, but stresses economic, geopolitical, and scientific matters. Note in particular that the President
Continue Reading “Thomas Jefferson: Instructions for Meriwether Lewis, 1803”
Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) WHO HE WAS: Millard Fillmore served as the 13th President of the United States. His presidency was marked by a mix of accomplishments and controversies. Fillmore signed the Compromise of 1850 into law, attempting to address the contentious issue of slavery in new territories. His leadership during this period reflected the challenges
James Madison (1751-1836) James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” was the fourth President of the United States and a pivotal figure in the founding of the nation. His contributions to the drafting of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights have shaped American law and government profoundly. Madison also co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party with
Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) WHO S/HE WAS: Woodrow Wilson was the twenty-eighth President of the United States, in office 1913-1921. Like Roosevelt before him, Wilson regarded himself as the personal representative of the people. He developed a program of progressive reforms and asserted international leadership in building a new world order. In 1917 he proclaimed American
William Howard Taft (1860-1835) WHO S/HE WAS: William Howard Taft was the twenty-seventh President of the United States, a Republican and later the 10th Chief Justice of the United States. In his first and only term, President Taft’s domestic agenda emphasized trust-busting, civil service reform, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, improving the performance of the
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) Theodore D. Roosevelt was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, a Republican and at 42 years old, the youngest person ever to be President. He was a Progressive reformer who sought to move the dominant Republican Party into the Progressive camp. He distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved monopolistic corporations as a
