American Presidents
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Lyndon B. Johnson
The American Presidents Series: The 36th President, 1963-1969
by Charles Peters
Part of the American Presidents series
The towering figure who sought to transform America into a "Great Society" but whose ambitions and presidency collapsed in the tragedy of the Vietnam War
Few figures in American history are as compelling and complex as Lyndon Baines Johnson, who established himself as the master of the U.S. Senate in the 1950s and succeeded John F. Kennedy in the White House after Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963.
Charles Peters, a keen observer of Washington politics for more than five decades, tells the story of Johnson's presidency as the tale of an immensely talented politician driven by ambition and desire. As part of the Kennedy-Johnson administration from 1961 to 1968, Peters knew key players, including Johnson's aides, giving him inside knowledge of the legislative wizardry that led to historic triumphs like the Voting Rights Act and the personal insecurities that led to the tragedy of Vietnam.
Peters's experiences have given him unique insight into the poisonous rivalry between Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy, showing how their misunderstanding of each other exacerbated Johnson's self-doubt and led him into the morass of Vietnam, which crippled his presidency and finally drove this larger-than-life man from the office that was his lifelong ambition.
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Ulysses S. Grant
The American Presidents Series: The 18th President, 1869-1877
by Josiah Bunting
Part of the American Presidents series
The underappreciated presidency of the military man who won the Civil War and then had to win the peace as well
As a general, Ulysses S. Grant is routinely described in glowing terms-the man who turned the tide of the Civil War, who accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox, and who had the stomach to see the war through to final victory. But, his presidency is another matter-the most common word used to characterize it is "scandal." Grant is routinely portrayed as a man out of his depth, whose trusting nature and hands-off management style opened the federal coffers to unprecedented plunder. But, that caricature does not do justice to the realities of Grant's term in office, as Josiah Bunting III shows in this provocative assessment of our eighteenth president.
Grant came to Washington in 1869 to lead a capital and a country still bitterly divided by four years of civil war. His predecessor, Andrew Johnson, had been impeached and nearly driven from office, and the radical Republicans in Congress were intent on imposing harsh conditions on the Southern states before allowing them back into the Union. Grant made it his priority to forge the states into a single nation, and Bunting shows that despite the troubles that characterized Grant's terms in office, he was able to accomplish this most important task-very often through the skillful use of his own popularity with the American people. Grant was indeed a military man of the highest order, and he was a better president than he is often given credit for.
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James Monroe
The 5th President, 1817-1825
by Gary Hart
Part of the American Presidents series
The former senator and presidential candidate offers a provocative new assessment of the first "national security president"
James Monroe is remembered today primarily for two things: for being the last of the "Virginia Dynasty"-following George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison-and for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, his statement of principles in 1823 that the western hemisphere was to be considered closed to European intervention. But Gary Hart sees Monroe as a president ahead of his time, whose priorities and accomplishments in establishing America's "national security" have a great deal in common with chief executives of our own time.
Unlike his predecessors Jefferson and Madison, Monroe was at his core a military man. He joined the Continental Army at the age of seventeen and served with distinction in many pivotal battles. (He is prominently featured at Washington's side in the iconic painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.) And throughout his career as a senator, governor, ambassador, secretary of state, secretary of war, and president, he never lost sight of the fact that without secure borders and friendly relations with neighbors, the American people could never be truly safe in their independence. As president he embarked on an ambitious series of treaties, annexations, and military confrontations that would secure America's homeland against foreign attack for nearly two hundred years.
Hart details the accomplishments and priorities of this forward-looking president, whose security concerns clearly echo those we face in our time.
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Andrew Johnson
The 17th President, 1865-1869
by Annette Gordon-Reed
Part of the American Presidents series
A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian recounts the tale of the unwanted president who ran afoul of Congress over Reconstruction and was nearly removed from office.
Andrew Johnson never expected to be president. But just six weeks after becoming Abraham Lincoln's vice president, the events at Ford's Theatre thrust him into the nation's highest office.
Johnson faced a nearly impossible task, to succeed America's greatest chief executive, to bind the nation's wounds after the Civil War, and to work with a Congress controlled by the so-called Radical Republicans. Annette Gordon-Reed, one of America's leading historians of slavery, shows how ill-suited Johnson was for this daunting task. His vision of reconciliation abandoned the millions of former slaves (for whom he felt undisguised contempt) and antagonized congressional leaders, who tried to limit his powers and eventually impeached him.
The climax of Johnson's presidency was his trial in the Senate and his acquittal by a single vote, which Gordon-Reed recounts with drama and palpable tension. Despite his victory, Johnson's term in office was a crucial missed opportunity, he failed the country at a pivotal moment, leaving America with problems that we are still trying to solve.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower
The 34th President, 1953-1961
by Tom Wicker
Part of the American Presidents series
An American icon and hero faces a nation-and a world-in transition
A bona-fide American hero at the close of World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower rode an enormous wave of popularity into the Oval Office seven years later. Though we may view the Eisenhower years through a hazy lens of 1950s nostalgia, historians consider his presidency one of the least successful. At home there was civil rights unrest, McCarthyism, and a deteriorating economy; internationally, the Cold War was deepening. But despite his tendency toward "brinksmanship," Ike would later be revered for "keeping the peace." Still, his actions and policies at the onset of his career, covered by Tom Wicker, would haunt Americans of future generations.
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John Tyler
The 10th President, 1841-1845
by Gary May
Part of the American Presidents series
The first "accidental president," whose secret maneuverings brought Texas into the Union and set secession in motion
When William Henry Harrison died in April 1841, just one month after his inauguration, Vice President John Tyler assumed the presidency. It was a controversial move by this Southern gentleman, who had been placed on the fractious Whig ticket with the hero of Tippecanoe in order to sweep Andrew Jackson's Democrats, and their imperial tendencies, out of the White House.
Soon Tyler was beset by the Whigs' competing factions. He vetoed the charter for a new Bank of the United States, which he deemed unconstitutional, and was expelled from his own party. In foreign policy, as well, Tyler marched to his own drummer. He engaged secret agents to help resolve a border dispute with Britain and negotiated the annexation of Texas without the Senate's approval. The resulting sectional divisions roiled the country.
Gary May, a historian known for his dramatic accounts of secret government, sheds new light on Tyler's controversial presidency, which saw him set aside his dedication to the Constitution to gain his two great ambitions: Texas and a place in history.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
by Roy Jenkins
Part of the American Presidents series
A masterly work by the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and Gladstone
A protean figure and a man of massive achievement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only man to be elected to the presidency more than twice. In a ranking of chief executives, no more than three of his predecessors could truly be placed in contention with his standing, and of his successors, there are so far none.
In acute, stylish prose, Roy Jenkins tackles all of the nuances and intricacies of FDR's character. He was a skilled politician with astounding flexibility; he oversaw an incomparable mobilization of American industrial and military effort; and, all the while, he aroused great loyalty and dazzled those around him with his personal charm. Despite several setbacks and one apparent catastrophe, his life was buoyed by the influence of Eleanor, who was not only a wife but an adviser and one of the twentieth century's greatest political reformers.
Nearly complete before Jenkins's death in January 2003, this volume was finished by historian Richard Neustadt.
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James Buchanan
The American Presidents Series: The 15th President, 1857-1861
by Jean H. Baker
Part of the American Presidents series
A provocative reconsideration of a presidency on the brink of Civil War
Almost no president was as well trained and well prepared for the office as James Buchanan. He had served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate; he was Secretary of State and was even offered a seat on the Supreme Court. And yet, by every measure except his own, James Buchanan was a miserable failure as president, leaving office in disgrace. Virtually all of his intentions were thwarted by his own inability to compromise: he had been unable to resolve issues of slavery, caused his party to split-thereby ensuring the election of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln-and made the Civil War all but inevitable.
Historian Jean H. Baker explains that we have rightly placed Buchanan at the end of the presidential rankings, but his poor presidency should not be an excuse to forget him. To study Buchanan is to consider the implications of weak leadership in a time of national crisis. Elegantly written, Baker's volume offers a balanced look at a crucial moment in our nation's history and explores a man who, when given the opportunity, failed to rise to the challenge.
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Abraham Lincoln
The American Presidents Series: The 16th President, 1861-1865
by George S. McGovern
Part of the American Presidents series
America's greatest president, who rose to power in the country's greatest hour of need and whose vision saw the United States through the Civil War
Abraham Lincoln towers above the others who have held the office of president-the icon of greatness, the pillar of strength whose words bound up the nation's wounds. His presidency is the hinge on which American history pivots, the time when the young republic collapsed of its own contradictions and a new birth of freedom, sanctified by blood, created the United States we know today. His story has been told many times, but never by a man who himself sought the office of president and contemplated the awesome responsibilities that come with it.
George S. McGovern-a Midwesterner, former U.S. senator, presidential candidate, veteran, and historian by training-offers his unique insight into our sixteenth president. He shows how Lincoln sometimes went astray, particularly in his restrictions on civil liberties, but also how he adjusted his sights and transformed the Civil War from a political dispute to a moral crusade. McGovern's account reminds us why we hold Lincoln in such esteem and why he remains the standard by which all of his successors are measured.
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Benjamin Harrison
The 23rd President, 1889-1893
by Charles W. Calhoun
Part of the American Presidents series
The scion of a political dynasty ushers in the era of big government
Politics was in Benjamin Harrison's blood. His great-grandfather signed the Declaration and his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was the ninth president of the United States. Harrison, a leading Indiana lawyer, became a Republican Party champion, even taking a leave from the Civil War to campaign for Lincoln. After a scandal-free term in the Senate-no small feat in the Gilded Age-the Republicans chose Harrison as their presidential candidate in 1888. Despite losing the popular vote, he trounced the incumbent, Grover Cleveland, in the electoral college.
In contrast to standard histories, which dismiss Harrison's presidency as corrupt and inactive, Charles W. Calhoun sweeps away the stereotypes of the age to reveal the accomplishments of our twenty-third president. With Congress under Republican control, he exemplified the activist president, working feverishly to put the Party's planks into law and approving the first billion-dollar peacetime budget. But the Democrats won Congress in 1890, stalling his legislative agenda, and with the First Lady ill, his race for reelection proceeded quietly. (She died just before the election.) In the end, Harrison could not beat Cleveland in their unprecedented rematch.
With dazzling attention to this president's life and the social tapestry of his times, Calhoun compellingly reconsiders Harrison's legacy.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Everybody likes Ike! With this title, dive into the details of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The book's leveled text begins with Dwight's early years, from his education to his rise through the U.S. Army. Historical photos support the main text and highlight events like World War II, integrating Little Rock, and forming NASA. Special features and a question about Eisenhower's leadership will help young readers engage with some of our nation's most pivotal moments in history!
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Richard M. Nixon
The 37th President, 1969-1974
by Elizabeth Drew
Part of the American Presidents series
The complex man at the center of America's most self-destructive presidency
In this provocative and revelatory assessment of the only president ever forced out of office, the legendary Washington journalist Elizabeth Drew explains how Richard M. Nixon's troubled inner life offers the key to understanding his presidency. She shows how Nixon was surprisingly indecisive on domestic issues and often wasn't interested in them. Turning to international affairs, she reveals the inner workings of Nixon's complex relationship with Henry Kissinger, and their mutual rivalry and distrust. The Watergate scandal that ended his presidency was at once an overreach of executive power and the inevitable result of his paranoia and passion for vengeance.
Even Nixon's post-presidential rehabilitation was motivated by a consuming desire for respectability, and he succeeded through his remarkable resilience. Through this book we finally understand this complicated man. While giving him credit for his achievements, Drew questions whether such a man-beleaguered, suspicious, and motivated by resentment and paranoia-was fit to hold America's highest office, and raises large doubts that he was.
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Theodore Roosevelt
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Learn about the adventures and policies that defined President Theodore Roosevelt. This book's leveled text details Roosevelt's early life and far-reaching achievements while in office. Historical photos support the main text and allow Roosevelt's character and projects to shine off the page. Special features offer additional details about the president's life, map where his story began, and ask readers a question to engage what they have learned. This title is full of fascinating facts about a famous president!
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Joe Biden
by Alex Monroe
Part of the American Presidents series
After decades as a senator and eight years as a vice president, Joseph Biden gained a lot of experience in politics! In this title for young readers, high quality images and special features supplement the main text to provide information about Joseph Biden's life and journey to become the 46th president of the United States.
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Ronald Reagan
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Lifeguard. Actor. President. Jellybean fanatic? These are just a few things, that emerging readers will learn about Ronald Regan in this beginning biography title about his life, presidency, and legacy. Special features include a thought-provoking question, a timeline of life events, and a profile to help readers better understand the man who helped end the Cold War.
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Abraham Lincoln
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Abraham Lincoln is famous for leading the country through the Civil War. In this title, emerging readers will learn about the life and presidency of this famous president. Historic images and leveled text introduce readers to America's 16th president, and special features highlight Lincoln's birthplace, favorite things, and much more!
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George W. Bush
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
U.S. president, businessman, and former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team? George W. Bush wore many hats in his life, but his most famous was his time as the 43rd president. In this title, leveled text and high-quality images introduce readers to George W. Bush and his life before, during, and after the presidency. Meanwhile, additional features highlight his birthplace, hobbies, and so much more!
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Abraham Lincoln
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Abraham Lincoln is famous for leading the country through the Civil War. In this title, emerging readers will learn about the life and presidency of this famous president. Historic images and leveled text introduce readers to America's 16th president, and special features highlight Lincoln's birthplace, favorite things, and much more!
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John F. Kennedy
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Did you know that President John F. Kennedy liked listening to bagpipes? Did you know he was also a war hero? Emerging readers will learn these facts and so much more in this title about the early life and presidency of America's youngest president! As students read, they will encounter vibrant images alongside maps, timelines, profiles, questions, and more.
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Donald Trump
by Alex Monroe
Part of the American Presidents series
Who is Donald Trump? From his beginnings as a businessman to his term as president, this beginning biography title explores the story of the 45th president. Leveled text pairs with special features such as a timeline, question, and profile to give readers a better understanding of the Donald Trump presidency and how it changed the world.
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George W. Bush
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
U.S. president, businessman, and former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team? George W. Bush wore many hats in his life, but his most famous was his time as the 43rd president. In this title, leveled text and high-quality images introduce readers to George W. Bush and his life before, during, and after the presidency. Meanwhile, additional features highlight his birthplace, hobbies, and so much more!
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John F. Kennedy
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Did you know that President John F. Kennedy liked listening to bagpipes? Did you know he was also a war hero? Emerging readers will learn these facts and so much more in this title about the early life and presidency of America's youngest president! As students read, they will encounter vibrant images alongside maps, timelines, profiles, questions, and more.
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George Washington
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
From farmer to founding father of the United States, George Washington lived a long, eventful life! Throughout this title, readers will learn about George Washington's early life and presidency and how he set a foundation for the United States. As leveled text guides readers through the book, special features such as a timeline and profile provide further insight to America's first president.
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Jimmy Carter
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Learn about President Jimmy Carter and the defining moments of his four years in office in this fact-filled title. The book's leveled text follows Carter's life, from his early years on his family's peanut farm through his presidency, and to his current climate change efforts. Colorful photos support the main text and highlight critical moments in his presidency. A profile feature adds additional information about Carter's life, and a question feature will help young readers connect with U.S. history!
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Learn about the life and influence of the longest-serving president in U.S. history! This book's leveled text describes Roosevelt's early life and far-reaching achievements while in office. Historical photos support the main text and detail Roosevelt's programs that have had a lasting influence on the nation. A profile feature explores the president's beginnings, and a question feature asks young readers to think about what they have read. This title is full of information about an influential president's accomplishments during one of the nation's most trying times!
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Barack Obama
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Barack Obama is known by many as the first Black president of the United States. But, readers might not know that President Obama likes to collect comic books and play basketball! In this title, young readers are introduced to Barack Obama's life and presidency through leveled text and high-quality images. Special features include a map, a timeline, and a thought-provoking question.
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Joe Biden
by Alex Monroe
Part of the American Presidents series
After decades as a senator and eight years as a vice president, Joseph Biden gained a lot of experience in politics! In this title for young readers, high quality images and special features supplement the main text to provide information about Joseph Biden's life and journey to become the 46th president of the United States.
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Bill Clinton
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Bill Clinton was the 42nd president! Not only is he a successful politician, but he is also a talented saxophone player. Throughout this title for young readers, leveled text introduces Bill Clinton's journey to the presidency as well as some of the challenges and successes he had while leading the country. Additional features will highlight Clinton's birthplace, favorite things, and much more.
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Donald Trump
by Alex Monroe
Part of the American Presidents series
Who is Donald Trump? From his beginnings as a businessman to his term as president, this beginning biography title explores the story of the 45th president. Leveled text pairs with special features such as a timeline, question, and profile to give readers a better understanding of the Donald Trump presidency and how it changed the world.
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Thomas Jefferson
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
From writing the Declaration of Independence to making the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson played a big role in making the United States what it is today! In this beginning biography of the third president, young readers will learn about this founding father through vibrant photos, leveled text, and special features such as a timeline, profile, and map.
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Bill Clinton
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Bill Clinton was the 42nd president! Not only is he a successful politician, but he is also a talented saxophone player. Throughout this title for young readers, leveled text introduces Bill Clinton's journey to the presidency as well as some of the challenges and successes he had while leading the country. Additional features will highlight Clinton's birthplace, favorite things, and much more.
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Thomas Jefferson
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
From writing the Declaration of Independence to making the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson played a big role in making the United States what it is today! In this beginning biography of the third president, young readers will learn about this founding father through vibrant photos, leveled text, and special features such as a timeline, profile, and map.
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Ronald Reagan
by Rachel Grack
Part of the American Presidents series
Lifeguard. Actor. President. Jelly bean fanatic? These are just a few things that emerging readers will learn about Ronald Regan in this beginning biography title about his life, presidency, and legacy. Special features include a thought-provoking question, a timeline of life events, and a profile to help readers better understand the man who helped end the Cold War.
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Barack Obama
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
Barack Obama is known by many as the first Black president of the United States. But readers might not know that President Obama likes to collect comic books and play basketball! In this title, young readers are introduced to Barack Obama's life and presidency through leveled text and high-quality images. Special features include a map, a timeline, and a thought-provoking question.
ebook
(1)
George Washington
by Rebecca Pettiford
Part of the American Presidents series
From farmer to founding father of the United States, George Washington lived a long, eventful life! Throughout this title, readers will learn about George Washington's early life and presidency and how he set a foundation for the United States. As leveled text guides readers through the book, special features such as a timeline and profile provide further insight to America's first president.
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Warren G. Harding
The American Presidents Series: The 29th President, 1921-1923
by John W. Dean
Part of the American Presidents series
President Nixon's former counsel illuminates another presidency marked by scandal.
Warren G. Harding may be best known as America's worst president. Scandals plagued him: the Teapot Dome affair, corruption in the Veterans Bureau and the Justice Department, and the posthumous revelation of an extramarital affair.
Raised in Marion, Ohio, Harding took hold of the small town's newspaper and turned it into a success. Showing a talent for local politics, he rose quickly to the U.S. Senate. His presidential campaign slogan, "America's present need is not heroics but healing, not nostrums but normalcy," gave voice to a public exhausted by the intense politics following World War I. Once elected, he pushed for legislation limiting the number of immigrants; set high tariffs to relieve the farm crisis after the war; persuaded Congress to adopt unified federal budget creation; and reduced income taxes and the national debt, before dying unexpectedly in 1923.
In this wise and compelling biography, John W. Dean-no stranger to controversy himself-recovers the truths and explodes the myths surrounding our twenty-ninth president's tarnished legacy.
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Harry S. Truman
The American Presidents Series: The 33rd President, 1945-1953
by Robert Dallek
Part of the American Presidents series
The plainspoken man from Missouri who never expected to be president yet rose to become one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century
In April 1945, after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the presidency fell to a former haberdasher and clubhouse politician from Independence, Missouri. Many believed he would be overmatched by the job, but Harry S. Truman would surprise them all.
Few chief executives have had so lasting an impact. Truman ushered America into the nuclear age, established the alliances and principles that would define the cold war and the national security state, started the nation on the road to civil rights, and won the most dramatic election of the twentieth century-his 1948 "whistlestop campaign" against Thomas E. Dewey.
Robert Dallek, the bestselling biographer of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, shows how this unassuming yet supremely confident man rose to the occasion. Truman clashed with Southerners over civil rights, with organized labor over the right to strike, and with General Douglas MacArthur over the conduct of the Korean War. He personified Thomas Jefferson's observation that the presidency is a "splendid misery," but it was during his tenure that the United States truly came of age.
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John Quincy Adams
The American Presidents Series: The 6th President, 1825-1829
by Robert V. Remini
Part of the American Presidents series
A vivid portrait of a man whose pre- and post-presidential careers overshadowed his presidency.
Chosen president by the House of Representatives after an inconclusive election against Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams often failed to mesh with the ethos of his era, pushing unsuccessfully for a strong, consolidated national government. Historian Robert V. Remini recounts how in the years before his presidency Adams was a shrewd, influential diplomat, and later, as a dynamic secretary of state under President James Monroe, he solidified many basic aspects of American foreign policy, including the Monroe Doctrine.
Undoubtedly, his greatest triumph was the negotiation of the Transcontinental Treaty, through which Spain acknowledged Florida to be part of the United States. After his term in office, he earned the nickname "Old Man Eloquent" for his passionate antislavery speeches.
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James K. Polk
The 11th President, 1845-1849
by John Seigenthaler
Part of the American Presidents series
The story of a pivotal president who watched over our westward expansion and solidified the dream of Jacksonian democracy
James K. Polk was a shrewd and decisive commander in chief, the youngest president elected to guide the still-young nation, who served as Speaker of the House and governor of Tennessee before taking office in 1845. Considered a natural successor to Andrew Jackson, "Young Hickory" miraculously revived his floundering political career by riding a wave of public sentiment in favor of annexing the Republic of Texas to the Union.
Shortly after his inauguration, he settled the disputed Oregon boundary and by 1846 had declared war on Mexico in hopes of annexing California. The considerably smaller American army never lost a battle. At home, however, Polk suffered a political firestorm of antiwar attacks from many fronts. Despite his tremendous accomplishments, he left office an extremely unpopular man, on whom stress had taken such a physical toll that he died within three months of departing Washington. Fellow Tennessean John Seigenthaler traces the life of this president who, as Truman noted, "said what he intended to do and did it."
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