-
Period: to
George Washington
George Washington (April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797) served as the first president of the United States. He served as commander in chief during the American Revolution and afterward presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787. With no precedent for selecting a president, it fell to the members of the Electoral College to choose the nation's first leader two years later. -
Period: to
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809), the third president of the United States, also played an important role in America's birth. He drafted the Declaration of Independence and served as the nation's first secretary of state. -
Period: to
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837), known as "Old Hickory," is considered the nation's first populist president. As a self-styled man of the people, Jackson earned fame for his exploits at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and later against the Seminole Indians in Florida. While he was in office, Jackson and his Democratic allies successfully dismantled the Second Bank of the United States, ending federal efforts at regulating the economy. -
Period: to
James K. Polk
James K. Polk (March 4, 1845 to March 4, 1849) served one term as president. During his time in office, Polk increased the size of the United States more than any president other than Jefferson through the acquisition of California and New Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War.
He also settled the nation's dispute with Great Britain over the United States' northwest border, giving the U.S. Washington and Oregon and giving Canada British Columbia. -
Period: to
Abraham Lincoln
Abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation, -
Period: to
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt (September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909) came to power after the sitting president, William McKinley was assassinated. Elected at age 42, Roosevelt was the youngest man to take office. During his two terms, Roosevelt used the presidency to pursue a strong domestic and foreign policy. -
Period: to
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson (March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921) began his first term vowing to keep the nation out of foreign entanglements. But by his second term, Wilson did an about-face and led the U.S. into World War I. At the war's conclusion, Wilson began a campaign to create a global alliance to prevent future conflicts. The resulting League of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations, was largely hobbled by the United States' refusal to participate after rejecting the Treaty of Versailles. -
Period: to
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Elected during the depths of the Great Depression, he held office until his death in 1945, only months before the end of World War II. During his tenure, the role of the federal government was greatly expanded.Depression-era federal programs like Social Security, enacted during Roosevelt's presidency, still exist, providing basic financial protections for the nation's most vulnerable. -
Period: to
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953) came to power after serving as vice president during Franklin Roosevelt's final term in office. Following Roosevelt's death, Truman guided the U.S. through the closing months of World War II, including the decision to use the new atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. -
Period: to
Dwight Eisenhower
During Dwight Eisenhower's (January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961) tenure, the conflict in Korea ceased, while the U.S. experienced tremendous economic growth. Several milestones in the Civil Rights Movement took place during Eisenhower's term, including the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957.