Course Description: This course explores the entire history of the US office of President from inception to modern day alongside key formative (child-friendly) events of each presidential term. We will analyze and examine different styles of leadership, political philosophies and the changing influence of the two-party system on American politics. We will also learn how the office of the President is structured, the influence of the mass media, how checks and balances work, and key moments of challenge and unrest in America’s past. Additionally, we will explore with a critical lens how presidents have negotiated and exerted power in navigating domestic, economic and foreign policies throughout history, and will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each President’s leadership style.

By the end of the course, students will be able to recite all presidents in order and will know key details of American presidential history. Students will also be developed in historical research, writing and critical inquiry.

Textbook: Presidents of the United States of America: A History of America’s Leaders

[Students will need to obtain a copy of this book; it is $4.99 for a digital copy on Amazon or free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription]

Assignments: Students will have weekly graded assignments including short research projects, history papers, class speeches/presentations, primary and secondary text readings and reading comprehension. Supplementary books, multimedia and interactive assignments will also be provided.

1 Introduction to US Presidents

2 George Washington

3 John Adams

4 Thomas Jefferson

5 James Madison

6 John Quincy Adams

7 Andrew Jackson

8 Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler

9 James K Polk, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore

10 Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan

11 Abraham Lincoln

12 Andrew Johnson

13 Ulysses S Grant

14 Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Garfield and Chester Arthur

15 Grover Cleveland and William McKinley

16 Theodore Roosevelt

17 William Taft, Woodrow Wilson

18 Warren G Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover

19 Franklin D Roosevelt

20 Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

21 John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson

22 Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford

23 Jimmy Carter and Ronald Regan

24 George Bush, George W Bush and Donald Trump

25 Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joseph Biden