Video GalleryCan the President Abuse His Power?
Watch these clips from American Experience's Presidents Collection and connect today's election issues with the past.
ArticleWilliam McKinley
Elected after the closing of the American frontier to the west, McKinley found new ways to expand in the Pacific and Caribbean following the Spanish American War.
LBJ | ArticleLyndon B. Johnson
To Lyndon B. Johnson, the essence of leadership lay in building consensus among diverse groups.
ArticleWilliam McKinley
Elected after the closing of the American frontier to the west, McKinley found new ways to expand in the Pacific and Caribbean following the Spanish American War.
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore proposed paying Texas to abandon claims on New Mexico, and supported the admission of California into the Union.
Andrew Johnson
After barely surviving his impeachment trial, Andrew Johnson served out the rest of the term without thought of reelection.
William Henry Harrison
William Harrison, a frontier army general whose fame (and nickname) was assured at the battle of Tippecanoe, spent only 32 days in office before dying.
Zachary Taylor
In a three-way race against the Democrat Lewis Cass and the Free Soil Party candidate Martin Van Buren, Taylor won a narrow victory over Cass.
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was elected on a platform of maintaining the status quo in regards to the issue of slavery.
Biography: James Buchanan
Buchanan's faith that the legal system would resolve the slavery issue locked him into inaction.
Barack H. Obama
Barack Obama was the first African-American to serve as President of the United States.
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was elected on a platform of maintaining the status quo in regards to the issue of slavery.
How to End a War?
Watch these clips on how to end a war—from President Turman to President George W. Bush.
Who is the Enemy?
Watch these selected clips from the Presidents Collection and connect current issues with the past.
When is it OK to Lie?
Watch these highlighted clips from the Presidents Collection and connect with our recent past.
How to Handle a Crisis?
Watch these clips from the Presidents Collection to learn more about our domestic, as well as international crisis.
How Important is Military Service?
A combat pilot, a nuclear submarine officer and Mr. U.S.A? Find out more about U.S. presidents and their military experience.
Does age matter?
From a young leader to a grandpa, watch these clips from American Experience's Presidents Collection.
Should the U.S. Police the World?
From the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf and Iraq, watch these clips from American Experience's Presidents Collection.
What About the Economy?
From energy crisis to recession and the financial crisis in 2008, how have our presidents handled the economy, Watch these clips from American Experience's Presidents Collection.
How Can a Party Unite?
Watch these clips from Presidents Collection and connect today's partisan issues with the past.
John Tyler
Following the sudden death of William Henry Harrison, Vice President John Tyler assumed the presidency.
Running for President
Since our country's first presidential election in 1788, the strategies of those campaigning have changed dramatically.
The Iran-Contra Affair
Ronald Reagan's efforts to eradicate Communism spanned the globe, but the insurgent Contras' cause in Nicaragua was particularly dear to him.
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
On February 24, 1868, something extraordinary happened in the United States Congress.
Grant, Reconstruction and the KKK
At the time of Ulysses S. Grant's election to the presidency, white supremacists were conducting a reign of terror throughout the South.
Suffragist Alice Paul Clashed with Woodrow Wilson
A combative and outspoken leader in the women's suffrage movement, Alice Paul broke away from the National American Woman Suffrage Association to form the more radical National Woman's Party.
Shifting Political Landscapes during Lincoln's Presidency
As the nation expanded westward, the dispute over slavery intensified. Would the new territories extend it or prohibit it?
The President’s New Clothes
On the eve of the nation’s first presidential inauguration, President-elect George Washington was preoccupied by an urgent and troublesome matter: What would he wear to his swearing-in ceremony in New York City?
Benjamin Harrison
Grandson of William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison managed to unseat Grover Cleveland in the 1888 election.
James Madison
James Madison, the fourth president, the "Father of the Constitution," co-authored The Federalist Papers, helped to establish a system of checks and balances for the federal government.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson embodied the ideal of the self-made American man, and his populist appeal lay in his message of inclusion against what he characterized as entrenched establishment interests.
Protecting the President
The U.S. President has not always had a protective detail. Only after the murder of President McKinley in 1901 did Congress assign the task of presidental protection to the Secret Service.
Biography: James Monroe
Upon his inauguration, Monroe chose to make a presidential tour of the states, the first such tour since Washington's.
Biography: James Buchanan
Buchanan's faith that the legal system would resolve the slavery issue locked him into inaction.
James Knox Polk
Billed as the "Manifest Destiny" candidate, Polk negotiated the Oregon territory to the north.
Grover Cleveland
The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland's second term coincided with a financial depression, the Panic of 1893.
Herbert Hoover
Hoover's presidency began amidst grand optimism as the prosperity of the 1920s carried him into office.
Warren G. Harding
Warren Harding was the first United States senator to be elected president.
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren allied himself with President Andrew Jackson, who in turn rewarded Van Buren with cabinet positions and the vice presidency.
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge's 1923 State of the Union address to Congress was the first ever to be broadcast via radio. He would continue to use the medium effectively, giving at least one radio address per month.
Rutherford Birchard Hayes
When he was nominated by the Republican Party for president in 1876, Hayes' resume included service as a Civil War officer, a congressman and a governor of Ohio.
Chester Alan Arthur
Chester Arthur's sense of fairness affected his concept of foreign relations. He tried to lower tariffs in general and negotiated trade agreements with partners in the Western Hemisphere.
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