The Presidency Analyzed

William Howard Taft was the final president to serve before what I believe to be one of the most tragic transformations in US history: The Republican Party's shift from the progressive party of industrial workers and former slaves into a right-wing vehicle for the policies of wealthy industrialists and social conservatives. Between Taft and the next Republican occupant of the White House was Woodrow Wilson, who was succeeded by Warren G. Harding . While Harding was still progressive on social issues and foreign policy, he was conservative on economics. Calvin Coolidge , who secured the presidency following Harding's 1923 death, was similar, but slightly more conservative on social topics, particularly immigration. With the arguable exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the next few Republican presidents - Herbert Hoover , Eisenhower, Richard Nixon , Gerald Ford , Ronald Reagan , etc. - continued the gradual descent into conservatism, culminating in the imperialist adventurism of G...

For almost 2 centuries following the end of his presidency in 1837, Andrew Jackson was one of the most beloved presidents in US history. His name was written in gold, frankincense, and myrrh, just like those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Woodrow Wilson, and others. However, his reputation in recent years has undergone a similar transformation to that of Ulysses S. Grant . It's actually a very apt comparison: Both were respected generals prior to the presidency who came from then-undeveloped regions of the country. Grant was from the mid-west (specifically Ohio) and Jackson was from the wild wilderness bordering the Carolinas. Both led their nations in crucial battles during massive wars; Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812 and Grant during the Siege of Petersburg during the civil war. Both stood up for the downtrodden as president. Grant extended new political rights to black people and Native Americans, ...

The first president born after the Declaration of Independence and thus as an American citizen, Martin Van Buren is a fascinating character. Perhaps, he is one of the most puzzling and intriguing figures in all of US history. Van Buren spent his earliest years assisting at his father's tavern, an establishment frequented attended by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Despite the Van Buren family's connections to Hamilton, their son Martin would embody the polar opposite values of the Caribbean clerk who founded the Federalist Party. Following his work as a lawyer (which began when he won his first case at 15), Van Buren worked with Andrew Jackson to establish the Democratic Party in 1828. While Hamilton was a right-wing elitist who supported national banks, hierarchy, and industrialization, Van Buren and Jackson created the Democratic Party as a left-wing, populist refuge for the opponents of national banks, proponents of economic equality, and the country's farmers. When ...

Despite serving more than 50 years apart, Warren G. Harding and Ulysses S. Grant have many things in common. Both were from wealthy but self-made families. In Grant's case, he was the son of a tannery owner and in Harding's case, of a couple of farmers turned medical doctors. Both were born in Ohio. Both served right after major wars. Grant was inaugurated 4 years after the civil war ended and Harding was inaugurated 3 years after World War 1 ended. Both also were once dubbed bottom 3 presidents due to how corrupt their cabinets were. However, they also share the fact that in recent years, certain once-suppressed aspects of their administrations (especially their progressive views on race) have come to light, causing historians to adopt a more positive view of Harding and Grant. They do diverge in that Grant is now considered good and Harding is still considered below-average (just not one of the worst), but they still have enjoyed incredible improvements in their legacies. An...

Despite being one of the most prosperous economic periods in all of American history, the Roaring 20s and the presidents who served during it do not have positive reputations in popular media or in the minds of historians. Warren G. Harding, who served from 1921 to his death in August 1923, used to be considered the worst president in American history due to how corrupt his administration was. Harding was rarely involved in the scandals himself, but his cabinet often sold land under conservation, medical supplies, and other important government property to private businessmen in exchange for personal gifts. When this information started to come to light, Harding likely aided in efforts to cover them up, much like Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal. Herbert Hoover is infamous for his lack of action during the Great Depression. In fact, some of the few actions Hoover did take during the Great Depression ultimately worsened the crisis, such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Of the 3 m...

Grover Cleveland was and remains an important figure in the history of the Democratic Party. He was the first Democrat elected to the White House since James Buchanan in 1856, a full 28 years before Cleveland was elected in 1884. In fact, at the time of Buchanan's inauguration, Cleveland hadn't even started his political career yet. Andrew Johnson , who served from Abraham Lincoln's murder in 1865 to the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant in 1869, was the last Democrat to serve as president before Cleveland, but even he wasn't elected. He was propelled to the executive branch by the death of another president. Cleveland was the first Democrat to enter the White House with a true mandate since the Dred Scott  decision and ensuing civil war. He was also important in that he was the first president to embrace progressivism since Martin Van Buren. When Van Buren and Andrew Jackson founded the Democratic Party in 1828, it began as a left-wing group that supported broader dem...

Inarguably, James Madison was one of the most significant creators of the United States and a genius among geniuses. Even many other Founding Fathers could never come close to his brilliance and importance. Although this article will contain many criticisms, I cannot stress how much I admire Madison and his work as a Founding Father. He not only convinced the Constitutional Convention to abandon the Articles of Confederation and to draft a more stable charter of government but also was a member of the Committee of Style and Arrangement that worded the convention's ideas. Under the pseudonym "Publius", he worked with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in the months immediately following the convention to argue that New York should approve the Constitution in the 85 Federalist Papers , of which he wrote 29. Once the Constitution took effect in 1788 and 1789, he assembled what is now known as the Bill of Rights. James Madison was an incredible thinker and politician. But sadly,...