How Important Are Our Past Presidents And Their Role In History?

When people think of Richard Nixon the Watergate scandal may come to mind. Impeachment might also come to mind, but contrary to popular thought he was never truly impeached. Notably, the only impeached presidents are Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Yet, Nixon has a strong public disapprobation. Most of Richard Nixon’s legacy remains surrounded by negativity, but is there anything positive or noteworthy regarding Nixon’s presidency? Due to the Watergate scandal, people tend to overlook many aspects of Richard Nixon, to include, his background, his actual involvement in Watergate, and his legacy.

Many Americans argue over whether John F. Kennedy was a good president. When simply grazing over the surface, it is easy to assume that Kennedy was indeed a superb president. From having a “perfect” family, handsome face, and possessing exceptional speaking skills, it would seem almost impossible for such an ideal man to have flaws. Only by digging deeper into the late president’s life and political affairs would Americans understand how lacking Kennedy truly was as president of one of the world’s leading nations. Kennedy was sluggish when it came to granting African Americans the rights they lacked and fought so strenuously for, his constant fear of the spread of communism also caused him to focus most of his attention on poor developing countries and less on the country he’s leading, and he also made careless mistakes which came at the cost of many innocent American lives at the Bay of Pigs.

The book focuses on showcasing the nearly impossible obstacles he had to overcome in order to carry out the duties as a man and as President of the United States. The authors wanted to create a portrait of a “great man operating in violent times”, and that they did, albeit it being a bit skewed. The book is a bit all over the place, but after the first chapter (1980 presidential debate) it follows a chronological trend, with each chapter marking an important moment in Reagan’s life. In regards to the prologue, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard begin with the death of “the former leader of the free world, the man who defeated Soviet communism and ended the Cold War.” Honorable tribute to Reagan indeed but the more you read the book, the more you start to ponder who really was calling the shots.

Even though John F. Kennedy was well known as a man passionate about the United States, his family and friends recall the humanistic moments of Kennedy’s life, both of which are demonstrated repeatedly by the sources. One of the sources is Kennedys inauguration speech which showed is passion towards the United States and the feelings it evokes in the audience made it an important moment in history, the proud tone that Kennedy continues all the way through the speech also helps evokes emotion in the audience. Article two was a news article by Eleanor Cliff titled “50 years” that shows the memories from Kennedy’s family and friends 50 years later, the memories create a very nostalgic tone while also showing Kennedy passion and the importance of his inauguration at the same time. The photo of inauguration is comparable to the speech in a way that the photo shows the passion and the importance of the moment and the tone is dignified but also proud like the speech.

A leader’s legacy is portrayed in a multitude of ways: from the goals and dreams he sought for, from stories and memories of the people he’s touched, and from snapshots of his accomplishments. John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961, his most famous speech, “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On”, an article by Eleanor Clift that gives a detailed description of the president’s inauguration, and an image, “Inauguration of John F. Kennedy”, by the United States Army Corp, all convey the impact of John F. Kennedy in their own unique fashion. The legacy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is expressed through a variety of similar and contrasting styles appealing to the same rhetorical appeals but further differentiated by their syntax and

Presidents consoling presidents, rivalries, and secrets are what The Presidents Club is chalk-full off. Written by Time Magazine editors Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, they discover what really lies beneath the relationships of past presidents. Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman established the Presidents Club during Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration (Gibbs. Pg 5) The presidents had an understanding about what the one in office would be going through. They strategically helped one another through blunt opinions and the what-not-to-do’s. As each president left the job, they understood that no one could be replaced so, they became tied to one another through the basis of the job. The Presidents Club highlights what us, as regular civilians

From Hollywood to the White House, Ronald Reagan has always been a public favorite, especially among presidential history. Many people view him as an iconic political figure, who made bold decisions as part of his leadership. Reagan has been credited with numerous feats and failures, such as, reducing the poverty rate by cutting taxes and increasing defense spending, negotiating a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets to bring a quicker end to the Cold War, and by delivering weapons to terrorists. However, behind his Hollywood smile, and his ravishing ways, many people oppose the opinion of Reagan’s bold leadership decisions.

There have been over 125 books written concerning Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan and the Reagan administration. The Age of Reagan, authored by Steven Hayward is a two-volume study designed to paint a vivid picture of the political history of the United States from 1960 - 1980. It captures the life and time period of Ronald Reagan. Another writing called Reagan in His Own Hand, attempts to describe Reagan’s efforts to solve the problems of his

On snowy, freezing cold January morning in 1961, five hundred thousand people lined Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The temperature was only twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit and eight inches of snow blanketed the ground in the American capitol that morning, causing even more traffic than usual, but that didn’t stop these hundreds of thousands of people from attending John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inauguration ceremony. Little did they know, they would be hearing one of the most famous and memorable speeches of all time. Out of all forty five presidents, the inaugural address that American citizens would remember more than all the rest was that of John F. Kennedy. But what made it so memorable? After all, each president has given at least one, sometimes even two or more, inaugural address. Kennedy’s speech was neither the most elaborate nor the longest; it had one thousand three hundred and sixty four words and took thirteen minutes and fifty five seconds to read and it used relatively simple language. The importance of the address laid not in the length or the intricacy, but in the theme and the rhetoric. With figurative language, themes of unity and freedom, and appeal to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, Kennedy’s address became not only one of the most memorable inaugural addresses, but one of the most memorable speeches of all time.

Reagan was a kind, easy going, down-to-earth kind of guy which he portrayed through his television and radio talks. Even when he was shot in the chest, he was able to keep a smile on his face and joke with his wife. He was a very confident president and was great at giving Americans what they wanted. But political analysts disliked him for his simplistic view of the world (“Ronald Wilson Reagan”). He was given the name Great Communicator because of his ability to maintain support of the nation, even when his policies were not going well (“Ronald Wilson Reagan”). “Reagan was a hero to much of the American public and a villain and idiot to many political pundits” (“Ronald Wilson Reagan”). Conservatives thought that his administrative style was too easy going (“Ronald Wilson Reagan”). But he was admired by the public for his patriotism, commitment to traditional moral values, and hatred of communism (“Ronald Wilson Reagan”). However Reagan’s legacy is still very

Mere minutes after President Jimmy Carter was out of office, the Iran Hostage Crisis, for which his presidency is most remembered, was over. Behind him was a disjointed foreign and confused domestic policy. When he left office, Carter’s approval rating was 34 percent, and his disapproval rating nearly twice that (Roper Center). Today, it seems that he is a better ex-President than he was a president, as evidenced in his founding of the Carter Center, his cultivation of his presidential library, his contributions to Habitat for Humanity, and his numerous other humanitarian efforts. During his term, he had a poor relationship with Congress, a low approval rating with the American people, and a lack of cohesive international or domestic policy. I believe his two greatest failures are also the two which marked his entire presidency and caused the drop in his approval ratings: the confused and faltering domestic and international policies which lasted throughout his presidency and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Ronald Wilson Reagan, February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004 was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he was the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan) Reagan also served in the U.S. Army during World War Two achieving the rank of Lieutenant But due to his eyesight he was stationed stateside, creating training films. I chose this speech because of the topics he touches on. Not only the past but also the future.

History most times is written by the victor’s, but only certain people are included in the books. The reason history is written by the victors is because their survivors where most times the losers aren’t. The victors overwhelmingly influence the history and what is written and therefore don’t tell the tales of people they fought, but rather themselves and how they won. When you read a history book it doesn’t tell you about the losers. For America most of its history was dominated by white men and was also written by them. Another example is the Civil war in which the north was victorious therefore they influenced America, and what people believe right. While the south didn’t think everyone was equal the north throughout otherwise, and since

A multitude of influential presidents have come and gone in America, although none like Harry S. Truman. This above average president is one to be recognized for his unbelievable achievements within political foreign policies and governing here in the states. Although first struggling to gain his balance after the sudden death of his predecessor, Truman remained loyal to the Unites States and proved to be one of the most charismatic, and beneficial presidents that the nation has ever seen. The influences of Truman’s early life and introduction to politics, as well as the unexpected win of presidency and constant failures and triumphs shaped this man’s life as well as those of the American people.

First, do you really want the same president to be president for 8 years in a row? The right candidate for president he or she would be running the state very smoothly. I found some evidence from a website called Theweek.com. They said, “that in the 2012 election about 57.5 percent of citizens who can vote cast ballots.” While 37.4 percent of the electorate voted. Some people don’t really care about who the president is.