Welcome to Part 2 of Epic History TV's guide to the first 44 Presidents of the United States.
We pick up with the 23rd President.
Benjamin Harrison – the grandson of 9th President William Henry Harrison.
His presidency saw federal peacetime spending pass one billion dollars for the first time.
He also passed laws to ensure fairer competition in business.
Grover Cleveland - his second term was overshadowed by economic depression.
The President offered little federal assistance, and sent in troops to break a strike by the
American Railway Union.
William McKinley – raised import tariffs to unprecedented heights to protect US industry,
and waged war against Spain over Cuban independence.
As a result, America gained the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Shortly into his second term he was assassinated by a Polish-American anarchist, Leo Czolgosz.
Theodore Roosevelt – at 42, the youngest ever President.
As vigorous and energetic in office as he was in life, he broke up business monopolies,
asserted US power abroad, ensured completion of the Panama Canal, passed laws to protect
national forests and parks, and won a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering a truce between
Russia and Japan.
William Howard Taft – a distinguished judge but not a natural politician, he achieved
many reforms, but alienated progressive Republicans including his former friend and ally Theodore
Roosevelt, who went off to form the 'Bull Moose Party': the Republican split handed
the 1912 election to the Democrats.
Taft later became Chief Justice of the United States.
Woodrow Wilson – a former professor of political science, and the first southern President
since the Civil War.
He passed progressive reforms at home, and after numerous German provocations, led America
into World War One.
His vision for a new world order, with America playing a full part as a member of the new
League of Nations, was blocked by a Republican Senate.
Warren G Harding – he sought to rollback Wilson''s wartime measures, but following
his sudden death from natural causes, revelations emerged of extramarital affairs and cabinet
corruption that destroyed his reputation.
Calvin Coolidge – the son of a village storekeeper, moral conservative and man of famously few
words.
He also believed in minimal federal intervention, and is still held up as a role model by fans
of small government.
Herbert Hoover – raised a Quaker, he was a successful engineer, humanitarian, and Secretary
of Commerce.
But his presidency was overshadowed by the Great Depression.
Attempts to revive the economy included spending on major public works, but to little effect.
Franklin D Roosevelt – fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, diagnosed with polio aged 39.
His package of economic measures helped lift America out of the Great Depression, while
also improving federal treatment of Native Americans.
Winning an unprecedented four elections, he led America to the verge of victory in World
War Two, dying in office just 3 weeks before Germany's surrender.
Harry S Truman – seeking a swift end to the Pacific War, he authorised the dropping
of two atomic bombs on Japan.
At home, he passed progressive welfare and employment reform, and prioritised civil rights.
Abroad, he provided international leadership as the West entered a Cold War with the Soviet
Union.
Dwight D Eisenhower – supreme Allied commander in Europe in World War Two, he was approached
by both parties to run for president.
He was the first to be limited to two terms by a new constitutional amendment.
He sought to contain the Soviet Union and de-escalate the Cold War, and oversaw a period
of great American prosperity, that included the construction of the US Interstate Highway
System.
John F Kennedy – the first Catholic president, and at 43, the youngest elected to office.
He sought to instil America with renewed idealism, made some progress over civil rights in the
south, and narrowly avoided nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Lyndon B Johnson – he enacted a wide-ranging package of reforms to address racial injustice
and poverty.
But frustration at the speed of progress was reflected by race riots in America's cities.
Overseas, he continued to escalate US involvement in Vietnam.
Richard Nixon – withdrew US troops from Vietnam, and reduced tension with the Soviet
Union and China.
He became the first president to resign his office, to avoid impeachment for his role
in the Watergate scandal.
Gerald Ford – granted Nixon a presidential pardon, then struggled with inflation and
economic recession at home, while furthering detente with the Soviet Union.
Jimmy Carter – he struggled with an energy supply crisis, inflation and unemployment.
Raised a Baptist, he championed human rights abroad, brokered peace between Egypt and Israel,
and negotiated a treaty giving control of the Panama Canal to Panama, but his popularity
was greatly damaged by the Iran Hostage Crisis.
Ronald Reagan – former Hollywood actor, and at 69 the oldest elected President.
His tax cuts and free-market reforms were credited with revitalising the US economy.
He launched America's 'War on Drugs', began an arms race with the Soviet Union, which
he described as 'the evil empire', and supported anti-Communist insurgencies around the world.
George Bush – a decorated World War Two navy pilot, later Director of the CIA.
He oversaw America's response to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and sent American troops
to liberate Kuwait during the First Gulf War.
Bill Clinton – his presidency saw a period of peace and prosperity, low unemployment
and falling crime.
He became the second President to be impeached, following the Monica Lewinsky scandal, but
was found not guilty by the Senate.
George W Bush – son of George Bush, his presidency was shaped by the 9/11 terrorist
attacks on New York and Washington.
America's subsequent 'war on terror' led the US to become embroiled in long, costly operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Barack Obama – the first African-American president, he passed an economic stimulus
package to soften the impact of the 2008 financial crash, and an Affordable Care Act to improve
access to medical insurance.
American forces continued to have a presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they helped
to tackle the new threat of ISIS.
Now, all 44 US Presidents, according to their ranking in the Siena Research Institute survey
of
2010...
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