U.S. Presidents Archives

Advice from the Founding Fathers: Thomas Jefferson

Over the course of his life, Thomas Jefferson developed a list of ideas for those wishing to be on their best personal behavior. A Dozen Canons of Conduct in Life, is a list he sent to his granddaughter, Cornelia Jefferson Randolph.

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Advice from the Founding Fathers: George Washington

When George Washington was young, he copied down 101 rules of social behavior that would later become a book of his titled Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.

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The Illnesses JFK Hid from the Public

John F. Kennedy is remembered in part for his youth and good looks, but did you know that during the 1960 presidential campaign JFK was seriously ill and needed testosterone treatments?

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LBJ, Before the War on Poverty

LBJ spent time after college teaching impoverished Mexican‑American immigrants on the border of Texas and Mexico, an experience that shaped his personality and presidential ambitions.

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George Washington: Greatest Challenges

After George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789 in New York City, he faced a variety of leadership challenges, both foreign and domestic.

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Flashback: Nixon Accepts Nomination

Richard Nixon accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president (for the second time) on August 8, 1968, in Miami, Florida. Nixon narrowly beat out fellow Republican and then‑California Governor Ronald Reagan, delivering a speech that reflected his desire to “bring us together again” and reunite the country in divisive times.

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How the U.S. Supreme Court Decided the Presidential Election of 2000

Learn how Florida ended up determining whether Al Gore or George W. Bush would win the U.S. presidency in 2000. See how a vote recount in the state led to the U.S. Supreme Court giving the election to Bush and subsequently changed voting standards.

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Here’s Why the Affordable Care Act Is So Controversial

In 2010 President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, (aka Obamacare), into law to give more Americans access to healthcare, but elements like the individual mandate have caused controversy. Republicans have tried to repeal the law numerous times.

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Flashback: JFK Visits NASA for the Last Time

Shortly before his assassination, President Kennedy visited Cape Canaveral to inspect NASA’s efforts to put a man on the moon – a goal Kennedy set in his first year in office.

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Here’s Why President Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy Was a Failure

Learn what inspired President Taft to implement Dollar Diplomacy — getting Americans to invest money in other countries to maintain global influence — from 1909 to 1913. See how this policy failed in China, as well as in Central America and Mexico.

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Why Was the Election of 2008 Important?

Learn about the events surrounding the historical election of 2008: how Barack Obama became the Democratic presidential contender against Hillary Clinton and how he ultimately beat John McCain to become the first black president in U.S. history.

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Here’s Why Reaganomics is so Controversial

Learn about President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies, which are known as Reaganomics, and why its trickle‑down theory construct — giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations — is a controversial idea even to this day.”

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