Exploring the American Presidency through 50 Historic Treasures

Kimberly A. Kenney

doi:10.5771/9781538156643

Exploring the American Presidency through 50 Historic Treasures

Published 2023

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doi.org/10.5771/9781538156643
ISBN print: 978-1-5381-5663-6
ISBN online: 978-1-5381-5664-3
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

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Zusammenfassung

No person in the world is more recognizable than an American president. These men are larger than life, and as the leader of the free world they have the opportunity to shape history in ways that most of us cannot imagine. Some objects, such as the Resolute desk, Air Force One, or the presidential seal, are symbolic of the position itself, but each president has at least one artifact that largely defines his life and his presidency. For example, George Washington’s ill-fitting dentures plagued him for most of his life, affecting the very image of his face that we have all come to recognize. Millions of Americans were comforted by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” as he spoke into a radio microphone during the Great Depression and World War II. John F. Kennedy memorialized a coconut husk, with a message he wrote after his PT boat was destroyed in the Pacific Ocean, into a paperweight he kept on his desk in the Oval Office. Bill Clinton appeared on late night television playing the saxophone to appeal to younger voters.

Exploring the American Presidency through 50 Historic Treasures brings together significant artifacts from the lives of the men who have led our nation through times of great prosperity and terrible tragedy. When we look at our presidents through the lens of the material culture they left behind, it humanizes them and creates relevance to our own lives. This book features full-color images of 50 artifacts that were chosen by the very people who work at presidential sites and historical museums, stewarding the legacies of our presidents.

Schlagworte

presidency United States history Presidential History Presidents United States Presidents American Presidents

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
Preface
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Timeline of Objects
- Introduction
1–4 1 George Washington,1789–1797: Dentures 1–4
5–8 2 John Adams, 1797–1801: Law Desk 5–8
9–12 3 Thomas Jefferson,1801–1809: Great Clock at Monticello 9–12
13–16 4 James Madison, 1809–1817: Walking Stick 13–16
17–19 5 James Monroe,1817–1825: Desk 17–19
20–22 6 John Quincy Adams,1825–1829: Personal Library 20–22
23–26 7 Andrew Jackson, 1829–1837: Decapitated Figurehead 23–26
27–30 8 Martin Van Buren,1837–1841: Desk 27–30
31–34 9 William Henry Harrison,1841: Flag Remnant 31–34
35–36 10 John Tyler, 1841–1845: Piano 35–36
37–39 11 James K. Polk, 1845–1849: Table 37–39
40–42 12 Zachary Taylor, 1849–1850: Chair 40–42
43–45 13 Millard Fillmore, 1850–1853: Engraving of Debate 43–45
46–48 14 Franklin Pierce, 1853–1857: Kansas-Nebraska Act 46–48
49–52 15 James Buchanan, 1857–1861: Law Books 49–52
53–57 16 Abraham Lincoln,1861–1865: Chair from Ford’s Theatre 53–57
58–60 17 Andrew Johnson, 1865–1869: Impeachment Note 58–60
61–62 18 Ulysses S. Grant, 1869–1877: Inkwell 61–62
63–65 19 Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877–1881: Morgan Silver Dollar 63–65
66–69 20 James A. Garfield, 1881: Inaugural Address 66–69
70–72 21 Chester Arthur, 1881–1885: Tiffany Screen 70–72
73–75 22 Grover Cleveland,1885–1889 and 1893–1897: Naval Review Ribbon 73–75
76–79 23 Benjamin Harrison, 1889–1893: Judge Cartoon 76–79
80–84 24 William McKinley, 1897–1901: McKinley National Memorial Collection Bank 80–84
85–87 25 Theodore Roosevelt, 1901–1909: Page from Speech 85–87
88–90 26 William Howard Taft,1909–1913: Bible 88–90
91–93 27 Woodrow Wilson, 1913–1921: 1919 Pierce-Arrow 91–93
94–96 28 Warren G. Harding,1921–1923: Skeleton Key 94–96
97–99 29 Calvin Coolidge, 1923–1929: Painting of Inauguration 97–99
100–103 30 Herbert Hoover, 1929–1933: Humidor 100–103
104–109 31 Franklin D. Roosevelt,1933–1945: Fireside Chat Microphone 104–109
110–112 32 Harry S. Truman, 1945–1953: “The Buck Stops Here”Desk Sign 110–112
113–115 33 Dwight D. Eisenhower,1953–1961: Globe 113–115
116–118 34 John F. Kennedy,1961–1963: PT 109 Coconut Husk Paperweight 116–118
119–121 35 Lyndon B. Johnson,1963–1969: Desk Blotter 119–121
122–125 36 Richard Nixon, 1969–1974: Easy Chair 122–125
126–127 37 Gerald Ford, 1974–1977: Statuette of Elephant and Donkey 126–127
128–130 38 Jimmy Carter, 1977–1981: Hungarian Crown 128–130
131–133 39 Ronald Reagan, 1981–1989: Piece of the Berlin Wall 131–133
134–136 40 George H. W. Bush, 1989–1993: Letter to Family 134–136
137–139 41 Bill Clinton, 1993–2001: Saxophone 137–139
140–143 42 George W. Bush, 2001–2009: Bullhorn 140–143
144–146 43 Barack Obama, 2009–2017: Pen Used to Sign the Affordable Care Act 144–146
147–149 44 Donald Trump, 2017–2021: MAGA Hat 147–149
150–152 45 Joe Biden, 2021– :COVID Vaccine Vial 150–152
153–155 46 Resolute Desk 153–155
156–161 47 Presidential Seal 156–161
162–164 48 Official White House Portraits 162–164
165–168 49 Senate Ballot Box 165–168
169–172 50 Air Force One 169–172
173–200 Notes 173–200
201–206 Index 201–206
207–208 About the Author 207–208

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