by The New Big Book of U S Presidents (2020) (retail) (epub)
Born: October 1, 1924
Birthplace: Plains, GA
V.P.: Walter F. Mondale
First Lady: Eleanor Rosalyn Smith
• Studied nuclear physics while at the Naval Academy
• First elected president since 1932 not to win a second time
Space Exploration
Although the 1970s are not remembered as a time of exploration, the U.S. space program produced a great deal of new information about the Earth’s solar system during these years. In December 1978, two unmanned American spacecraft, Pioneer I and Pioneer II, reached Venus and provided scientists with new information about the planet’s atmosphere and surface. Only three months later, another U.S. vessel, Voyager I, broadcast back to the United States detailed pictures of Jupiter’s surface and moons. And in September 1979, Pioneer II passed within 13,000 miles of Saturn, discovering a new moon and additional rings surrounding the planet.
1981
August 12, 1977
The first space shuttle completes a test flight.
March 26, 1979
In a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., Egypt’s Anwar al-Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin sign a peace treaty ending a formal state of war that had existed between the two states since 1948.
May 18, 1980
Washington state’s Mount St. Helens erupts with the force of 500 atomic bombs.
Summer 1980
The U.S. boycotts the Olympics to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
RONALD REAGAN
Republican, 1981–1989
Known as “the great communicator,” Ronald Reagan practiced a conservative brand of politics. He attempted to reduce the size of the central government while increasing America’s military strength.
Always drawn to the spotlight, Reagan played football and acted in school plays while attending Illinois’s Eureka College. After graduation, he became a radio sports announcer and, in 1937, moved to Hollywood to make movies. During the 1950s Reagan developed strong anti-communist beliefs and took an interest in politics. He became governor of California in 1966 and served two terms. Reagan remained an active member of the Republican party throughout the 1970s and won the party’s nomination for president in 1980.
After defeating Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980, Reagan focused on cutting taxes, reducing inflation, and strengthening the military. Reagan believed that these policies would revive the national economy and allow the average citizen to live more comfortably. Although his programs drastically increased the national debt, the economy gradually improved and paved the way for Reagan’s re-election in 1984.
During his second term, Reagan worked with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to improve Soviet-American relations. In 1987 and 1988, Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to reduce the number of Soviet and American nuclear missiles. Reagan, however, remained strongly opposed to the spread of communism abroad and worked hard to undermine governments in Central America, Africa, and Asia as a result. His administration’s attempt to defy Congress and topple Nicaragua’s government produced a long investigation that stained the reputation of many high-level government officials. Investigators of the Iran-Contra scandal, however, never discovered Reagan’s role in this illegal operation, and he remained popular when he left the White House in 1989.
After retiring, Reagan continued to support conservative politics before falling prey to Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder. An American icon, Reagan remains an inspirational figure. His ideas continue to enliven political debates.
Born: February 6, 1911
Died: June 5, 2004
Birthplace: Tampico, IL
V.P.: George H. W. Bush
First Lady: Nancy Davis
• At 69, the oldest person ever elected president
• Submitted the first trillion-dollar budget to Congress
The Reagan Revolution
Ronald Reagan’s plan to rebuild American strength by reducing taxes and fortifying the military inspired a generation of conservative citizens. These basic ideas remained alive after he left office, influencing the thinking of people both inside and outside of government. When the Republican party won a series of smashing victories in the congressional elections of 1994, many of the winning candidates considered themselves the political offspring of Reagan and based their policies on his ideas.
Glasnost
When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Soviet-American relations suffered. President Reagan promised to oppose Soviet aggression during the election of 1980 and referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” after taking office. When Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union in March 1985, however, Cold War tensions began to relax. Pursuing a policy of Glasnost, or “openness,” Gorbachev worked with Reagan to reduce the risk of nuclear war and to increase cultural and technological exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union. By the time Reagan left office in 1988, the end of the Cold War was in sight.
1981
September 21, 1981
Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1984
Geraldine Ferraro becomes the first female candidate for vice president.
January 28, 1986
The space shuttle Challenger explodes 1 minute after taking off, killing all the astronauts, including a schoolteacher.
1987
Toni Morrison publishes Beloved, and wins the Pulitzer Prize one year later.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH
Republican, 1989–1993
Adistinguished World War II veteran with a long career in public service, George H. W. Bush hoped his moderate brand of politics would keep America strong and prosperous. He was the first president to direct U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War.
Growing up in a world of comfort and privilege, Bush learned to appreciate the concept of public service early in life. He became a student leader while attending Phillips Academy but postponed college to serve in World War II. Becoming the youngest pilot in the U.S. Navy, Bush flew 58 combat missions against the Japanese and won the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. After the war, Bush attended Yale University, graduating with an economics degree in 1948.
After college, Bush moved to western Texas and made his fortune in the oil business. In 1966, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served two terms as a moderate, pro-business Republican. Bush then served as ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee, U.S. envoy to China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He sought the Republican nomination for president in 1980 and chose to become Ronald Reagan’s vice president when his own campaign failed.
In 1988, Bush won the presidency, promising to make the United States a “kinder, gentler nation.” During his term, Bush treated the fallen Soviet empire with caution and organized the overthrow of Panama’s corrupt leader, Manuel Noriega. In January 1991, Bush supervised “Operation Desert Storm,” a U.S.-led United Nations offensive that expelled Iraq’s armed forces from Kuwait. But Bush’s domestic policies were less successful. Because the government spent more money than it earned, the U.S. economy began to slump in the early 1990s. While running for reelection in 1992, Bush appeared cold and remote compared to the dynamic and personable Bill Clinton and lost the 1992 election.
In retirement, he has raised millions of dollars for charity. Bush joined with former president Bill Clinton to raise money for victims of the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia. The two became close friends and went on to raise money for other parts of the world affected by natural disasters. Bush also witnessed his son become president and another son, Jeb, serve as governor of Florida.
The Persian Gulf War
Determined to make Iraq the Middle East’s dominant power, Saddam Hussein commanded the Iraqi army to invade Kuwait, a small, oil-rich nation, in August of 1990. President Bush considered Iraq’s action an example of “naked aggression” and vowed to exp
el Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Known as “Operation Desert Storm,” this offensive used a combination of sea, air, and land forces to overwhelm the Iraqi military in just over 100 hours. Saddam Hussein, however, remained in power after the war and continued to menace American interests in the Middle East.
Born: June 12, 1924
Died: November 30, 2018
Birthplace: Milton, MA
V.P.: J. Danforth Quayle
First Lady: Barbara Pierce
• The first incumbent vice president elected since Martin Van Buren
• The first president to have been director of the Central Intelligence Agency
The L.A. Riots
When an all-white jury acquitted four policemen of beating an African-American citizen named Rodney King in April 1992, riots broke out in the predominantly African-American and Latino areas of Los Angeles, California. Jurors claimed that the policemen were just doing their jobs when they violently subdued King, but many minorities believed King’s beating grew out of lingering racial prejudice in the United States. The rioting lasted several days, causing President Bush to use the military to restore order in Los Angeles.
1993
June 21, 1989
A Supreme Court ruling allows the burning of American flags.
March 13, 1991
The Exxon Corporation agrees to pay $900 million in damages for spilling massive amounts of oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.
October 15, 1991
Clarence Thomas becomes second African American to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.
November 7, 1991
Basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
Democrat, 1993–2001
The first president born after World War II, Bill Clinton moved his party closer to the political center. During his 8 years in office, he faced questions about his personal character and engaged in bruising battles with Republicans in Congress.
When Bill Clinton was in high school, he met President Kennedy and was inspired to enter politics. A graduate of Georgetown University, Clinton won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford and then earned a law degree from Yale. At age 32, he was elected governor of Arkansas. Serving three terms as governor, he emerged as a dynamic leader. Stressing economic issues, Clinton won the 1992 presidential election despite controversial allegations of adultery and avoiding the draft during the Vietnam War.
As president, Clinton appointed more women and minorities to his cabinet than any previous president. During his first term, Clinton focused on legislation to increase foreign trade and to address social issues, such as health care, education, welfare reform, and gun control. He successfully lobbied for agreements that lowered trade barriers but found passing social legislation more difficult. Extensive health care reform efforts, for example, never made it through Congress. Following the 1994 Republican congressional victories, Clinton’s relationship with Congress became even more strained, resulting in two partial government shutdowns.
Since before his election in 1992, Clinton had faced allegations of both financial and sexual scandal. Clinton was investigated after it surfaced that the president had a relationship with a White House intern and lied about it. Although public reaction to the scandal was mixed, the Republican-controlled Congress impeached the president in January 1999. Clinton survived his trial in the Senate and remained popular. During his remaining time in office, the president worked to secure his legacy by maintaining America’s record economic growth and traveling abroad to mediate international disputes.
Clinton remained active after he left office. In 1997, he founded the William J. Clinton Foundation. Its goals are to ease poverty and improve health in the United States and around the world. After the devastating tsunami in southeast Asia in 2004, Clinton formed a close friendship with former president George H. W. Bush as they worked to raise money for victims of that disaster. Clinton also wrote a best-selling autobiography, My Life, and played an active role in his wife’s failed presidential bid in 2008.
Born: August 19, 1946
Birthplace: Hope, AR
V.P.: Albert Gore, Jr.
First Lady: Hillary Rodham
• Plays the saxophone
• In 1969, he integrated a whites-only swimming pool in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Foreign Policy Challenges
Facing a complex international situation, the Clinton administration struggled to find a consistent foreign policy vision. Emphasizing Wilsonian themes of democracy and humanitarian intervention, Clinton used force to try to settle bloody conflicts in Rwanda, Somalia, Haiti, and the volatile states of the former Yugoslavia. These efforts had mixed results. Clinton had more success in the Middle East, overseeing several agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Despite several interruptions, the American-sponsored Middle East peace process continues.
Anti-Government Sentiment
A burgeoning “militia” movement spread across the
country in the 1990s. Convinced that the government was conspiring against individual liberties (especially the right to bear arms), these extremist organizations challenged federal authority. Militia membership swelled in reaction to deadly confrontations between the government and separatist groups at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas. On April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the Waco incident, a massive truck bomb exploded in front of a federal office building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people and wounding 600 others. The Oklahoma City bombing shocked and saddened the nation. It also revealed the depth of the paranoid strain of American politics and society.
1993
April 1995
Republicans’ “Contract with America,” focuses on basic questions of government philosophy.
January 1997
Madeleine K. Albright, a veteran diplomat, becomes the first female secretary of state.
June 1998
After winning his sixth NBA title, Michael Jordan retires from basketball.
April 20, 1999
Colorado teens shock the nation by killing several Columbine High classmates.
January 1, 2000
Fears of a global computer failure—known as the Y2K bug—prove groundless.
GEORGE W. BUSH
Republican, 2001–2009
Only the second president’s son to win the White House himself, George W. Bush won one of the closest elections in American history. The course of his first term—as well as that of the nation—was forever changed by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Born into a distinguished political family, George W. Bush grew up in Texas before attending Yale University. After graduating in 1968, Bush trained as a fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. He then earned a masters degree from Harvard University and returned to Texas, where he worked in the oil industry and became part owner of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. Bush later served as governor of Texas for 6 years, cutting taxes and focusing on educational and welfare reform. Bush captured the Republican nomination in 2000. However, that election was so close and uncertain that it took months before Bush was finally named the winner.
The events of September 11, 2001, shaped Bush’s first term in office. Bush immediately declared a global war on terrorism and created the Department of Homeland Security to protect America against further attacks.
Despite the war’s unpopularity, Bush won a second term in 2004. The war and U.S. treatment of enemy prisoners continued to be major issues. Bush emphasized the need to use harsh methods to keep America safe, but repeated his stance that the U.S. did not approve of torture.
Bush also faced challenges at home. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast. Bush and the federal government were roundly criticized for their slow and badly organized response to the disaster.
Bush also struggled with the United States’ faltering economy during his second
term. Bush supported tax cuts and tax rebates and also worked to cut the government’s budget. However, by August 2007, the national debt had increased by more than three trillion dollars. When Bush left office in January 2009, his approval ratings were low.
Bush wrote a book called Decision Points that focused on important decisions he’d had to make during his life and presidency.
September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, terrorists from the Al Qaeda organization hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people. The attacks left Americans and people around the world stunned and saddened. After the shock subsided, a wave of sympathy and patriotism swept the nation, as support poured in for the survivors and victims’ families. Images and stories from September 11—including the courage and heroism displayed by firefighters, police officers, and other rescue workers—remain powerful reminders of sacrifice and the value of public service.
Born: July 6, 1946
Birthplace: New Haven, CT
V.P.: Richard Cheney
First Lady: Laura Welch
• Appointed retired General Colin Powell as the first African-American secretary of state.
• The first president to raise more than $200 million for his re-election campaign.
Education
Fulfilling a campaign promise to reform the American education system, George Bush worked successfully with Congress to pass the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This plan to improve the nation’s schools instituted the most sweeping changes to public education in a generation. A blend of new requirements, new incentives, and new funding, NCLB expanded the federal government’s role in education to ensure that children in every public school classroom benefited from well-prepared teachers and safe learning environments. However, critics of the program say NCLB has created too many standardized tests which prevent teachers and students from creative exploration in the classroom, and also that the act punishes failing schools without giving them the assistance needed to improve.