by The New Big Book of U S Presidents (2020) (retail) (epub)
2009
January 2001
Hillary Clinton joins the Senate as the first first lady to be elected to a public office.
December 13, 2003
Saddam Hussein is captured in Iraq.
August 8, 2009
Sonia Sotomayor is sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court as the 111th justice. She is the first Hispanic, and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
BARACK OBAMA
Democrat, 2009–2016
Barack Obama was the first African American to become president of the United States. This historic achievement came after a short but dynamic career as a U.S. senator and leading figure in the Democratic party.
Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother was a white American, while his father was a black man from Kenya. Obama’s parents divorced when he was very young. When Obama was 6 years old, his mother remarried a man from Indonesia, where they lived until Obama was 10 years old. At that time, Obama returned to Honolulu and lived with his mother’s family until he graduated from high school.
After high school, Obama went to college in Los Angeles and then to Columbia University. He graduated from Columbia with a degree in political science and international relations and soon found himself working as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, he went to Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1991. Then Obama went back to Chicago to continue his community work.
Obama became involved in politics in 1996, when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate. He served as a state senator until 2004, when he won the election to the U.S. Senate with 70 percent of the vote, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.
Despite his historic election, Obama was consistently opposed by the Republican-controlled Congress, which made it difficult for him to oversee his preferred legislation on a number of issues including gun regulation, environmental policy, and budget planning.
In Obama’s first term, he encouraged Congress to pass a stimulus bill to help the economy and save faltering banks, automakers, and other financial institutions. However, the nation remained in financial difficulty, and economic recovery was slow during the two terms of his presidency.
Obama became the first sitting president to call for equal rights for gay Americans. The repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in 2010, which had prevented gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military, was followed by a 2015 Supreme Court decision ruling that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of Obama’s presidency came when he authorized a team of Navy SEALs to kill Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a raid in Pakistan in May 2011.
Born: August 4, 1961
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
V.P.: Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
First Lady: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
• He met his wife, Michelle, when they worked together in a Chicago law office.
• He was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, the nation’s most important legal publication.
Affordable Health Care for All?
Several presidents have struggled with the issue of the U.S. health care system. Many citizens are unable to afford health insurance, either because of their employment situation, preexisting conditions, or other reasons. One of Obama’s biggest goals was to reform the U.S. health care system. He introduced his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, which made it easier and more affordable for citizens to obtain health insurance. However, the act faced a lot of opposition from Republicans, insurance companies, and some members of the public. Opponents challenged Obama’s plan, but the Supreme Court upheld the terms of the mandate in June 2012.
The Financial Crisis
After years of growth, the U.S. economy slowed dramatically during 2007. The biggest cause of the slowing economy was a huge number of foreclosures, or people losing their homes. When the economy was strong, many people were encouraged to obtain mortgages and other home loans they really could not afford. As the economy slowed, these people were not able to make payments, and many lost their homes as a result. The crisis also affected mortgage companies, banks, and other financial institutions.
2009
December 15, 2011
The U.S. formally ends the Iraq War.
June 5, 2014
The rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq cause the U.S. and allies to begin a bombing campaign on September 22.
June 26, 2015
The U.S. Supreme Court rules gay marriage legal nationwide.
July 20, 2015
The U.S. and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations.
DONALD J. TRUMP
Republican, 2017–2020
Donald Trump was the most unlikely of presidential candidates. At the time he was elected, he was a political outsider who was better known as an outspoken businessman and television personality. His outsider status and willingness to speak his mind appealed to many Americans and helped him win the election.
Donald John Trump was born in Queens, New York. His father, Frederick Trump, was a wealthy real estate developer who built many apartment buildings and houses in New York City. His mother, Mary MacLeod Trump, was born in Scotland and emigrated to New York City when she was seventeen. Trump also had two sisters and two brothers.
Trump attended Fordham University for two years and then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Wharton in 1968 with a degree in finance and went to work for his father’s company.
In 1971, Fred Trump turned his business over to his son, who renamed it the Trump Organization. Trump soon became involved in much larger building projects than his father ever had. Trump became New York City’s most famous developer, with an empire of luxury apartment buildings, hotels, and casinos. Trump later used his business experience as a selling point in his run for president.
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced he was running for president of the United States as a candidate for the Republican party. Although more than a dozen other people were also candidates, Trump quickly proved to be the most popular. He promised to “make America great again.” Although many people were opposed to Trump’s ideals, he won the election in 2016.
Trump’s first term in office was full of controversy. He was criticized for his attitudes toward women and immigrants, especially because Trump frequently posted inflammatory remarks on Twitter. In addition, many were unhappy with Trump’s inaction during the numerous Black Lives Matter protests that followed several incidents of African Americans dying while in police custody. However, Trump still remains popular among a large segment of the American people.
COVID-19 and Economic Shutdown
In 2020, Trump faced the biggest challenge of his presidency when the COVID-19 virus spread throughout the United States and the world. In an effort to stop the spread of this deadly disease, most businesses shut down in March, leading to massive unemployment for millions of Americans. Trump approved financial payments and increased unemployment benefits, among other efforts to help people. However, many Americans claimed Trump did not take the virus seriously enough. In addition, Trump often publicly disagreed with Dr. Anthony Fauci, an expert in disease control and his spokesperson on the virus, on how best to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Born: June 14, 1946
Birthplace: Queens, New York
V.P.: Mike Pence
First Lady: Melania Trump
• Trump has been married three times.
• In 1982, Trump opened Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Impeachment
In 2019, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ordered an impeachment trial of President Trump. Trump was accused of calling the President of Ukraine and asking --for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who had business dealings in Ukraine. The Democrat-led House impeached the president in December. However, the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted the
president of charges that he abused his powers and obstructed justice.
2017
December 31, 2016
U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan.
January 21, 2017
The Women’s March is held worldwide.
December 2019
The COVID-19 virus first discovered in Wuhan, China, and leads to a global pandemic.
May 2020
Black Lives Matter protests across the country and world in response to the killings of Black Americans by police.
JOSEPH BIDEN
Democrat, 2020–
Joe Biden served as the forty-seventh vice president of the United States from 2008 to 2016. In 2020, he was elected to the office of president.
Joseph Robinette Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His father, Joseph Biden, Sr., worked several jobs and eventually became a successful used car salesman. His mother, Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan, stayed home to care for Joe and his younger sister and two brothers. In 1953, the family moved to Delaware.
Biden was often bullied as a child. He stuttered, and his classmates made fun of the way he talked. Biden credited his father with helping him remain tough while dealing with teasing and bullying. Later, Biden overcame his stutter by memorizing long passages from books and reciting them aloud.
Biden played football in high school and went on to play in college as well. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 and enrolled in Syracuse University Law School, graduating in 1968.
After practicing law for a few years, Biden was elected to the United States Senate in 1973. At just thirty years old, he was the fifth youngest senator in history. Biden remained in the Senate for thirty-six years. For all those years, he continued to live in Delaware and commuted to Washington, DC, for Senate business.
During his time in the Senate, Biden became a leading expert in foreign policy. He worked toward reducing weapons in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, promoted peace and stability in the war-torn Balkans, and opposed the First Gulf War. Later, Biden spoke out against President George W. Bush when he sent more troops to Iraq in 2007.
Biden also spoke out for tougher crime laws. In 1994, he sponsored the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which added 100,000 police officers throughout the country and created longer prison sentences for many different crimes.
Biden first ran for president in 1987, but soon dropped out of the race. He tried again in 2007, but again dropped out after receiving little support. In 2008, Barack Obama chose Biden as his running mate, and he became Obama’s vice president when they were elected later that year.
The new vice president played an important role in the Obama administration. He created federal policies on Iraq and Afghanistan and helped win passage of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation. Obama and Biden were re-elected in 2012. A strong supporter of reducing violence against women, Biden was named co-chair of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault in 2014. This group’s goal was to provide schools with additional tools to address rape and sexual assault on campuses.
In 2015, Biden’s son Beau died of cancer. Partly because of his son’s death, Biden chose not to run for president in 2016. After Donald Trump won, Biden was often critical of the new president’s behavior and policies, including separating children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden also spoke out against Republican efforts to get rid of healthcare reform, saying that repealing the healthcare bill President Obama had created would cause millions of Americans to lose affordable health care.
In 2020, Biden announced he would run for president. During his campaign, Biden faced allegations of improper behavior connected with trips he took to Ukraine between 2014 and 2016. Biden’s son, Hunter, took a job on the board of Ukraine’s largest gas company at a very high salary. President Trump and other members of his administration claimed that Hunter got his position because of his father’s connections with Ukraine’s government. Biden said he did nothing wrong and had nothing to do with his son’s position in the company.
In August 2020, Biden was nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. A week earlier, he announced that U.S. Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate. Harris is the first women of color to run for vice president with a major party. Together, Biden and Harris campaigned for fair treatment of all people and promoted a moderate agenda focused on improving the economy and restoring respect for the United States around the world.
Born: November 20, 1942
Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
V.P.: Kamala Harris
First Lady: Jill Biden
• Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and his baby daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash in 1971. His two sons, Hunter and Beau, were seriously injured, but survived. Biden later married Jill Jacobs and had a daughter, Ashley.
• On January 12, 2017, President Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Gun Control
During his time as vice president, Biden became a leading figure in the debate surrounding gun control. After twenty children and six teachers were murdered at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Biden led a special task force to investigate the incident. He spoke out against gun violence and advised President Obama to introduce stronger gun control measures.
Inappropriate Behavior?
During Biden’s campaign, several women came forward to accuse Biden of hugging and kissing them without their consent. Biden apologized, saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t understand more.… I’ve never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman.”
2020
Glossary of Terms
ABOLITIONISM: A political movement dedicated to making slavery illegal throughout the United States.
AMBASSADOR: A person appointed to represent governments in foreign countries.
AMENDMENT: An addition to the Constitution requiring the approval of Congress and 3/4 of the states.
ANNEXATION: An incorporation or absorption of a country or territory into an existing nation.
APPEASEMENT: A policy based on compromising with potential enemies in order to secure peace.
ARMS RACE: A competition between states involving the production and stockpiling of weapons.
CABINET: A group of people chosen by the presidents to advise them on issues.
CAPITALISM: An economic system in which private individuals, not government, control business.
COMMUNISM: An economic system in which government, not private individuals, control business.
DELEGATE: A person who represents states at political conventions.
DEMOCRACY: A political system in which people vote for their own leaders.
DRAFT: A system in which the government requires people to serve in the military.
EMANCIPATION: A condition in which people are legally free.
EXPANSIONISM: A movement concerned with increasing a country’s physical size.
FEMINISM: A political movement dedicated to the advancement and protection of women’s rights.
IMPEACHMENT: The process by which Congress votes to remove the president or his appointees from office.
IMPERIALISM: A system in which stronger states have political and economical control over weaker ones.
ISOLATIONISM: A philosophy encouraging governments to restrict contact with foreign countries.
INTEGRATION: A political movement designed to promote cooperation between racial groups.
NULLIFICATION: A philosophy arguing that state and local governments can ignore or overturn the laws of the central government.
REVOLUTION: A political process in which people overthrow existing rulers.
SECESSION: A political act in which states break their bonds with the central government.
SECTIONALISM: A political philosophy that emphasizes regional differences.
&n
bsp; SEGREGATION: A system of laws and customs designed to isolate and oppress minority groups.
TRUST: A group of big businesses that cooperate with each other in order to maximize their profits.
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