Five Presidents, A Little History

James Monroe (1758-1831), the fifth U.S. president, oversaw major westward expansion of the U.S. and strengthened American foreign policy in 1823 with the Monroe Doctrine, a warning to European countries against further colonization and intervention in the Western Hemisphere.

Dropped out of college to fight in the American Revolution

He is the guy holding the American flag in the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware.

Negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France for Jefferson

Presidency was known as the era of good feelings because America was feeling great.

Worked to pass the Mo. Compromise that admitted Missouri as a slave state in 1821 and extended Missouri’s southern border all the way to the pacific. Thereafter everything north of the line would be free, south of it slave.

Best known for the Monroe Doctrine which was actually written by Sect. of State, John Quincy Adams. It basically told Europe, you stay over there. we will stay over here, and we won’t have any problems.

He also signed the treaty buying Florida from Spain.

 

James K. Polk (1795-1849) served as the 11th U.S. president from 1845 to 1849.

During his tenure, America’s territory grew by more than one-third and extended across the continent for the first time. Before his presidency, Polk served in the Tennessee legislature and the U.S. Congress; in 1839 he became governor of Tennessee.

Ran on a platform to expand the US to the Pacific under what he called Manifest Destiny.

Manifest Destiny, was a phrase coined in 1845, that expressed the philosophy that drove westward expansion in the 1800’s. Manifest Destiny held that the United States was destined by God to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent.

In keeping with this concept, Polk negotiated with England to get exclusive rights to the Oregon Territory.

He then provoked a conflict with Mexico by sending US troops into disputed territory along the Rio Grande triggering the Mexican American war.

The small town of Brazito between Eldon and Jeff City, Missouri, was named by settlers there who had fought in the Battle of El Brazito, during the conflict.

Winning this conflict handily, we now acquired Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

This now triggered the issue of whether these new lands should be free or slave. Bringing the issue of slavery to a head once again.

 

Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) served in the army for some four decades, commanding troops in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1832) and the second of the Seminole Wars (1835-1842). He became a full-fledged war hero through his service in the Mexican War, which broke out in 1846 after the U.S. annexation of Texas. He was elected president in 1848.

Taylor, known as old rough and ready, comes in after Polk and has to deal with the issue of slavery in the new territories acquired from the Mexican American War.

Taylor was from a big slave owning family in Virginia and spent his life in the US Army.

Ran for president but people didn’t know his politics because he had never been elected to anything.

Won the election in 1848 and pushed for national unity. California had petitioned congress to be admitted as a free state. Southerners threw a fit since Mo. Compromise line split California in half. So they argued half of California should be slave.

The Whig party in Congress was pushing for admitting California as a free state and allowing the southwest territories to decide for themselves.

Taylor said no way and also threatened to send in troops anywhere southerners threatened secession.

We were on the brink of civil war, but it didn’t happen. Taylor suddenly died in office after eating a bowl of cherries and cream at a July 4th celebration at the as yet unfinished Washington Monument. Northerners were convinced that southerners in Texas poisoned him.

This rumor remained until 1991, when his body was exhumed and tests were performed indicating that he was allergic to cherries and that was what killed him.

A moderate, Vice President Millard Fillmore assumed the office of president upon the death of Taylor, thus averting war.

Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) commanded the victorious Union army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and served as the 18th U.S. president from 1869 to 1877.

After spending a decade in the army and serving in the Mexican-American War, Grant resigned his post in 1854 when he was reportedly forced to resign from the army for being caught drunk on duty.

He spent the next seven years flopping as a farmer, real estate agent and rent collector. He was squeaking out a living by selling firewood on St. Louis street corners.

By this time he was married and had 4 kids. His father in law then gave him a job working in his general store in Galena, Illinois.

One morning he saw the local militia practicing in the street in front of the store. Grant started laughing at them. He told them they didn’t have a clue what they were doing. They said, “If you know so much, come down here and show us.

He did. After all, Grant had been in the military and had graduated West Point, although it was at the bottom of his class.

The boys in the militia were so impressed with Grant that they convinced him to join up with them in the Union Army.

Although known for his drinking, Abraham Lincoln apparently didn’t care. When a group of congressmen once alleged that Grant was a drunk, the President supposedly responded by asking what kind of whiskey the General drank. They asked why and Lincoln said, “If makes them all like Grant I want a barrel delivered to every one of my generals.”

Grant was elected as president in 1868 and served 2 terms. It was his first time in an elected position.

Grant was honest, but unfortunately surrounded himself with corrupt politicians who took advantage of him.

It was not all bad. He secured ratification of the 15th amendment that allowed black men to vote and he literally declared war on the KKK in the south following the Civil War.

 

Harry Truman (1884-1972), the 33rd U.S. president, assumed office following the death of President Franklin Roosevelt.

He was a small town boy from Missouri who worked his way up through local politics to become a US Senator.

He now came to head the budget oversight committee in Congress.

He noticed a tremendous amount of money couldn’t be accounted for and reported it to the press.

Truman kept talking to the press and eventually, FDR called him to his office. He said, listen here little man, I cannot tell you where the money is going, but you will immediately stop your investigation and make this go away. Do I make myself clear?

Truman said yes sir and proceeded to tell the press he found the money and it was going to dam projects for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Turns out the money was going to a secret project to process uranium and build the atom bomb.

When FDR ran for his 3rd term in office, there was no doubt he would win, he just needed a running mate. So he asked his staff to find that little guy from Missouri that knows how to keep his mouth shut.

FDR died in 45 and his vice president, Harry Truman, the guy that kept his mouth shut, now became President of the US.

Famous for his quote, “The Buck Stops Here”.

Made the decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan and pushed for the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe following WWII.

Made the decision to fight the spread of communism worldwide which became known as the Truman Doctrine.

This position eventually led to the Korean Conflict and the Cold War.