Exploring the American Presidency through 50 Historic Treasures

Description

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. Contents Acknowledgments Timeline of Objects Introduction 1 George Washington,1789–1797: Dentures 2 John Adams, 1797–1801: Law Desk 3 Thomas Jefferson,1801–1809: Great Clock at Monticello 4 James Madison, 1809–1817: Walking Stick 5 James Monroe,1817–1825: Desk 6 John Quincy Adams,1825–1829: Personal Library 7 Andrew Jackson, 1829–1837: Decapitated Figurehead 8 Martin Van Buren,1837–1841: Desk 9 William Henry Harrison,1841: Flag Remnant 10 John Tyler, 1841–1845: Piano 11 James K. Polk, 1845–1849: Table 12 Zachary Taylor, 1849–1850: Chair 13 Millard Fillmore, 1850–1853: Engraving of Debate 14 Franklin Pierce, 1853–1857: Kansas-Nebraska Act 15 James Buchanan, 1857–1861: Law Books 16 Abraham Lincoln,1861–1865: Chair from Ford’s Theatre 17 Andrew Johnson, 1865–1869: Impeachment Note 18 Ulysses S. Grant, 1869–1877: Inkwell 19 Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877–1881: Morgan Silver Dollar 20 James A. Garfield, 1881: Inaugural Address 21 Chester Arthur, 1881–1885: Tiffany Screen 22 Grover Cleveland,1885–1889 and 1893–1897: Naval Review Ribbon 23 Benjamin Harrison, 1889–1893: Judge Cartoon 24 William McKinley, 1897–1901: McKinley National Memorial Collection Bank 25 Theodore Roosevelt, 1901–1909: Page from Speech 26 William Howard Taft,1909–1913: Bible 27 Woodrow Wilson, 1913–1921: 1919 Pierce-Arrow 28 Warren G. Harding,1921–1923: Skeleton Key 29 Calvin Coolidge, 1923–1929: Painting of Inauguration 30 Herbert Hoover, 1929–1933: Humidor 31 Franklin D. Roosevelt,1933–1945: Fireside Chat Microphone 32 Harry S. Truman, 1945–1953: “The Buck Stops Here”Desk Sign 33 Dwight D. Eisenhower,1953–1961: Globe 34 John F. Kennedy,1961–1963: PT 109 Coconut Husk Paperweight 35 Lyndon B. Johnson,1963–1969: Desk Blotter 36 Richard Nixon, 1969–1974: Easy Chair 37 Gerald Ford, 1974–1977: Statuette of Elephant and Donkey 38 Jimmy Carter, 1977–1981: Hungarian Crown 39 Ronald Reagan, 1981–1989: Piece of the Berlin Wall 40 George H. W. Bush, 1989–1993: Letter to Family 41 Bill Clinton, 1993–2001: Saxophone 42 George W. Bush, 2001–2009: Bullhorn 43 Barack Obama, 2009–2017: Pen Used to Sign the Affordable Care Act 44 Donald Trump, 2017–2021: MAGA Hat 45 Joe Biden, 2021– :COVID Vaccine Vial 46 Resolute Desk 47 Presidential Seal 48 Official White House Portraits 49 Senate Ballot Box 50 Air Force One Notes Index About the Author