Harry S. Truman vs. James K. Polk

Harry S. Truman
Foreign Policy:
One action President Truman made regarding foreign policy was the Truman Doctrine. On March 12, 1947, this proclamation was taken into effect. The Truman Doctrine explained how the United States of America would economically and militarily support Turkey and Greece. Fearing the the strength of the Soviet Union, Truman created this doctrine in hopes of keeping these countries from falling under the influence of the Soviets. During this time in history, all of Eastern Europe was in shambles and Truman did not want any more power going to the USSR. In addition, Truman wanted to "free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." Supporting these two countries was merely the groundwork in the fight against communism. To do this, America sent advisers to Greece and Turkey, along with any other country who was threatened by communism.
Truman showed his strength in foreign policy matters not only through his hate for communism, but from his actions in World War 2. After being sworn in as President of the United States of America in 1945, Harry S. Truman led the Allied forces to victory over Germany and eventually Japan as well. However, in order to achieve victory of the Japanese forces, Truman had to make a difficult decision; whether to use the atomic bomb or not. Our president had to make a bold decision, weighing the importance of victory against the lives of innocent Japanese citizens. After much consideration, Truman approved the use of the atomic bomb. "Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare." After the destruction of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese immediately surrendered to the Allied forces and the U.S.A. emerged victorious. When the final days of WW2 concluded, America appeared to be the only true world superpower thanks to the decisive actions of Harry S. Truman.

Economics:
During his presidency, Harry S. Truman put forth the "Fair Deal" plan. "Give me a one-handed economist! All my economics say, 'on the other hand on the other.'" In a speech on January 5th, 1949, President Truman urged the idea of universal health care for all citizens. In addition, Truman wanted the amount paid for minimum wage to be raised along with equal rights for everyone. After the second world war, America was enjoying its time as the world's only superpower and became more conservative in turn. Not many people in the U.S.A. wanted any big change after struggling through a long and expensive war. So, Truman's proposal was not popular within Congress and his plan for health insurance for all Americans was shot down. However, Congress did raise the level of minimum wage. Nowadays, Truman's plan for health care probably would be embraced more, but, America was in a conservative stint and not many citizens were ready for anymore change.
Other than the "Fair Deal" plan, another action taken place under Truman regarding economics was the Fair Employment Practices Act. In 1946, Congress passed this act which banned an racial and religious discrimination when it came to hiring employees. For a very long time the government was keeping it's hands off when it came to the economy. However, President Truman's Democratic values upset many people when the government started getting more involved in the country's economic rules and standards.

References:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/modern/fairdeal_3
http://home.att.net/~howingtons/dem/truman.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/harry_s_truman.html
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1670.html
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/html3/truman.htm


James K. Polk
Foreign Policy:
Polk, our country's 11th president, faced a huge foreign policy matter, Texas. At that time, Texas was an independent country but was showing signs of wanting annexation to the United States. "Peace, plenty, and contentment reign throughout our borders, and our beloved country presents a sublime moral spectacle to the world..." However, France and Britain wanted to keep Texas an independent nation because it would leave North America under divided powers. In addition, Mexico threatened to attack the independent Texas if they indeed sign a joint resolution. But, even with Britain, France and Mexico breathing down his neck, Polk still managed to annex a economically depleted Texas to the United States of America.
Another foreign policy matter that President Polk handled brilliantly was the territorial boundaries of Oregon and Northern California. The Democratic Platform of 1844 wanted the entire Oregon area, which extended from the north of California all the way to Alaskan boundaries. Extremists believed that America owned all of this area but Polk knew that the U.S.A. would only claim this entire territory if we went to war with England. "Foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our government." After much negotiation with the British minister, Polk resolved the debacle when England agreed to claim the 49th parallel. A treaty was signed in 1846.

Economics:
Although this matter leans a bit towards foreign policy, James K. Polk took economic action when it came to the acquisition of California and New Mexico. With relations with Mexico already being a bit uneasy, President Polk offered $20,000,000 along with any damage claims owed to Americans for the territory of California and New Mexico. However, Polk's offer was never received because the Mexican leader was not going to stay in power if he traded away half of his country. Polk attempted to pressure Mexico's decision by sending General Taylor and his troops to the Rio Grande region. In turn, Mexican troops viewed this as aggression and attacked Taylor. After this happened, Congress immediatly declared war and American forces eventually ended up controlling Mexico City. "Well may the boldest fear and the wisest tremble when incurring responsibilities on which may depend our country's peace and prosperity, and in some degree the hopes and hapiness of the whole human family." All in all, the dispute with Mexico ended up lowering the price for California and New Mexico to $15,000,000 instead. This matter may have dealt with foreign policy, but President Polk managed to buy these territories for a lower price; territories that were crucial to the develpment of the American economy.
Other than the acquisition of California and New Mexico, James K. Polk dealt with economic policy when it came to the approving new laws. In 1846, Congress approved the Walker Tariff during Polk's presidency. Under this law, ad valorem tariffs (tax based on the value of particular real-estate or personal property) were abandoned. In place, rates of the tax were created seperate from the value of the product. Also in 1846, Polk approved the restoration of the Independent Treasury system. This meant that government funds would be held in the Treasury instead of banks and other institutions.

References:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jp11.html
http://home.att.net/~jrhsc/polk.html
http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/James-K-Polk-Foreign-policy.html
http://www.jameskpolk.com/new/

Jimmy Carter and James Monroe

Jimmy Carter

Foreign Policy Decisions

“Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.”

Voyager 1 Message

--His statement was placed on the Voyager 1 spacecraft for its trip outside our solar system on September 5, 1977:

“We cast this message into the cosmos.... Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some – perhaps many – may have inhabited planet and space faring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: We are trying to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.”

South Korea

--During his first month in office, Carter cut the defense budget by $6 billion.

--One of his first acts was to order the unilateral removal of all nuclear weapons from South Korea and announce his intention to cut back the number of US troops stationed there.

--In 1977 Major General John K. Singlaub publicly criticized Carter's decision to lower the U.S. troop level there.

--On March 21, 1977, Carter relieved him of duty, saying his publicly stated sentiments were "inconsistent with announced national security policy."

--Carter planned to remove all but 14,000 U.S. air force personnel and logistics specialists by 1982, but after cutting only 3,600 troops, he was forced by Congressional pressure to abandon the effort in 1978.

Iran Hostage Crisis
--The main conflict between human rights and U.S. interests came in Carter's dealings with the Shah of Iran.

--The Shah had been a strong ally of the United States since World War II and was one of the "twin pillars" upon which U.S. strategic policy in the Middle East was built.

--However, his rule was strongly autocratic, and in 1953 he went along with the Eisenhower Administration in staging a coup to remove the elected Prime Minster, Mohammed Mossadegh.

--When the Iranian Revolution broke out in Iran and the Shah was overthrown, the U.S. did not intervene directly.

--The Shah went into permanent exile.

--Carter initially refused him entry to the United States, even on grounds of medical emergency.

--Despite his initial refusal to admit the Shah into the United States, on October 22, 1979, Carter finally granted him entry and temporary asylum for the duration of his cancer treatment.

--In response to the Shah's entry into the U.S., Iranian militants seized the American embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage.

--The Iranians demanded:

1. The return of the Shah to Iran for trial

2. The return of the Shah's wealth to the Iranian people.

3. An admission of guilt by the United States for its past actions in Iran (plus an apology)

4. A promise from the United States not to interfere in Iran's affairs in the future.

--After the hostages were taken, Carter issued, on November 14, 1979, Blocking Iranian Government property, which was used to freeze the bank accounts of the Iranian government in US banks, totaling about $8 billion US at the time.

--This was to be used as a bargaining chip for the release of the hostages.

--In the days before President Ronald Reagan took office, Algerian diplomat Abdulkarim Ghuraib opened negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

--Although the release of the hostages was negotiated and secured under the Carter administration, the hostages were released on January 20, 1981, moments after Reagan was sworn in as President. “Unless both sides win, no agreement can be permanent.”

Economy Decisions

“A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.”

--During Carter's administration, the economy suffered double-digit inflation, coupled with very high interest rates, oil shortages, high unemployment and slow economic growth.

--Productivity growth in the United States had declined to an average annual rate of 1 percent, compared to 3.2 percent of the 1960s.

--To replace Miller, and in order to calm down the market, Carter appointed Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

--Volcker pursued a tight monetary policy to bring down inflation, which he considered his mandate.

--He succeeded, but only by first going through an unpleasant phase during which the economy slowed and unemployment rose, prior to any relief from inflation.
"Malaise" speech

--When the energy market exploded he was planning on delivering his fifth major speech on energy but he felt that the American people were no longer listening.

--Carter went to Camp David for ten days to meet with governors, mayors, religious leaders, scientists, economists and citizens.

--He sat on the floor and took notes of their comments and especially wanted to hear criticism.

--His researcher told him that the American people simply faced a crisis of confidence because of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and Watergate.

--On July 15, 1979, Carter gave a nationally-televised address in which identified what he believed to be a "crisis of confidence" among the American people.

Energy Crisis

--In 1977, Carter convinced the Democratic Congress to create the United States Department of Energy in order to conserve energy.

--Carter wore cardigan sweaters, had solar hot water panels installed on the roof of the White House, had a wood stove in his living quarters, ordered the General Services Administration to turn off hot water in some federal facilities, and requested that Christmas decorations remain dark in 1979 and 1980.

--Nationwide, controls were put on thermostats in government and commercial buildings to prevent people from raising temperatures in the winter (above 65 degrees Fahrenheit) or lowering them in the summer (below 78 degrees Fahrenheit).

--Signed the National Energy Act and the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act.

--The purpose of these watershed laws was to encourage energy conservation and the development of national energy resources, including renewables such as wind and solar energy.
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James Monroe

Foreign Policy Decisions

Question of Spanish Colonies

--Monroe began to formally recognize the young sister republics (the former Spanish colonies) in 1822.

--He and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams had wished to avoid trouble with Spain until it had ceded the Florida's to the U.S., which was done in 1821.

Question of Latin America

--Britain, with its powerful navy, also opposed the re-conquest of Latin America and suggested that the United States join in proclaiming "hands off."

--Ex-Presidents Jefferson and Madison counseled Monroe to accept the offer, but Secretary Adams advised:

"It would be more candid ... to avow our principles explicitly to Russia and France, than to come in as a cock-boat in the wake of the British man-of-war." Monroe accepted Adams' advice. Not only must Latin America be left alone, he warned, but also Russia must not encroach southward on the Pacific coast. "... the American continents," he stated, "by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European Power."

--In 1831, after Monroe had died, this became known as the Monroe Doctrine. Monrovia

--Founded in 1822, Monrovia is named in honor of U.S. President James Monroe. Monroe Doctrine

--He delivered in his message to Congress on December 2, 1823.

--In it, he proclaimed the Americas should be free from future European colonization and free from European interference in sovereign countries' affairs.

--It further stated the United States' intention to stay neutral in European wars and wars between European powers and their colonies, but to consider any new colonies or interference with independent countries in the Americas as hostile acts toward the United States.

“I have great satisfaction in stating that our relations with France, Russia, and other powers continue on the most friendly basis.”

“In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves we have never taken any part, not does it comport with our policy so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defence.”

Economy Decisions

Panic of 1819

--He limited governmental action to economizing and ensuring fiscal stability.

--He agreed to the need for improved transportation facilities but refused to approve appropriations for internal improvements without prior amendment of the Constitution.

--Monroe would aid the economy with laws like the Land Act of 1820 and the Relief Act of 1821.

"In this great nation there is but one order, that of the people, whose power, by a peculiarly happy improvement of the representative principle, is transferred from them, without impairing in the slightest degree their sovereignty, to bodies of their own creation, and to persons elected by themselves, in the full extent necessary for the purposes of free, enlightened, and efficient government."

Cumberland Road Bill

-- During his presidency, Congress demanded high subsidies for internal improvements, such as for the Cumberland Road.

--Monroe vetoed the Cumberland Road Bill, which provided for yearly improvements to the road, because he believed it to be "unconstitutional" for the government to pass such a bill.

“At no period of our political existence had we so much cause to felicitate ourselves at the prosperous and happy condition of our country.”

The Missouri Compromise

--The two houses were at odds whether to join Maine and Missouri within the same bill.

--Both houses agreed, and the measures were passed on March 5th, 1820 and ratified by him on March 6th.

--The bill resolved the struggle, pairing Missouri as a slave state with Maine, a free state, and barring slavery north and west of Missouri forever.

"Never did a government commence under auspices so favorable, nor ever was success so complete. If we look to the history of other nations, ancient or modern, we find no example of a growth so rapid, so gigantic, of a people so prosperous and happy."
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Sources Used:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/sennholz/sennholz10.html
http://www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes-author-Jimmy%20Carter-page-0.htm
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_monroe.html
http://usinfo.org/docs/democracy/55.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/97239/Jimmy-Carter
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/390221/James-Monroe

John Tyler vs. Dwight D. Eisenhower

John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States. A member of the Whig party (which out of the four Whig presidents both times the vice president became president), John Tyler was the first president to assume the powers of the president after the death of his predecessor William Henry Harrison. There was much controversy at the time as to whether he deserved the title of president because in the constitution it only states "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President" nowhere in the constitution did it state that the vice president would become president until the radification of the 25th amendment. Unfortunately for Tyler this issue of his presidency dubbed Tyler "His Accidency" by his detractors. He had no Vice President (along with Chester A. Arthur, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and Harry Truman) or a party for most of his term in office. He was born in Virginia in 1790, he was raised believing that the Constitution must be followed strictly and stuck to it. At first the Whigs were not worried about the new presidenty, despite Tylers want to assume the full powers of an elected President. He delivered an Inaugural Addres fusll of good Whig doctrine. Whigs were optimistic that Tyler would accept their Henry clay would not accept Tyler's "exchequer system," so Tyler vetoed Clay's bill to establish a National Bank with branches in several states. A similar bank bill was passed by Congress. But again, on states' rights grounds, program, but they would be mistaken

Economic

Tyler vetoed it. In retaliation, the Whigs expelled Tyler from their party. All the Cabinet resigned but Secretary of State Webster. A year later when Tyler vetoed a tariff bill, the first impeachment resolution against a President was introduced in the House of Representatives. A committee headed by Representative John Quincy Adams reported that the President had misused the veto power, but the resolution failed.

Despite their differences, President Tyler and the Whig Congress enacted much positive legislation. The "Log-Cabin" bill enabled a settler to claim 160 acres of land before it was offered publicly for sale, and later pay $1.25 an acre for it. In 1842 Tyler did sign a tariff bill protecting northern manufacturers. The Webster-Ashburton treaty ended a Canadian boundary dispute; in 1845 Texas was annexed.

The administration of this states'-righter strengthened the Presidency. But it also increased sectional cleavage that led toward civil war. By the end of his term, Tyler had replaced the original Whig Cabinet with southern conservatives. In 1844 Calhoun became Secretary of State. Later these men returned to the Democratic Party, committed to the preservation of states' rights, planter interests, and the institution of slavery. Whigs became more representative of northern business and farming interests.

When the first southern states seceded in 1861, Tyler led a compromise movement; failing, he worked to create the Southern Confederacy. He died in 1862, a member of the Confederate House of Representatives.

Dwight David Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower brought to the Presidency his prestige as commanding general of the victorious forces in Europe during World War II. He obtained a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War. He pursued the moderate policies of "Modern Republicanism," pointing out as he left office, "America is today the strongest, most influential, and most productive nation in the world."

Eisenhower, born in Texas in 1890, grew up in Abilene, Kansas. He was the third of seven sons. He prospered in sports in high school, and was accepted to West Point. Stationed in Texas as a second lieutenant, he met his wife Mamie Geneva Doud, whom he married in 1916. After World War II he became President of Columbia University, then took leave to assume supreme command over the new NATO forces being assembled in 1951. Republican emissaries to his headquarters near Paris persuaded him to run for President in 1952. "I like Ike" was a catchy slogan helping Eisenhower to win a sweeping victory. Using military strength, he tried to reduce the strains of the Cold War. In 1953, he brought an armed peace along the border of South Korea through the signing of a truce. Also, the death of Jospeh Stalin the same year caused changes in relations with Russia.

New Russian leaders agreed on a peace treaty neutralizing Austria. At the same time both Russia and the United States had developed hydrogen bombs. With the threat of such destructive capability threatening the world, Eisenhower along with the leaders of the British, French, and Russian governments, met at Geneva in July 1955. The President proposed that the United States and Russia exchange blueprints of each other's military establishments and "provide within our countries facilities for aerial photography to the other country." The Russians greeted the proposal with silence, but were so cordial throughout the meetings that tensions relaxed. In November of 1955 he was elected for his second term.

In domestic policy the President pursued a middle course, continuing most of the New Deal and Fair Deal programs, emphasizing a balanced budget. As desegregation of schools began, he sent troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to assure compliance with the orders of a Federal court; he also ordered the complete desegregation of the Armed Forces. "There must be no second class citizens in this country," he wrote. Eisenhower concentrated on maintaining world peace. He watched with pleasure the development of his "atoms for peace" program--the loan of American uranium to "have not" nations for peaceful purposes. Before he left office in January 1961, for his farm in Gettysburg, he urged the necessity of maintaining an adequate military strength, but cautioned that vast, long-continued military expenditures could breed potential dangers to our way of life. He concluded with a prayer for peace "in the goodness of time." Both themes remained timely and urgent when he died, after a long illness, on March 28, 1969.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jt10.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jt10.html

http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ike/ike.htm

http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/eisenhower

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/johntyler/p/ptyler.htm

http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/tyler

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=t000450

William Henry Harrison and John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Foreign Policy:
JFK was president during one of the most important and dangerous situations during the history of our country. He definitely understood the impact that a foreign policy decision can make on a country as is evident in a quote of his when he says, "Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us." JFK was forced to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis where the Soviet Union moved nuclear weapons into Cuba. He had no choice but to react with some sort of foreign policy decision. He also understood what a fine line he was walking between peace and a full fledged nuclear war. In an address to the U.N. in 1961 he said, "It is therefore our intention to challenge the Soviet Union, not to an arms race, but to a peace race--to advance together step by step, stage by stage, until general and complete disarmament has been achieved. We invite them now to go beyond agreement in principle to reach agreement on actual plans." The leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, lied to the American leader by saying that he would not put any offensive weapons in Cuba. The U.S. received pictures showing that this was a lie and reacted in a way that may have saved a nuclear war. He received all kinds of opinions on what action to take, especially from the group he set up called ex comm, but in the end he decided on a quarantine. Kennedy went on television and said that all ships going to Cuba were to return from where they are coming from and that the soviets must remove their weapons from Cuba or else further action would occur. This method worked and Kennedy avoided a serious disaster.


Economic Policies:
John F. Kennedy once said, "Economic growth without social progress lets the great majority of the people remain in poverty, while a privileged few reap the benefits of rising abundance." Kennedy was given an economy from Eisenhower that was not in the best of shape. It needed a lot of help and Kennedy was there to give that to it. In Kennedy's state of the union address he said, "The present state of our economy is disturbing. We take office in the wake of seven months of recession, three and one-half years of slack, seven years of diminished economic growth, and nine years of falling farm income." JFK inherited a mess of an economy and he proposed a bunch of proposals and bills to get the country out of the recession. He proposed an investment tax credit program, tax cuts to encourage investment and savings, better education, improvement of medical care, improving water and energy infrastructure, and he wanted to get minorities into the mainstream economy of the country. All of these ideas were not cuts of the budget but rather additions to it to help to stimulate and improve the economy. On top of that, he believed that the space program would also help to improve the economy and it was almost the basis of his entire economic plan. The space program, in just five years, created 400,000 new jobs for Americans and did what Kennedy hoped it would do by improving the economy of the country. If you were to compare William Henry Harrison and Kennedy in economic policy you can say that they faced many of the same challenges. Both were given poor economies and had to do something to improve it. Kennedy got the chance to do that while Harrison died before he could make a real difference.


William Henry Harrison Foreign Policy:
Harrison died of pneumonia just 30 days into office which caused him to basically do nothing as the president of the United States. I don't really know what foreign policy he would have instigated but if he were to follow in line with other members of the Whig party then he would most likely have a protectionist type of foreign policy. Protectionism is when the government restricts trade between other nations in the world. They would place taxes and tariffs on goods that were being imported as to help the local businesses. This would cause less people to buy foreign goods and instead buy the local products instead. Overall, it is a system that protects the businesses in the country that uses that type of policy and it extremely discourages the purchase and use of foreign goods. Since Harrison was so limited in his time spent in office, all I can do is speculate that he would have followed this type of policy and enacted laws to help local businesses instead of foreign ones.


Economic Policies:
Harrison spent such a sort time in office so he never had a chance to institute any economic policy for the U.S. But, one he was elected because of an economic problem. He was running in the election against Martin Van Buren. Van Buren was in bad shape in the eye of the public mainly because of the Panic of 1837. He was blamed almost entirely for the economic problems that the country faced during this time. Andrew Jackson was the one that was mainly responsible for the problems that Van Buren was given but he took the blame anyways. People said that he failed to involve the government in the economy, which caused the economic drought to last longer and to be worse. This situation is much like the one we are in now. The one major difference is that the government is getting involved to try and make a difference. Harrison and Barack Obama can be compared somewhat because both of them were elected to bring change. Harrison was expected to lead the country out of the panic while Obama is looked at as a new face in the white house to hopefully bring us out of our situation. Harrison died just 30 days in office, so we do not know what policies he was going to propose to get our country out of the mess that we were in or what effect those policies would have had.




http://theantipress.blogspot.com/2007/09/jfk-quotes-you-probably-havent-heard.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/kennedy_cuban_missile_01.shtml
http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/president_william_henry_harrison
http://econ161.berkeley.edu/Politics/Clinton_Kennedy.html
http://home.att.net/~jrhsc/jfk.html
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/economy/phys_econ/2006/JFK_recovery.html

Lyndon B Johnson and Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren


Economic Policy
"Those who look to the action of this government for specific aid to the citizen to relieve embarrassments arising from losses by revulsions in commerce and credit,lose sight of the ends for which it was created, and the powers with which it is clothed. It was established to give security to us all. … It was not intended to confer special favors on individuals. The less government interferes with private pursuits,the better for the general prosperity." http://home.att.net/~jamesg/buren.html Martin Van Buren's economic policy was very simple... to just stay out of it. The less government regulation and interference the stronger the economy would become. Of course seeing as the economy of the time was in a sort of depression, Van Buren couldn't just say he wouldn't do anything and win the respect of his people, so in response he did try appropriating money to public works, but in the eyes of the people this was too little too late.

Foreign Policy
Martin Van Buren's greatest foreign policy legacy would be his peace-keeping efforts between the U.S. and the British "With respect to the northeastern boundary of the United States, no official correspondence between this Government and that of Great Britain has passed since that communicated to Congress toward the close of their last session." http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_van_buren.html The dispute was mainly between about the border of the U.S. and Canada, and while correspondance to Van Buren was slow about this issue he did manage in keeping peace even with the two countries mutual hatred of each other. Another act by Van Buren was his descision to not annex Texas so there would be an even number of slave and non-slave states, as so there would not be internal tension in the U.S.

Lyndon B. Johnson


Economic Policy
"Poverty must not be a bar to learning and learning must offer an escape from poverty." http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lyndon_b_johnson.html Soon after obtaining the presidency Lyndon B. Johnson began his "war on poverty". And for the most part he seemed to be winning this war, as the poverty rate diminished. Johnson helped created the programs such as head start, food stamps, work study, medicare and medicaid, which are still used today, Johnson had a hands on approach to the economy, passing the most bills (on economy or otherwise) than any other president since FDR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1589660

Foreign Policy
"Just like the Alamo, somebody damn well needed to go to their aid. Well, by God, I'm going to Vietnam's aid!" http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lyndon_b_johnson.html Johnson did not want to see North Vietnam be able to control South Vietnam. Johnson did not like communism (like every other office holder in the U.S. pretty much) and did not want to see the Democracy of South Vietnam fall into communist control. Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin Incident as an excuse to invade Vietnam (the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allowed this without an actual declaration of war called by senate). This is by far Johnson's greatest legacy, even while doing so much for the economy, Johnson will always be remembered for the Vietnam War.


From these two presidencies we can tell how different they are just on these 4 issues. Van Buren was a hands off kind of guy who thought the economy only worked with no government interference, and Johnson thought the only way the economy would improve is if he did something about it. Van Buren wanted peace, while Johnson fought for freedom of another land and to disrupt the spreading of communism.

Thomas Jefferson and George H.W. Bush

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was born in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1743. He was a better writer than he was a speaker, he was known as a “silent speaker” in Congress. When he was only thirty-three, he drafted the first copy of the United States Constitution. He also wrote a bill that established religious freedom that was enacted in 1786. Jefferson was president from 1801 to 1809. He died on July 4th 1826.
Foreign Policy:
“For Jefferson, as for subsequent American statesmen, the desire to change the world was at war with the desire not to be corrupted by the world... The combination of universalism and parochialism is the result of self-consciousness over role that forms a constant in the nation's history.”
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19900301faessay6019/robert-w-tucker-david-c-hendrickson/thomas-jefferson-and-american-foreign-policy.html
As president, Thomas Jefferson tried to protect American ships by after fifty years ending the bribes going to the Barbary States, which resulted in a war with Tripoli. In this war he was forced to use the U.S. navy and decide whether or not he really wanted to shrink the size of the U.S. military. Jefferson used his ties to France and negotiating skills to buy a huge piece of land, known as the “Louisiana purchase” for fifteen million dollars from Napoleon, effectively doubling the size of the U.S. In his second term, he focused upon staying out of the Napoleonic wars and placed an embargo on American shipping. This did not work and was extremely unpopular among the people.
Economy:
“He slashed Army and Navy expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the tax on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html Also, as mentioned above he bought the Louisiana purchase for fifteen million dollars.

George Herbert Walker Bush was born in on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. He was a pilot in World War II and flew fifty eight combat missions. He ran for senate but lost, campaigned for the presidential nomination and lost, but became vice president to Ronald Reagan. In 1988, he ran for president with running mate Dan Quayle and defeated his Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis. He did not get reelected in1992 and Bill Clinton became president. He died in 1994.
Foreign Policy:
The Cold War ended after forty years, the empire the communists had built fell, and the Berlin wall finally fell. The Russian president Bush supported, Mikhail Gorbachev, retired. “President Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega, who was threatening the security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega was brought to the United States for trial as a drug trafficker.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.html
Iraqi president Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened to do the same to Saudi Arabia. President Bush rallied the American people, the United Nations, and Congress to send 425,000 troops to the Middle East to free Kuwait. American allies sent an additional 118,000 troops. This became known as operation “Desert Storm.”

Economy:
“Bush's 1992 State of the Union address offered a plan for economic growth that called for a moratorium on new government regulations on business, a cut in the capital gains tax, and the elimination of numerous domestic programs he deemed undeserving of federal funding.” http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0068080-00 He endorsed a tax credit for people buying their first home and a health-tax insurance for poverty-stricken families. Congress passed some of his proposals, but he vetoed the final bill because it proposed raising taxes for the wealthy. In 1992, the interest rates and inflation were some of the lowest in years, but employment was up to 7.8%. In September, the Census bureau announced that 14.2% of America lived in poverty.

Andrew Jackson and Richard Nixon

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was elected into office in 1829 with the popular vote of "more nearly than any of his predecessors" (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/aj7.html) and was in office until 1837. He was a very strong president with a strong grasp on his own views and used his power of veto "more than the first six presidents put together" (http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/public/Jackson.htm).

Foreign Policy:
Many know Andrew Jackson as the major general in the War of 1812 when he defeated the British in New Orleans. That was a major experience he had which was the reason for his strong opposition against the British and to his strong defense of American interests. His time in the War of 1812 was one of the earliest foreign policy experiences he had. A second experience occurred when he forced "the French government to pay long-overdue spoliation claims" and to reopen "the British West Indian trade" (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0151440-0). Another issue was with Texas's desire to become independent. "He was reluctant to split the Democratic party in a domestic controversy over the expansion of slavery or to go to war with Mexico" (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0151440-0). However, this issue was not resolved and Jackson ended up leaving this problem of the annexation of Texas for one of his successors to make a decision on.

Economy:
Andrew Jackson believed in a strong Union and therefore he openly opposed South Carolina's nonacceptance of the 1832 tariff. They thought that the tariff was much too high and therefore passed an Ordinance of Nullification (which declared the tariff invalid in South Carolina). But Jackson, with his strong views, issued a presidential proclamation and with his popularity in Congress, a compromise tariff was passed in 1833. Another important issue was to whether recharter the Bank of the United States or not. Jackson to Van Buren once said, "The bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!" (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/aj7.html). Therefore, before his final decision was made, Jackson had greatly weakened the Bank by withdrawing millions of dollars. His opinion was that Congress did not have the power to have created this bank in the first place and that the Bank's only purpose was to benefit the rich by weakening the middle and poor working class. So Jackson used one of his many vetoes (which Congress did not have the necessary votes to override) and the Bank ceased to exist after 1836 when its charter expired.

Richard Nixon, the thirty-seventh president of the United States, and was in office from 1969 to 1974. As many know, he was the first president to resign due to the Watergate Scandal. Before his presidency, he was the vice president to Eisenhower. Though they were never personally close, Nixon's experience as vice president helped him gain knowledge on foreign policy.

Foreign Policy:
Immediately after his election to the presidency, he began the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (also known as SALT) with the Soviet Union. With the talks ending in 1972, what resulted were two treaties. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Interim Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. Although the U.S. had a superiority in nuclear arms, "indications showed that the Soviet Union was developing weapons that could undermine the American posture. This, along with the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Communist China, created additional complications for U.S. strategic planners" (http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?vendorId=FWNE.fw..st195500.a#FWNE.fw..st195500.a). These negotiations helped to calm those fears of the American people down. Nixon's next big foreign policy step was in 1972. In February of that year, he made a historic trip to Beijing where he was accepted by Mao Zedong. This statement reversed "the U.S. policy of not recognizing the Communist government" (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0209110-0&templatename=/article/article.html). Nixon, alone, stepped down from his presidential plane and offered his hand to Premier Chou En-lai "to consummate one of the most historic handshakes in diplomatic history, in what Henry Kissinger termed 'splendid solitude'" (http://www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/nixon_in_china.html).

Economy:
Nixon's worries were mainly of foreign policy when he came into office. However, with the recession, the economy was to be fixed also. In 1971 in a televised speech, he amazed the world by announcing a "series of measures that contradicted everything he was supposed to believe in--wage and price controls, abandonment of the international gold standard, depreciation of the dollar, and deficit spending" (http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/matnix.html). This however was the right move to make even after he predicted that, "This will put the Democrats in a hell of a spot, this whole speech" (http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/matnix.html). The economy was on a rise in 1972 and Nixon won the next election by a landslide. However, another economic problem occurred with imported energy. Due to the U.S. participation in the Yom Kippur War with the Israelites, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced a sharp price raise. Therefore, Nixon asked the people take the course of voluntary rationing. "In the month of November 1973, Nixon proposed an extension of Daylight Savings Time and a total ban on the sale of gasoline on Sunday's. But the biggest legislative initiative was the approval by Congress on November 13 of a Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline, designed to supply 2,000,000 barrels of oil a day" (http://www.buyandhold.com/bh/en/education/history/2002/arab.html). Thankfully, the Arabs later lifted this embargo.

I believe that though both presidents were great, they also were human and made mistakes. Overall, if I were to compare the acts of each president in one sentence, it would be: Andrew Jackson was involved in both foreign policy and the economy; however, during his presidency, he was most known for his economic stands, specifically against the charter of the Bank. Richard Nixon though he too was involved in both foreign policy and the economy, was most known for his foreign policies, mostly of SALT and of his recognition of China's government.

John Quincy Adams and Gerald Ford

John Quincy Adams was the U.S.'s 6th president. He however didn't get much done while he was in office. He, "had ambitious plans of government activity to foster internal improvements and promote the arts and sciences, but congressional obstructionism, combined with his own unwillingness or inability to play the role of a politician, resulted in little being accomplished," http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760591.html. However, when Adams was a US senator, and Secretary of State, he did have more of an affect on foreign policy and economics.

Adams foreign policy- While Adams was a senator he approved of the Louisiana Purchase. He also approved of the Embargo Act or 1807. The Embargo Act, "forbade all international trade to and from American ports, and Jefferson hoped that Britain and France would be persuaded of the value and the rights of a neutral commerce.' http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0817234.html The people did not like this however and Adams resigned. Later he became Secretary of State under James Monroe. Adams, most notably, was the architect of the Monroe Doctrine. "It initially called for an end to European intervention in the Americas, but it was later extended to justify U.S. imperialism in the Western Hemisphere." http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0833774.html. This was the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine. Adams did these things before becoming president.

Adams economics- Reading about John Quincy Adams, there's not much said about him. He wasn't very popular and he didn't get a lot done. Economics are not mentioned at all. But since he approved of the Embargo Act, this must have affected Americans economically, in a bad way. Because they lost money on trade with those countries. I think he also did care about the welfare of the US. He wanted to promote arts and sciences. This could have helped the economy in the long run. More people with knowledge in these subjects can help the country proceed into the future.

Gerald Ford was our 38th president. He was definitely more well-liked than Adams. However, Ford was also held back by congress.

Ford economy- "To fight inflation, the new president first proposed fiscal restraints and spending curbs and a 5% tax surcharge that got nowhere in the Senate and House. Congress again rebuffed Ford in the spring of 1975 when he appealed for emergency military aid to help the governments of South Vietnam and Cambodia resist massive Communist offensives" http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760622.html Ford wanted to help the economy and foreign affairs but he was rebuffed. Ford vetoed spending bills that exceeded his budget. "Ford can be credited with bills involving energy decontrol, tax cuts, deregulation of the securities industries, and antitrust law reform." http://www.nndb.com/people/400/000022334/

Ford foreign policy- Like it says in the quote above, Ford also wanted to help the governments in South Vietnam and Cambodia but was rebuffed by congress. This is also what happened to Adams. Ford was a republican but congress was dominated by democrats. "Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement." http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html Ford had a lot on his plate with the weak economy and working for world peace.

Both of these presidents I'm sure worked hard. However Ford had a lot more to deal with and he had a lot of tough decisions to make during his presidency while Adams didn't have as much going on.

James Madison & Ronald Reagan

Foreign Policy:
James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, made many foreign policy decisions while he was President, 1809-1817. One of the major decisions he made was the Non-Intercourse Act. This allowed the United States to trade with any country except the belligerents. However, this was unenforceable for James Madison; therefore he put into act the Macon Bill. This stated that the U.S could trade with any country. This was done to respect the neutrality of the United States. The French leader at the time, Napoleon agreed with this condition, yet the British did not. Therefore, James Madison made the decision to trade with France, yet not Great Britain. As a result of James Madison’s decision, much tension grew between the British and the U.S. After putting into act the Macon Bill, James Madison stated at his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1809, “To cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations having correspondent dispositions; to maintain sincere neutrality toward belligerent nations; to prefer in all cases amicable discussion and reasonable accommodation of differences to a decision of them by an appeal to arms;..” Clearly, James Madison believed that the Macon Bill was the best for the U.S.

Another foreign policy decision that James Madison was forced to make was the war of 1812. James Madison asked Congress on June 1, 1812 for a declaration of war against Great Britain. After the revolutionary war, Great Britain failed to completely leave North America, specifically Canada; therefore, James Madison believed that it was necessary to go to war against the British. The United States was not prepared for war, yet James Madison pressed forward. During James Madison’s second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1813, he stated, “It is a propitious consideration that an unavoidable war should have found this seasonable facility for the contributions required to support it. When the public voice called for war, all knew, and still know, that without them it could not be carried on through the period which it might last, and the patriotism, the good sense, and the manly spirit of our fellow-citizens are pledges for the cheerfulness with which they will bear each his share of the common burden.” Clearly, this shows how James Madison believed that this war was absolutely the only solution. He also describes how the public was on his side during this decision he made.

Ronald Reagan
From 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan made many foreign policy decisions which affected the entire world. First off, Ronald Reagan worked hard to put an end to the Communist Soviet Union. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan sent a formal declaration to the Soviet Leader, Gorbachev saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Finally, on November 9, 1989, with the help of both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the Berlin Wall came down. If President Ronald Reagan had not used a strong foreign policy against the Soviet Union, Germany could still be separated until this day. After his Presidency, in 1991, the Soviet Union finally fell. However, that would not have been possible if Ronald Reagan had not worked to tear down the Berlin Wall.

Furthermore, during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, he created a Strategic Defense Initiative, promoting national missile defense, and explaining the possibilities of a war between the two major nuclear superpowers. This created more tension with the Soviet Union. President Ronald Reagan had much concern about the threat of nuclear destruction; therefore, therefore he worked with Gorbachev to create a treaty which eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles. In Ronald Reagan’s second Inaugural Address, on January 21, 1985, he stated, “There is only one way safely and legitimately to reduce the cost of national security and that is to reduce the need for it. And this we are trying to do in negotiations with the Soviet Union. We are not just discussing limits on a further increase of nuclear weapons. We seek, instead, to reduce their number. We seek the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth.” This just shows how hard President Ronald Reagan was willing to work in order to create a safer and peaceful world.

Economy:
Ronald Reagan
From 1981-1989, President Ronald Reagan not only worked to create stable world peace, but he also worked to create a better economy for our nation. During his first term, he carried out an economic plan. This program consisted of reductions for domestic programs and tax cuts for individuals and businesses. President Ronald Reagan had one major theory, to stimulate a great supply of goods and services, therefore creating more jobs. President Ronald Reagan worked hard the restore the working class, promoting more jobs for people. He wanted to create an economy which provided jobs for many. By 1988, the unemployment rate went from 10.6% to 5.5%.

“We must simplify our tax system, make it fairer, and bring the rates down for all who work and earn. We must think anew and move with a new boldness, so every American who seeks work can find work; so the least among us shall have an equal chance to achieve the greatest things—to be heroes who heal our sick, feed the hungry, protect peace among nations, and leave this world a better place,” said Ronald Reagan during his Inaugural Address, January 21, 1985. Not only did President Ronald Reagan work to create more jobs, yet he worked to make more budget cuts and tax cuts. He created a 25% tax cut for individual taxpayers and faster tax-write offs for business. President Ronald Reagan’s process of helping the economy, also known as Reaganomics, helped to but the United States back on track.

James Madison
During James Madison’s Presidency, 1809-1817, not only did he work on foreign policy, yet he addressed many economic issues. For example, in 1816, the United States was not doing so well, as a result, President James Madison supported and signed a bill which authorized the Second Bank to be established. This bill stated that the Second Bank would be chartered for 20 years. As a result of this bank, the United States became more successful.

Subsequently, during President Ronald Reagan’s term, he worked to create more trade opportunities for the United States, and intern make the United States a more prosperous country. On March 4, 1809, President James Madison expressed, “…to promote by authorized means improvements friendly to agriculture, to manufactures, and to external as well as internal commerce…” Obviously, President James Madison wanted to make the United States a more prosperous country by extending who we trade with as a country.
Both President James Madison and President Ronald Reagan worked to create wise economic and foreign policy decisions. Without these two Presidents, the United States would never have been a superpower.

Sources:
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/Madison1.html
http://www.historycentral.com/bio/presidents/madison.html
http://www.gatewayno.com/history/War1812.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5145921/
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/reagan2.html
http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ronald_Reagan_Budget_+_Economy.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h256.html

Thomas Jefferson and George H.W. Bush

George W. Bush vs. George Washington

Although both of these presidents share the same first name, the choices, problems and decisions they made while in office differed entirely from one another:

George W Bush:

Economic Policy:

“The role of government is not to create wealth; the role of our government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which minds can expand, in which technologies can reach new frontiers.” – President George W. Bush, May 2001
In the State of the Union Address, Bush proposed an initiative to aid the need for a new use of energy and technology by proposing an increased funding for renewable energy resources such as ethanol, nuclear power, clean coal technologies, and hydrogen power. Bush did this by presenting the American Competitiveness Initiative. This act aids the ever-rising competitive nature of the USA economy, with funds for finding new and advanced technology, and greater education for the American students. He would begin the process by creating a goal for the next ten years; the US will reduce the use of nonrenewable energy by 20% by using Ethanol instead of oil or gasoline. Bush, through this quote, seemed to want to get America to believe that the point of government was not to make themselves wealthy, but to better the future of the citizens so that they can become better citizens themselves.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060418-8.html


Foreign Policy:

“America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.” – George W Bush
Perhaps one of the biggest choices that had to be made in the history of the United States was the foreign policy choice in which to go to war with the Middle East for 2001 terrorist attacks and how to deal with the seemingly impossible; capturing the monstrous perpetrators. Bush warned the Taliban giving them an ultimatum that if they did not bring forth Osama Bin Laden, we would invade Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban regime. Obviously, their refusing to do so led to the invasion of Afghanistan by bombing their cities. Most presidents have not had to lead the country through war, so the pressure on George W Bush was extremely rough. Even though much of his term(s) in office have been disputed, he should be at least given some credit for leading us through this tough foreign policy decision and for making a little progress so far. Through the above quote, it shows Bush’s determination to get revenge on the people that attacked us; we should do what ever means necessary to secure the safety of the citizens of the US.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/bush/war.html

George Washington:

Economic Policy:

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington
He was able to settle conflicts during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. An excise was put on Whiskey and the farmers residing in the west of the US decided it was unfair to be taxed on something so greatly used and fought back harassing taxing agents, and creating chaos in towns. The news got to George Washington when he was presented with the knowledge that the federal marshal’s house had been burned down and he’d been attacked. He decided to send a group of 13,000 men from the militia to suppress the upheaval in the aggravated towns. This was the first use of the Militia Law of 1792. Most importantly it was the first test of power of the new American government to show the citizens of the US who was in control. The above quote shows that Washington backed his army one hundred percent, using it as a force to show the citizens of the US as well as foreign countries that the US government is a power and will protect itself and its people no matter what. Even in an economical decision, the militia had to be used. The excise on whiskey would stay even if the citizens didn’t like it; the government had to show it wouldn’t “flip-flop” on topics as important as this.
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/whiskey/

Foreign Policy:

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
The relationship between England and America was falling apart. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are the key negotiators when it came to establishing a friendship (that lasted over a decade even in the midst of another war) with Britain using the Jay Treaty. This solved many issues that were left over from the Revolutionary war. The treaty increased trade between the two countries and made a point to avoid warring. It also resolved the left over financial issues from the war between both countries. For the American side, the treaty required the removal of the British from the Northwest Territory. The Americans were also given the right to trade certain British goods with India and the Caribbean territory. This ability to negotiate with Britain showed other foreign countries and Americans themselves that they were powerful and competent enough to resolve their problems peacefully and effectively. Like the above quote, a government is powerful when it is “fear” and when it is “feared” it is listened to, the British were realizing even more so that listening to the US government and compromising with them was a necessity to keep from fighting. George Washington, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton who created and supported the Jay treaty demonstrated this to the rest of America.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/nr/14318.htm

The above information were two foreign policy topics and two economical decisions the Presidents made. It is clear that both presidential terms were vastly different from each other. The one similarity that can be drawn from both presidents were that they had military experience previous and/or during their term in office. Commander-in-chief George Washington led the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War before his presidency. George Bush served in the Air National Guard before his presidency. Although the amount of experience each man had serving the country differed greatly (Bush was in the inactive Air Force Reserves and George Washington had a much larger experience by being the First Commander-in-Chief and took part in several battles and wars).
Unfortunately these are the only real similarities that can be drawn from both presidents seeing as Washington is considered by most scholars one of “the greatest US presidents” - www.timesonline.co.uk and Bush’s presidency approval ratings are literally the lowest in history.

Clinton and Adams

John Adams, a Founding Father of our country, reigned as the second President of the United States from March 4, 1797 till March 4 of 1801. During this time he accomplished many foreign policy achievemnets. He took over as President at a time in which our country was in danger. Jays treaty of 1794 had just been signed and we were not on good terms at all with foreign countries, mainly France. The French were angered by the treaty and started seizing United States small merchant vessels over seas. This was known as the "Quasi -War". Adams immediatly sent a commission to France to negotiate their problems, but he also alerted Congress to have the armed forces ready to go if needed, for he was not afraid to engage in war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams

Democrat Bill Clinton took office on January 20, 1993 and served for 8 strong years. He took over from President George H W. Bush. Upon taking over there was no war threat in place as there was for Adams, which is one of the first differences of many between these two great, unique Presidents. Also, the nation was considered to be in a position of unprecedented preponderance (had to look that word up in the dictionary!! Means " superiority of power or importance") which is certainly a distinctly different position than that of the time of Adams when the country was still establishing itself and certainly wasn't considered a world power.
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20000301faessay28/stephen-m-walt/two-cheers-for-clinton-s-foreign-policy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton

John Adams - Foreign Policy

"My entrance into office is marked by a misunderstanding with France, which I shall endeavor to reconcile, provided that no violation of faith, no stain upon honor is exacted...America is not scared." President Adams, upon taking office was certainly very anxious to avoid war at almost any cost, knowing that the country was simply unprepared for it. He realized its instability and the need to keep out of wars, although his quote shows he presented a brave face for the country. When the pro-Britain Federalists pushed for war, John Adams sacrificed his political career for the good of the nation and refused. Essentially on his own, he sent an envoy to France in 1799 but peace with France was not settled until September of the next year. He did have the foresight to urge Congress to augment the navy and army in case of diplomatic failure, however, John Adams had succeeded in preventing war with France and preserving the United States' neutrality, although he deeply split his own party in the process. John Adams wanted to ensure we did not enter a war during which we could lose that which we had fought so hard to gain.
http://library.thinkquest.org/11492/cgi-bin/pres.cgi/adams_john?foreign
http://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/2148/54/1/Cox.pdf


The Alien and Sedition Acts were signed by Adams in 1798. These four acts were actually designed to suppress Republican opposition to Adams administration. The Naturalization Act doubled the time required to naturalize the foreign born to American citizenship to 14 years. Since most immigrants voted with the republicans, they thought this act would decrease the proportion of people who voted republican. The Alien Friends Act and Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to deport any foreigner that he thought was dangerous to the country. (Sedition Act not pertinent to my discussion) This forced an even deeper division and fear between the parties.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams
Johnson, Paul. A History of the American People. New York:HarperCollins Publishers 1998

Bill Clinton-Foreign Policy

In contrast to John Adams, Bill Clinton entered office at a time when the country was in an unrivaled strategic position. The Cold War was over, America's economy was 40% larger than its nearest rival (although we still had a deficit, he would work to improve that) and we were leaders in education, technology, and research. In other words, we were a stable country vs. Adams' unstable country and our security and surplus of economic and military power allowed freedom (to a degree) to pursue just about any goals Clinton might have wanted, without worrying about how other countries (or even American citizens to a point) might respond. With the security of our own U.S. independence not in any danger, Clinton sought to help other nations in their fight for independence. Because the interests of people all over the world had become so interconnected, he felt the U.S. had a responsibility to protect anyone's human rights and promote the political and economic stability of remote countries. He sent armed forces to end fighting, maintain peace, and protect civilians in such countries as Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Haiti. The following quote echoes his strong feelings about world peace and everyone's obligation to achieve it;
"The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists." -
http://www.quotesandpoem.com/quotes/showquotes/author/bill-clinton/31844
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564341_4/bill_clinton.html
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20000301faessay28/stephen-m-walt/two-cheers-for-clinton-s-foreign-policy.html

Unlike Adams, who enacted the Alien Acts to control foreigners who might be considered a threat (and also influenced American politics as well), Clinton was not at the point which occurred later on in our country where terrorist activity was a strong consideration. Instead, in 1994, President Clinton lifted the trade embargo against Vietnam, our former enemy. He cited their cooperation in locating and identifying the many U.S. service personnel still listed as missing in the Vietnam War. Also, in 1995, Clinton established full diplomatic relations with Vietnam. An interesting tidbit is that in this respect he was advised by Sen John McCain, a former POW, who has been in the news a little bit of late. Sen. McCain agreed that it was time to normalize relations with our former enemy.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8259.html

John Adams - Economic Policy

"All the perplexities, confusion and distresses in America arise not from defects in the constitution or confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, as much from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation."++

I had some difficulty finding good information regarding John Adams' economic decisions or directives. It is evident from what I read that he definitely felt it was in the United States best interest to avoid European affairs (both militarily and economically if possible), which is in line with how Washington felt when leaving office (even mentioning it in his farewell address). It seems he really wanted to help America exist on its own, without too much outside dependence. This is demonstrated in an act he passed on February 1st, 1798 relating to the acceptance of foreign coinage as legal tender in the Uited States. A following Act passed in 1800 authorized the purchase of copper equivalent to that used for coins in the prior year and also an annual purchase to continue minting coins. Adams was ensuring the establishment of America's own system of payment.
http://www.netstate.com/presidents/ma_john_adams.htm

In John Adams' Fourth State of the Union Address he directed the estimates for the appropriations for the ensuing year, but for the first time made available an account of the public revenue for the citizens. As he was not a particularly popular president (or individual), this may have been because he wanted to show how proud he was that they had gained considerable revenue. It was conclusive evidence of the great resources of the country, and of the wisdom and efficiency of the measures that had been adopted by Congress for the protection of commerce and preservation of public credit.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/John_Adams'_Fourth_State_of_the_Union_Address

Bill Clinton - Economic Policy

"We should, all of us, be filled with gratitude and humility for our present progress and prosperity. We should be filled with awe and joy at what lies over the horizon. And we should be filled with absolute determination to make the most of it." - -- Bill Clinton

Similar to John Adams, but to a much greater extent, Bill Clinton also oversaw America during a successful economic time. Under Clinton, the United States had a projected federal budget surplus for the first time since 1969. Both Adams and Clinton also expanded the economy over the course of their terms, Bill Clinton by 50%. Clinton coined the phrase "Save social security first" (social security did not exist during Adams' time) ensuring that some of the budget surplus would be reserved to fund future deficits of programs such as those. (This actually created problems for following administrations!) I equate some of these directives to what Adams was doing for the American citizen during his presidency, maintaining as well as growing our ability to exist independently.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1110165.stm

In 1993, Clinton controversially supported ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the U. S. Senate. Although this was an international agreement , it had significant effects on the economy of the U.S. It actually caused the displacement of production that was supported by American-held jobs. (That's certainly still a problem today with all the out-sourcing that has taken American jobs!) It seems that trade both creates and destroys jobs; exports create jobs for our American workers, but imports tend to reduce jobs because they are goods that otherwise may have been produced in our own country. Also, it is believed that NAFTA contributed to rising income inequality, reduced wages for production workers, weakened workers' bargaining powers and ability to organize unions, and reduced fringe benefits. I find this to be a contrast to what John Adams was working toward for the American people (whether it was intended or not); total independence and preservation of the American peoples' jobs, economy, and credit.
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp147
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement

George Washington and George W Bush

The Future Posterity of Presidents

Compare and contrast a contemporary President of the USA with a past one based upon the order in which each of you blog, Example 1st-GWB and George Washington. Utilize at least 3 quotes which support the stands taken for 2 economic and 2 foreign policy decisions.
Due : Sunday 12:01 pm.
This may be done in chart form.
Be sure to cite the sources utilized.