When United States was born, the Founding Fathers jointly wrote the Constitution of the nation. In this Constitution, they defined the President as the head of the state and the government. They also defined the powers of the President.
Initially, the President had fewer powers while more authority lay with the Congress. Over time, the American President was granted more and more powers. This was especially true during the American Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln led the Union to victory.
Some American Presidents led soldiers into battle and won significant victories Read more about the American Presidents – Soldiers >>
A detailed list of all 45 presidents of the United States of America - Info, Film, Books and Facts Read more about the American Presidents List >>
A Quick list of All 45 American Presidents in Chronological Order - Linked to detailed information Pages. Read more about the American Presidents List 1 – 46 >>
George Washington was an important President and Founding Father of the USA Read more about the Best American Presidents >>
Many Founding Fathers served as the President of the United States Read more about the Presidents & Founding Fathers >>
The First President of the United States was George Washington. Washington was one of the most recognized and popular figures at the time. He had successfully led the American forces during the Revolutionary War and defeated the British forces.
For this reason, he was hailed as a national hero. He was elected as the first President on April 30, 1789. Washington served for two consecutive terms and remained the President until 1797. He remained the most popular American President of all time.
The Founding Fathers were the influential people who played a vital role during the American Revolutionary War. These included most of the representatives who attended the First and Second National Congresses.
More specifically, Founding Fathers were the individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence. Many of the Founding Fathers went on to become the President of the United States. These included George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe.
In general, the role of the American President is to be the head of the executive branch that comprises of the legislature. At the same time, the President is also head of the Armed Forces as the Commander-in-Chief.
The President is also responsible for taking important decisions regarding the foreign policies of the country. These powers and responsibilities were fulfilled by various presidents for important decisions in American history. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, played an instrumental role as the Commander-in-Chief in defining the strategy of Union forces during the Civil War.
More than 40 presidents have served the United States government to date. Of these, many were popular and took historically important decisions.
The most popular Presidents among these are:
George Washington: George Washington won the American Revolutionary War as the head of the Continental Army. He was one of the most iconic Founding Fathers and a national hero. He served as President for two terms from 1789 to 1797. He played an instrumental role in the birth of United States and in building the new nation on firm foundations.
Thomas Jefferson was the third American president who served from 1801 to 1809. He oversaw the famous Louisiana Purchase in 1803 which doubled the size of United States. He also took active steps to criminalize slavery and prohibit the importation of slaves to United States.
Abraham Lincoln famously led the Union during the American Civil War as the President. He served from 1861 until 1865. He took a firm stand against slavery and led the Union forces against the pro-slavery Confederacy. He also provided excellent strategic leadership to the Union armies and played a vital role in winning the Civil War.
Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest President of the United States. He took many important steps during his term as President which lasted from 1901 to 1909.
He designated many sites as national parks and monuments to preserve them. He also sent the Great White Fleet, a group of US Navy ships, on a friendly expedition around the world. He also helped end war between Russian and Japan, earning the Nobel Peace Prize as a result.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt was the only American president to be elected four times to the office. He served as President from 1933 to 1945. During his reign, he led United States through World War II and coordinated a successful war effort with the Allied forces. He remained immensely popular throughout his four terms and died a few weeks after being reelected the fourth time.
Among the 44 American presidents who have served the nation so far, many were immensely unpopular. This was because either they were ineffective or because they took measures that had disastrous effects.
Notable among the Worst American Presidents were:
James Buchanan was the American President from 1857 to 1861. His poor policies towards the issue of slavery caused a major rift between the North and the South. Ultimately, this led to the American Civil War. Buchanan served immediately before the Civil War started and was succeeded by Abraham Lincoln.
Andrew Johnson succeeded to the Presidency after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He served as the President from 1865 to 1869. During his reign, he quickly brought back the southern states into the Union. He also allowed the South to pass many laws which reduced the rights of freed slaves. Additionally, he barred the Congress from passing civil rights laws that could empower the freed slaves.
Warren Harding served as the President from 1921 to 1923. He died two years into the presidency without completing his term. During his term, the White House became a hotbed of shady deals. Many scandals surfaced which tainted his cabinet members and led to allegations of corruption, bribery and foul play in government affairs.
Herbert Hoover served as the President from 1929 to 1933. During his reign, United States was hit by the major economic crisis known as the Great Depression. Hoover failed to take any measures towards helping the millions of homeless and jobless Americans. In fact, he took steps against attempts to help these helpless people.
A number of American Presidents served as officers, generals and commanders of the American armies before they ascended to Presidency.
American Presidents who were Soldiers