1st President of the United States
(April 30, 1789 to March 3, 1797)
Nickname: "Father of His Country"
Born: February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, Virginia
Married: Martha Dandridge Custis (1732-1802), on January 6, 1759
Children: John "Jack" Parke Custis (adopted); Martha "Patsy" Custis (adopted)
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Planter, Soldier
Political Party: Federalist
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year (refused by Washington)
Notable Events:
· 1789
o The Judiciary Act specified the number of Federal courts and judges.
· 1790
o Supreme Court met for the first time with John Jay as the Chief Justice.
· 1791
o Federal capital established in swamplands on the Potomac.
o A national banking system established by the Bank Act.
o The Bill of Rights take effect.
· 1792
o Post Office established by Congress as a separate entity.
o New York Stock Exchange organized.
o Coins are minted by the government as enacted by the Coinage Act.
· 1793
o War breaks out between Britain and France. On April 22, U.S. declares neutrality.
· 1794
o Whiskey Rebellion over excise tax in western Pennsylvania. Federal troops called to suppress the armed rebellion.
· 1795
o The Jay Treaty ratified. British troops required to withdraw from the U.S.
o Pinckney's Treaty with Spain opened navigation on Mississippi River.
o Washington posed for Stuart's portrait, which is now on the one dollar bill.
· 1796
o Washington delivered his Farewell Address.
Points of Interest:
· Believing that shaking hands was beneath a president, Washington bowed to his visitors.
· Washington has the distinction of being the only president to be elected unanimously by the electoral college.
· Washington had one remaining tooth at the time of his inauguration. During his lifetime he wore dentures made of human (some his own), cow, or hippopotamus teeth, ivory, or lead, but he never wore wooden teeth.
· Many places are named after Washington including the nation's capital, the state, 31 counties and 17 communities.
· The six white horses in Washington's stables had their teeth brushed every morning on Washington's orders.
· The nation's capital was located in Philadelphia during Washington's administration making him the only president who didn't live in Washington, D.C. during his presidency.
John Adams2nd President of the United States
(March 4, 1797 to March 3, 1801)
Nickname: "Atlas of Independence"
Born: October 30, 1735, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Died: July 4, 1826, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Married: Abigail Smith (1744-1818), on October 25, 1764
Children: Abigail Amelia Adams (1765-1813); John Quincy Adams (1767-1848); Susanna Adams (1768-70); Charles Adams (1770-1800); Thomas Boylston Adams (1772-1832)
Religion: Unitarian
Education: Graduated from Harvard College (1755)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Federalist
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1796
o E Pluribus Unum: "Out of Many, One"; added to American coins.
· 1797
o Three anonymous French trouble makers brought France and the U.S. to the brink of war in what became known as the XYZ Affair.
· 1798
o Federalists support the highly unpopular Alien and Sedition Acts. They would later be repealed.
· 1800
o U.S. capital relocated to Washington, D.C. from Philadelphia.
o Jefferson defeated Adams.
o Congress established Library of Congress.
Points of Interest:
· The Adams' were the first residents of the White House. They moved in in November 1800 while the paint was still wet. Mrs. Adams would hang her laundry in the East Room to dry.
· Adams was one of three presidents not to attend the inauguration of his successor. Not only was Adams disappointed in losing to Jefferson, he was also grieving the death of his son Charles.
· Adams was the great-great-grandson of John and Priscilla Alden, Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
· The only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence Adams and Jefferson both died on its 50th anniversary, July 4, 1826. Adams' dying words were "Thomas Jefferson survives". Jefferson, however, had passed on a few hours earlier.
Thomas Jefferson3rd President of the United States
(March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1809)
Nicknames: "Man of the People"; "Sage of Monticello"
Born: April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia
Died: July 4, 1826, at Monticello (near Charlottesville, Virginia)
Married: Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782), on January 1, 1772
Children: Martha Washington Jefferson (1772-1836); Jane Randolph Jefferson (1774-75); infant son (1777); Mary Jefferson (1778-1804); Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (1780-81); Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (1782-85)
Religion: No formal affiliation
Education: Graduated from College of William and Mary (1762)
Occupation: Lawyer, planter
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1803
o Supreme Court ruled in Marbury v. Madison . Any law passed by Congress can be declared unconstitutional by the courts.
The Louisiana Territory was purchased from France for $15 million dollars. The price works out to three cents per acre for the 512 million acres.
· 1804
o 12th Amendment changed Presidential election rules.
Jefferson reelected.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began exploration of the Northwest.
Vice President Aaron Burr kills Alexander Hamilton in a duel July 11.
· 1807
o Congress outlaws importing slaves from Africa, March 2.
Embargo Act, December 22, forbids American ships to leave American waters.
· 1808
o Slave importation outlawed. Yet, another 1/4 million brought in by 1860.
· 1809
o Non-Intercourse Act, March 1, repeals the Embargo Act, which didn't work.
Points of Interest:
· Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
· Approximately 6,000 books from Jefferson's private library were purchased for $23,950 to help start the Library of Congress.
· Jefferson was right-handed, but taught himself to write with his left hand.
· Bears brought back from Lewis and Clark's famous expedition were displayed in cages on the White House lawn. For years the White House was sometimes referred to as the "president's bear garden."
· The only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence, Adams and Jefferson both died on its 50th anniversary, July 4, 1826. Adams' dying words were "Thomas Jefferson survives". Jefferson, however, had passed on a few hours earlier.
· Jefferson founded the University of Virginia as an “Academic Village”.
· Jefferson is credited with several inventions, including the swivel chair, a pedometer, a machine to make fiber from hemp, a letter-copying machine, and the lazy susan.
· Jefferson wrote his own epitaph without mentioning that he served as president of the United States.
James Madison4th President of the United States
(March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1817)
Nicknames: "Father of the Constitution"
Born: March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia
Died: June 28, 1836, at Montpelier, Virginia
Married: Dolley Payne Todd (1768-1849), on September 15, 1794
Children: None
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Graduated from College of New Jersey (now Princeton University; 1771)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1811
o Madison allows 20-year charter of Bank of the United States to lapse.
o William Henry Harrison fought Indians led by Chief Tecumseh at Tippecanoe, near Indianapolis, November 7.
· 1812
o War declared on England on June 18 after England continued to attack U.S. ships headed to France.
o Madison reelected.
· 1814
o City of Washington captured and burned by British, August 24.
o Francis Scott Key observed flag over Fort McHenry at Baltimore, September 14, inspiring him to write "The Star-Spangled Banner".
o Treaty of Ghent ended War of 1812 on December 24, but fighting continued.
· 1815
o Andrew Jackson defeated British at New Orleans January 8, after war ended.
· 1816
o Second Bank of the United States chartered, April 10.
Points of Interest:
· Madison was the first president who had prior service as a congressman.
· Zachary Taylor and Madison were second cousins.
· Madison was the first president to wear long trousers. All previous presidents wore knee breeches.
· During the War of 1812 Madison was under enemy fire. He was the first president to be in that situation.
· At 5 feet, 4 inches and less than 100 pounds, he was the shortest and lightest president.
· Dolley Madison sent the first personal message using the Morse telegraph in 1844.
James Monroe5th President of the United States
(March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1825)
Nicknames: "The Last Cocked Hat"; "Era-of-Good-Feeling President"
Born: April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: July 4, 1831, in New York, New York
Married: Elizabeth "Eliza" Kortright (1768-1830), on February 16, 1786
Children: Eliza Kortright Monroe (1786-1835); James Spence Monroe (1799-1800); Maria Hester Monroe (1803-50)
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Graduated from College of William and Mary (1776)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1818
o Congress fixed the number of stripes on the U.S. flag at 13 to honor the original colonies, April 4.
Anglo-American Convention set the 49th parallel as the border with Canada.
· 1819
o Florida ceded by Spain to the United States on February 22. In exchange the U.S. cancelled $5 million in Spanish debts.
· 1820
o The Missouri Compromise, forbade slavery above 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude.
Monroe reelected.
· 1823
o On December 2, Monroe Doctrine delivered to Congress.
Points of Interest:
· Monroe was the first president to ride on a steamboat.
· At sixteen years old, Monroe attended the college of William and Mary.
· He was the first president to have been a U.S. senator.
· In the election of 1820 Monroe received every electoral vote except one. A New Hampshire delegate wanted Washington to be the only president elected unanimously.
· Monroe's inauguration in 1817 was the first to be held outdoors.
· The bride in the first White House wedding was Monroe's daughter.
· The U.S. Marine Band played at Monroe's 1821 inauguration and at every inauguration since.
John Quincy Adams6th President of the United States
(March 4, 1825 to March 3, 1829)
Nickname: "Old Man Eloquent"
Born: July 11, 1767, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Died: February 23, 1848, in Washington, D.C.
Father: John Adams
Mother: Abigail Smith Adams
Married: Louisa Catherine Johnson (1775-1852), on July 26, 1797
Children: George Washington Adams (1801-29); John Adams (1803-34); Charles Francis Adams (1807-86); Louisa Catherine Adams (1811-12)
Religion: Unitarian
Education: Graduated from Harvard College (1787)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1825
o The appointment of Henry Clay as secretary of state, led to charges that the Clay and Adams made a bargain in the election of 1824.
o Erie Canal completed.
· 1828
o Baltimore & Ohio railroad, the first designed for passengers and freight.
o Andrew Jackson defeated Adams.
Points of Interest:
· President Adams regularly swam nude in the Potomac River. Anne Royall, the first American professional journalist, knew of Adams' 5 A.M. swims. After being refused interviews with the president time after time, she went to the river, gathered his clothes and sat on them until she had her interview. Before this, no female had interviewed a president.
· Adams was the first to be elected president without receiving either the most popular votes or the most votes of the electoral college.
· He was the first president married abroad.
· Adams was the first president to be photographed.
· Adams is the only president to be elected to the House after his presidency.
· One of his sons, George Washington Adams, died at the age of 28, an apparent suicide.
Andrew Jackson7th President of the United States
(March 4, 1829 to March 3, 1837)
Nickname: "Old Hickory"
Born: March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaw area, on North Carolina-South Carolina border
Died: June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee
Married: Rachel Donelson Robards (1767-1828), in August 1791 and in a second ceremony on January 17, 1794
Children: Andrew Jackson, Jr. (adopted)
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Lawyer, soldier
Political Party: Democrat
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events:
· 1829
o Estate of James Smithson funded the establishment of the Smithsonian.
o About 2,000 of Jackson's supporters given government jobs. Jackson also set up a "kitchen cabinet" of informal advisers.
· 1830
o Jackson authorizes Indian Removal Act of 1830.
· 1831
o Samuel F. Smith wrote "My Country, 'tis of Thee."
· 1832
o Jackson reelected.
o Jackson vetoed the rechartering of 2nd Bank leading to the creation of the Whig Party.
o South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariff laws. Federal troops sent to South Carolina on December 10.
· 1835
o U.S. became debt free (briefly) for the only time in history.
· 1836
o 6000 Mexicans defeated 190 Americans in 12 days at the Alamo on March 6.
The Specie Circular ordered that gold and silver were the only currency acceptable for the purchase of federal lands, issued on July 11.
· 1835
o Jackson signs Treaty of New Echota with unrecognized leaders of Cherokee Nation, which allows him to force the Cherokees to move to land in what is now Oklahoma. 4,000 Native Americans die on this journey, also known as the Trail of Tears.
Points of Interest:
· Jackson was the only president who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
· Jackson was the only president to have been a prisoner of war. He was thirteen when he joined the South Carolina militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. After his capture, he was ordered to clean the boots of a British officer. Jackson refused. The officer then drew his sword and slashed Jackson across the forehead, leaving a scar.
· Jackson was the first president born in a log cabin.
· Jackson was involved in many duels. A duel on May 30, 1806 against Charles Dickinson was over some unflattering remarks made about Jackson's wife. In this duel Jackson was wounded. After he was hit, he took aim and fired at Dickinson. Jackson's gun misfired. As Dickinson was forced to stand his ground, Jackson took aim once again and killed Dickinson. The bullet that wounded Jackson was lodged near his heart and could not be safely removed. He carried that bullet in his chest for the rest of his days.