Lecture Notes: Biggest Accomplishments of American Presidents

Introduction

• Presenter: Mr. Beat
• Topic: Discussing the biggest accomplishments of every American president while in office.
  • Focus on the greatest positive impact on the most people during their presidency.

Examples of Presidential Accomplishments

George Washington

• Established the role of the President.
• Defined role as head of state and Commander in Chief.
• Voluntarily retired after two terms, setting a precedent.

John Adams

• Convention of 1800: Ended the Quasi-War and improved relations with France.

Thomas Jefferson

• Louisiana Purchase: Doubled the country’s size for $15 million.

James Madison

• War of 1812: Held back British threats, boosting national unity.

James Monroe

• Monroe Doctrine: Established foreign policy stance against European intervention in the Americas.

John Quincy Adams

• Infrastructure development: Improved national roads and canals.

Andrew Jackson

• Paid off national debt and distributed surplus to states.

Martin Van Buren

• Ended the Aroostook War.

William Henry Harrison

• Notable for a lengthy inauguration speech.

John Tyler

• Annexation of Texas.

James Polk

• Territorial expansion through annexation and war with Mexico.

Zachary Taylor

• Ensured California was admitted as a free state.

Millard Fillmore

• Opened relations with Japan through the Perry Expedition.

Franklin Pierce

• Gadsden Purchase for railroad expansion and border resolution.

James Buchanan

• Increased federal control in Utah (Utah War).

Abraham Lincoln

• Preserved the Union; ended slavery via the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment.

Andrew Johnson

• Purchase of Alaska from Russia.

Ulysses Grant

• Advocated for African American rights; pushed the 15th Amendment.

Rutherford Hayes

• Initiated civil service reform.

James Garfield

• Influenced civil service reform, leading to the Pendleton Act.

Chester Arthur

• Strengthened the U.S. Navy.

Grover Cleveland

• Weakened presidential power by adhering to constitutional limits.

Benjamin Harrison

• Signed the Sherman Antitrust Act to combat economic monopolies.

William McKinley

• Laid the groundwork for the Panama Canal.

Theodore Roosevelt

• Implemented consumer protection laws: Federal Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.

William Taft

• Increased antitrust lawsuits; promoted Dollar Diplomacy.

Woodrow Wilson

• Proposed the Fourteen Points; influenced the creation of the United Nations.

Warren Harding

• Budget and Accounting Act of 1921.

Calvin Coolidge

• Recognized citizenship rights for Native Americans.

Herbert Hoover

• Appointed influential Supreme Court justices.

Franklin Roosevelt

• Established Social Security; led during the Great Depression and WWII.

Harry Truman

• Marshall Plan: Economic aid to rebuild Europe post-WWII.

Dwight Eisenhower

• Developed the Interstate Highway System.

John F. Kennedy

• Proposed civil rights legislation; established the Peace Corps.

Lyndon Johnson

• Social Security Amendments of 1965, creating Medicare and Medicaid.

Richard Nixon

• Policy of détente: Improved relations with the Soviet Union and China.

Gerald Ford

• Privacy Act of 1974.

Jimmy Carter

• Deregulation of several industries, increasing market competitiveness.

Ronald Reagan

• Influential in the fall of the Soviet Union.

George H.W. Bush

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Bill Clinton

• Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

George W. Bush

• Leadership post-9/11; united country in its aftermath.

Barack Obama

• Affordable Care Act: Expanded health insurance coverage.

Donald Trump

• First Step Act: Criminal justice reform.

Joe Biden

• Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Conclusion

• Acknowledgement of co-contributor Mr. Terry.
• Importance of diverse opinions and potential for future reassessment of presidential accomplishments.
• Gratitude expressed to Patreon supporters and viewers.