The Presidents of the United States

Your task: to memorize the Presidents of the United States. All of them!

The Reasons why:
• To establish a chronology of Administrations
• So that you can use the Key Dates of their years in office as a scaffolding for “change over time”
• To impress people at parties

What to include:
• Name of the president
• Political Party
• Year first elected (remember to use ELECTION year, not the inauguration year.)
• Number of terms served. (If resigned office due to turmoil or death, indicated that and the name of the vice-pres who succeeded him.)
• Major events and zeitgeist during term(s) of office.
o Domestic contentment
o Overall economic stability
o Foreign Policy
How to organize:

• Use 4X6 inch Index Cards

• Suggestion: Use a different color for each Political Party
• Write the name, dates (terms served), and party on one side of the card
• On the other side of the card, list the major events and zeitgeist summaries. Use dates as appropriate, e.g. “The Panic of 1837”
o Suggestion: make three columns – one for each category
o Suggestion: leave space for an overall evaluation of the presidency.