Presidents
Use these links to find information about presidential documents, the U.S. Presidents, and Presidential Libraries.
General
The American Presidency Project A study of the American presidency established in 1999 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The site offers 104,792 documents related to the study of the presidency.
American President: A Reference Resource This site from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia gives biographical information about each of the presidents, a speech archive, and classroom resources.
"Escorting a Presidency into History: NARA's Role in a White House Transition" Nancy Kegan Smith's Prologue article describes how NARA collects transfers hundreds of millions of textual, electronic, and audiovisual records, and tens of thousands of presidential and vice presidential gifts.
POTUS: Presidents of the United States Biographies of the presidents. Includes "background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents."
Presidential Libraries Information about presidential libraries and the documents they maintain. Includes links to all of the presidential libraries administered by the National Archives.
"The Presidential Libraries Act after 50 Years" Raymond Geselbracht and Timothy Walch discuss legislation that provided for the establishment of presidential libraries in this Prologue article.
The Presidents This website from PBS provides documentaries on nine of the 20th-Century presidents. Also included are biographies of all of the presidents, articles, interviews, photographs, and educational resources.
Public Papers of the Presidents The Public Papers of the Presidents are available online through the Government Printing Office (GPO) beginning with George H.W. Bush in 1991. They contain papers and speeches of the President that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary, presented in chronological order.
"School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents" This Prologue article describes a NARA exhibit that reveals the report cards, homework, athletic prowess, and musical abilities of our modern presidents when they were students.
"Standing in for the President" This Prologue article by W. Dale Nelson looks at the role of the Presidents' press secretaries.
Facts, Firsts and Precedents The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies provides interesting pieces of information about presidential inaugurations.
History of Presidential Inaugurals In this 1993 C-Span interview, Philip Brooks discusses memorial presidential inaugurations.
"I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations This Library of Congress American Memory site is a collection of approximately 2000 digital files from all of the inaugurations from George Washington's in 1791 to the latest.
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the U.S. Lists the presidents in chronological order.
Inauguration History Quiz This inauguration quiz is presented by the Washington Post.
Presidential Inaugurals: Historical Perspective A transcript of the PBS show in which the NewsHour's historians Michael Beschloss, Haynes Johnson, Steven Ambrose, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Roger Wilkins talk to Margaret Warner about the history of inaugurations.
Presidential Inaugurations Quiz Test your knowledge about past Presidential inaugurations in this activity, designed by the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
Records of Presidential Inaugural Committees Record Group 274, 1933-1989. Held at the National Archives.
"Abrupt Transition" This article, published in the Winter 2000 issue of Prologue, discusses the change in inauguration fanfare when a Vice President must quickly been sworn into office.
Amendment XXV This site includes the text of the amendment that provides for procedures to fill vacancies in the vice presidency and clarifies presidential succession rules.
Order of Succession Ben's Guide to U.S. Government provides a list of government departments which will provide officials to assume the presidency if necessary, provided they are Constitutionally qualified to assume the office.
Presidential Illness and the 25th Amendment The National Institutes of Health website includes scanned copies of the original print version of this article. It is full of historical facts.
- George Washington
George Washington Papers This Library of Congress website maintains the complete collection of George Washington papers, consisting of 65,000 documents.
Introduction to the Diaries of George Washington This introduction to the nature and history of George Washington's diaries is provided by the Library of Congress.
"The Surprising George Washington" An article by Richard Norton Smith from Prologue looks at the sides of the first President's life that we do not often see.
- Thomas Jefferson
"Jefferson Buys Louisiana Territory, and the Nation Moves Westward" Prologue article by Wayne T. De Cesar and Susan Page about how the Louisiana Purchase came about.
"Jefferson Looks Westward: President Secretly Sought Funds from Congress to Explore Louisiana Territory, Develop Trade" In this Prologue article, James Worsham reveals that Jefferson planned a expedition to the west even before the Louisiana Purchase was accomplished.
Thomas Jefferson An exhibit at the Library of Congress examines Jefferson's intellectual development using his own writings and other items from the Library's collections.
Thomas Jefferson "A guide to the University of Virginia's collections related to Thomas Jefferson, with additional links to texts and information resources about Jefferson."
Thomas Jefferson and the Patent Act of 1793 From Essays in History published by the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia.
- James Madison
Madison's Treasures The documents in this collection at the Library of Congress are the largest single collection of original Madison documents in existence.
"Where Have You Gone, James Madison?" Archivist Allen Weinstein discusses the relevance of the U.S. Constitution and the thoughts of its leading architect, James Madison in this Prologue article.
- Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency This PBS website includes a documentary video, an interactive timeline, and resources for educators.
- Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln Association Organized in 1908 as the Lincoln Centennial Association, this organization is dedicated to furthering the study and research of this President.
The Abraham Lincoln Institute The latest in Lincoln scholarship.
Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress Organized into three "General Correspondence" series, this site includes approximately 20,000 documents.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation This unique institution and its website is devoted to telling the entire life story of the nation's 16th president.
"An Extraordinary President and His Remarkable Cabinet: Doris Kearns Goodwin Looks at Lincoln's Team of Rivals" Ellen Fried's interview with the author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln appeared in Prologue article in Spring of 2006.
Lincoln/Net Primary source materials from Lincoln's Illinois years through his presidency, in a social and political context.
Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library This site offers selections from two collections at the Library of Congress that illuminate the life of Abraham Lincoln.
The Search for Lincoln's Legal Papers A report in the National Archives publication The Record states that nearly 90,000 documents associated with Lincoln's legal practice have been discovered across the country and accessioned into the collection of the Lincoln Legal Papers project.
- Andrew Johnson
Finding Precedent: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson This site was created by HarpWeek in response to the interest generated by the impeachment of President Clinton. It includes materials from Harper's Weekly relating to the impeachment and trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868.
- Ulysses S. Grant
"Grant, Babcock, and the Whiskey Ring" This Prologue article, published in Fall 2000, discusses Grant's term as President.
- Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center This website is dedicated to the study of the Hayes presidency.
- William McKinley
Selected Bibliography of William McKinley A bibliography provided by the Library of Congress.
- Theodore Roosevelt
"'I am entitled to the Medal of Honor and I want it': Theodore Roosevelt and His Quest for Glory" This article by Mitchell Yockelson appeared in the Spring 1998 edition of the National Archives publication, Prologue.
Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film Produced by the National Digital Library and the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress, this site features 104 films from the LOC's holdings which document Teddy Roosevelt's life from 1898 to 1919.
Theodore Roosevelt This site provides information about and links to Roosevelt's publications and autobiography.
- Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding John Dean discusses his biography of Warren G. Harding on C-Span's Booknotes.
- Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation This site is intended "to become the gateway to all things Coolidge."
- Herbert Hoover
"'An American Epic:' Herbert Hoover and Belgian Relief in World War I" George H. Nash's Prologue article about the future president's humanitarian actions.
Hoover & Truman: A presidential friendship A joint project of the Truman and Hoover Presidential Libraries, this site highlights the friendship between the two men. Much of the material was collected in a book, "Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman: A Documentary History", edited by Timothy Walch and Dwight M. Miller, copyright 1992 by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, Inc.; the book is available electronically on the site.
"The Ordeal of a Biographer: Herbert Hoover Writes about Woodrow Wilson" Prologue article by Timothy Walch.
"The Ordeal of Herbert Hoover" Part I of the Prologue article by Richard Norton Smith and Timothy Walch that details President Hoover's struggles in the White House.
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"FDR at 125" To mark the 125th anniversary of FDR's birth on January 30, 1882, Prologue looks at the impact of his presidency and his legacy.
"FDR's Day in Infamy Speech: Crafting a Call to Arms" An article from Prologue, Winter 2001.
"FDR: The President and the High School" Keith W. Olson's article from Prologue describes how the President's interest in architecture led to close involvement in the planning and construction of a high school in Hyde Park.
Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Transcripts of the Fireside Chats from March 1933 to June 1944.
Franklin D. Roosevelt From an essay by Doris Kearns Goodwin for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
"How Roosevelt Attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor: Myth Masquerading as History" R.J.C. Butow's Prologue article refutes assertions that the President misled the public about the coming of war.
"A 'New' FDR Emerges: Historians, Teachers, Authors Take a Fresh, Sometimes Critical, Look at Roosevelt" Prologue article by Cynthia M. Koch.
"A Notable Passage to China: Myth and Memory in FDR's Family History" This article on Roosevelt family history, by R. J. C. Butow, appeared in the Fall 1999 edition of the National Archives publication, Prologue.
"When FDR Said 'Play Ball:' President Called Baseball a Wartime Morale Booster" Gerald Bazer and Steven Culbertson discuss President Roosevelt's decision to support the continuation of baseball during World War II in this Prologue article.
- Harry S. Truman
"Adventures with Grandpa Truman" Clifton Truman Daniel reminisces about his grandfather in this Prologue article.
"A Boy Who Would Be President: Harry Truman at School, 1892–1901" Prologue article by Raymond H. Geselbracht describes Truman's days as a schoolboy through his attendance records and grades at Noland School for the first and second grade, and two of his high school English theme books.
Continuing the Fight: Harry S. Truman and World War II At the Truman Library website, this site contains a "collection of documents, photographs, and eyewitness accounts concerning the latter stages of World War II."
"The First Proposal, or What a Future President of the United States Did When He Was Rejected by the Woman He Loved" In this Prologue article, Raymond H. Geselbracht discusses Harry S. Truman's courtship of Bess Wallace.
Harry S. Truman From an essay by David McCullough for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
"Harry Truman, Poker Player" Raymond H. Geselbracht's article about Truman's love of poker appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of Prologue.
"Harry Truman's History Lessons" In this Prologue article, Samuel W. Rushay, Jr. examines the way the 33rd President used history to make some of the important decision of the post-World War II era.
Hoover & Truman: A presidential friendship A joint project of the Truman and Hoover Presidential Libraries, this site highlights the friendship between the two men. Much of the material was collected in a book, "Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman: A Documentary History", edited by Timothy Walch and Dwight M. Miller, copyright 1992 by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, Inc.; the book is available electronically on the site.
"Independence and the Opening of the West: Harry S. Truman, Thomas Hart Benton, And the Making of the Mural " Raymond H. Geselbracht describes the creation of the mural for the Harry S. Truman Library in this Prologue article.
"Mutual Admiration and a Few Jokes: The Correspondence of Harry Truman with Groucho and Harpo Marx" Raymond H. Geselbracht's Prologue article highlights Truman's correspondence with the Marx Brothers.
"'The President Is Very Acutely Ill:' Harry S. Truman's Illness of July 1952" Prologue article by Samuel W. Rushay, Jr.
Speeches of Harry S. Truman Audio and transcripts of many of Truman's speeches from 1939 to 1953.
- Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower From an essay by Stephen Ambrose for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Resource Guide Bibliography compiled by the Library of Congress.
"Eisenhower and the Red Menace" This article, written by Michael J. Birkner for the Fall 2001 issue of Prologue, discusses Eisenhower in the age of Senator Joseph McCarthy's crusade against Communism.
"Ike's Interstates at 50: Anniversary of the Highway System Recalls Eisenhower's Role as Catalyst" David A. Pfeiffer's Prologue article about the creation of one of Eisenhower's lasting achievements as president.
- John F. Kennedy
"The Hours before Dallas" This article was written by Jeb Byrne for the National Archives Prologue, Summer 2000 issue.
"'Howdy, Mr. President!'" "UT Arlington Library's Special Collections exhibit 'Howdy, Mr. President!' showcases over 80 intriguing photographs taken by Fort Worth Star-Telegram news photographers. The Star-Telegram JFK collection contains almost 3,000 photo negatives taken during the visit by President John F. Kennedy to Fort Worth and the subsequent events following his assassination in Dallas, November 1963."
John F. Kennedy From an essay by Richard Reeves for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
The Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board: Final Report Document available in PDF format on the NARA website.
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection The National Archives Assassination Records Collection contains more than 4 and a half million pages of assassination-related records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and artifacts.
Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy Links to the chapters of the document often called the Warren Report.
"Sixty Years Later, the Story of PT-109 Still Captivates" This article, written by Stephen Plotkin for the Summer 2003 issue of Prologue, describes the sinking of the young Lieutenant Kennedy's Patrol Torpedo boat in the South Pacific during World War II.
Speeches of John Kennedy Text, audio, and video of President Kennedy's speeches. From the Kennedy Presidential Library.
- Lyndon B. Johnson
"LBJ Champions the Civil Rights Act of 1964" Prologue article by Ted Gittinger and Allen Fisher.
"LBJ Fights the White Backlash: The Racial Politics of the 1964 Presidential Campaign" This article by Jeremy D. Mayer appeared in the Spring 2001 issue of Prologue.
"LBJ: Still Casting a Long Shadow" Harry Middleton discusses President Johnson's legacy in this Prologue article.
Lyndon B. Johnson From an essay by Robert Dallek for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Selected Speeches & Messages of Lyndon Johnson From the LBJ Presidential Library.
- Richard M. Nixon
"Listening to Nixon: An Archivist's Reflections on His Work with the White House Tapes" Prologue article by Samuel W. Rushay, Jr.
"Nixon on the Home Front" Prologue article about President Nixon's domestic policies.
The Nixon "Shocks" and U.S.-Japan Strategic Relations, 1969-1974 Paper prepared by Michael Schaller at the University of Arizona.
"The Nixon White House Tapes: The Decision to Record Presidential Conversations" H. R. Haldeman discloses the story behind the decision to record presidential conversations in this Prologue article.
Nixon's Trip to China The National Security Archive has secured the declassification and release of the documents related to President Nixon's visit to China in February 1972.
Photographing History: Fred J. Maroon and the Nixon Years, 1970-1974 This site gives one photographer's account of President Nixon's years in office.
Richard M. Nixon From an essay by Tom Wicker for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Richard Nixon Conversations The Miller Center audio and transcripts of recordings from the Nixon Administration, including those related to Watergate.
- Gerald Ford
Gerald R. Ford From an essay by James Cannon for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Gerald R. Ford: A Selected bibliography A bibliography established by the Ford Presidential Library.
Selected Gerald R. Ford Presidential Speeches and Writings Text of selected speeches of Ford from his administration. Some of the speeches have audio recordings.
- Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter This PBS site includes the background information on Jimmy Carter used to make a documentary film for American Experience.
Jimmy Carter From an essay by Hendrick Hertzberg for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Speeches of Jimmy Carter Audio and video of speeches given by Jimmy Carter, presented by the American Presidency Project.
- Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan From an essay by Peggy Noonan for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Ronald Reagan and the President's Daily Brief An article from the Studies in Intelligence gives a first-hand account of the CIA's responsibility for giving the President his daily briefing.
"'Tear Down This Wall:' How Top Advisers Opposed Reagan's Challenge to Gorbachev - But Lost" Peter Robinson tells the story behind one of Ronald Reagan's most notable speeches in this Prologue article.
- George Bush
George Bush From an essay by Michael R. Beschloss for the PBS program "Character Above All," on the role of character in presidential leadership.
Papers of George Bush Organized by year, these papers are also searchable by topic.
- Bill Clinton
Biography of William Jefferson Clinton Provides a succinct description of the life and accomplishments of William Clinton.
- George W. Bush
Biography of George W. Bush Summary of the life and accomplishments of the 43rd President of the United States from the White House web page.
- Barack H. Obama
Biography of Barack H. Obama Summary of the life and accomplishments of the 44th President of the United States from the White House web page.
The Dolley Madison Project A complete on-line edition of her existing letters as a fully searchable digital archive. Dolley Madison was the first First Lady to serve in Washington, D.C.
The First Ladies of the U.S.A. Links to biographical information about each First Lady, including portraits. Published by the White House Historical Association.
National First Ladies' Library The website for the first and only facility of its kind, its purpose is to educate the world about the contributions of the First Ladies and other important women in history.
"Young Bess in Hats" In this Prologue article, Raymond H. Geselbracht writes about Bess Wallace before she became Mrs. Harry Truman.
Portraits and Photographs of Presidents and First Ladies
Chas Fagan: Presidential Portraits This site complements C-SPAN's television series, "American Presidents: Life Portraits."
Chronological List of Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents of the United States This list from the Library of Congress includes portraits of the presidents, first ladies, and vice presidents.
Portraits of the Presidents from the National Portrait Gallery This new online exhibit features 61 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other likenesses of the Presidents.
Salaries and Retirement Benefits of U.S. Presidents
Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits This Congressional Research Service report describes the pension and benefits granted to former presidents and policy implications.
Salaries and Retirement Benefits of U.S. Presidents and other Federal Government Employees This Internet Public Library website features salary and benefit information for the president, the vice president, and high ranking government officials.
Federal Digital System (FDsys) The Government Printing Office provides access to official text of various government documents, including Compilation of Presidential Documents, Economic Report of the President, and Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.
Federal Register This website has links to Executive Orders, Proclamations, and other presidential documents.