Campbellsport Public Library

The buck stops here, the 28 toughest presidential decisions and how they changed history, Thomas J. Craughwell and Edwin Kiester, Jr

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

contains biographical information

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

The buck stops here

bibliography

437298953

Thomas J. Craughwell and Edwin Kiester, Jr

the 28 toughest presidential decisions and how they changed history

"The Buck Stops Here consists of twenty-eight engrossing accounts of the most important United States presidential decisions in history. They range from the abolition of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation to the acquisition of vast new territory with the Louisiana Purchase to the establishment of enduring institutions such as Medicare and America's national parks. These decisions encompass, too, such less-well-known measures as the G.I. Bill of Rights, which cleared the way for more than two million veterans to receive a college education, as well as acts that reverberated worldwide, including Theodore Roosevelt's construction of the Panama Canal, Harry S Truman's deployment of the atom bomb, Richard Nixon's visit to China, and John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon. Thomas J. Craughwell and Edwin Kiester Jr.'s fascinating survey of twenty-eight crucial presidential decisions opens a door into the White House's corridors of power, giving readers an insider's view of how and why these decisions were made, while providing a yardstick with which we might, perhaps, gauge the success of current and future presidents. Each chapter places the reader squarely in the historical period while presenting the issues at stake, the interests at work, and the obstacles encountered. This book takes the reader into the minds of some of American history's greatest leaders and analyzes the enduring, often far-reaching, sometimes unforeseen consequences of these presidential decisions--in their own time, and right up to the present day. Some of these decisions were simply expedient; others required the courage of conviction in the face of intense opposition. Some were motivated by political loyalties, but many were evidently inspired by noble visions of a better nation, a fairer world. All were momentous, and helped define who we are and how we live now."--amazon.com

George Washington puts down the whiskey rebellion and dooms the federalist party, 1794 -- Thomas Jefferson buys the Louisiana Territory and doubles the size of the United States, 1803 -- James Monroe creates the "Monroe doctrine," keystone of U.S. International policy, 1823 -- James K. Polk declares war against Mexico and gains western states and control of Texas, 1846 -- Millard Fillmore opens Japanese ports to trade, making the United States a pacific power, 1853 -- Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 -- Rutherford Hayes ends reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the south, 1877 -- Chester A. Arthur: The "spoilsman" who reformed the government, 1883 -- William McKinley annexes the Philippines and makes the United States and imperial power, 1899 -- Theodore Roosevelt: guess who's coming to dinner, 1901 -- Theodore Roosevelt backs a new government in Panama and digs the Panama Canal, 1903 -- Theodore Roosevelt puts the environment on the National Agenda, early 1900s -- Theodore Roosevelt sends the great white fleet around the world to dramatize the United States' new role as a world power, 1907-1909 -- Woodrow Wilson claims an American place at the table of world power, 1917 -- Franklin Roosevelt establishes social security, the first National Safety Net for people with disabilities and seniors, 1935 -- Franklin Roosevelt takes a step toward World War II with the Lend-Lease Program, 1941 -- Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill of Rights and transforms the country economically, educationally, and socially, 1944 -- Franklin Roosevelt, the Atlantic charter, and the founding of the United Nations, 1945 -- Harry Truman opts for Armageddon, 1945 -- Harry Truman and the Berlin Airlift: "We stay in Berlin, period!" 1948 -- Harry Truman and Korea: "It's hell to be president," 1950 -- Dwight Eisenhower and the interstate highway system: "Broader ribbons across the land," 1956 -- John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs: "How could we have been so stupid?" 1961 -- John F. Kennedy announces the United States will put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, 1961 -- John F. Kennedy resolves the Cuban Missile Crisis, averting the threat of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, 1962 -- Lyndon Johnson pushes through the Civil Rights Act, 1964 -- Lyndon Johnson and Medicare: "The real daddy of Medicare," 1965 -- Richard Nixon visits China, beginning the end of a policy of isolation and launching a new era in U.S.-China relations, 1972