History of the USA- part one

Some basic information on American history

The Country

No country on earth has a population as diverse and a culture as varied as the United States. It
is  this  very  diversity  that  makes  American  life  as  complicated  as  it  is.  On  the  one  hand,  the
United  States  is  a  nation.  On  the  other  hand,  even  after  four  centuries,  that  nation  is  still  a
great experiment. The United States occupies a continent and has many varied regions. Over
the course of several centuries, immigrants from all over the world came to the United States
and  brought  their  own  cultures  and  traditions.  The  tradition  of  immigration  continues  today,
creating vital new American  communities. The blending of these traditions gives the  United
States its great strength as a nation. The same mixture creates challenges and problems.

In a country as large and dynamic as the United States, nationalities and races mix. People are
individuals;  they  don't  always  act  or  think  in  predictable  ways  as  members  of  groups.  For
convenience, however, we'll classify Americans according to several factors. The first is race:
European  (White),  African  (Black),  Asian  or  Native  American  (American  Indian).  But  even
this  is  not  a  perfect  classification  system,  since  Hispanic  Americans  (those  with  a  Spanish
language background) can also be white, black or even part Native American.

Approximately  1%  of  the  people  living  in  the  United  States  can  be  considered  Native
Americans, the term now preferred over the inaccurate Indians. Hundreds of Native American
tribes,  all  speaking  different  languages,  lived  in  North  America  before  the  coming  of  the
"White Man," a term referring to settlers who came from Europe. Over the first few centuries
of  European  exploration  and  settlement  of  North  America,  Native  American  people  were
either  uprooted  or  else  through  war  and  disease  wiped  out  by  the  whites.  Despite  this,
hundreds  of  individual  Native  American  nations  survive  on  Indian  reservations.  Many  of
these tribes have a legal status separate from that of the United States. In some cases, Native
Americans tribes have been able to use their special status to run businesses such as gambling
casinos that, depending upon the American state involved, may be illegal for other Americans
to  run.  Some  tribes  issue  their  own  passports  and  driver's  licenses.  Members  of  some  tribes
hold  American  as  well  as  tribal  citizenship.  In  addition  to  the  peoples  formerly  called
Indians,"  the  term  Native  Americans  also  includes  ethnic  Hawaiians  and  Alaskan  Eskimos
and Inuit.

Several European powers vied for control of the area now known as the United States during
the  first  few  centuries  of  European  exploration  and  development  of  the  North  American
continent.  By  the  1760's,  however,  England  had  gained  control  over  the  Eastern  third  of  the
area.  Settlement  was  concentrated  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  Thirteen  separate  colonies  had
been  organized,  which  were  later  to  become  American  states:  Massachusetts,  New
Hampshire,  Vermont,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Delaware,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Early Days

In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean looking for a western route to Asia.
Columbus never saw the mainland United States, but the first explorations of the continental
United States were launched from the Spanish possessions that he helped establish. The first
of these took place in 1513 when a group of men under Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the
Florida coast near the present city of St. Augustine.

The  early  1600s  saw  the  beginning  of  a  great  tide  of  emigration  from  Europe  to  North
America.  Spanning  more  than  three  centuries,  this  movement  grew  from  a  trickle  of  a  few
hundred  English  colonists  to  a  flood  of  millions  of  newcomers.  Impelled  by  powerful  and
diverse motivations, they built a new civilization on the northern part of the continent.

The first English immigrants to what is now the United States crossed the Atlantic long after
thriving  Spanish  colonies  had  been  established  in  Mexico,  the  West  Indies  and  South
America. Like all early travellers to the New World, they came in small, overcrowded ships.
Many  died  of  disease;  ships  were  often  battered  by  storms  and  some  were  lost  at  sea.  Most
European emigrants left their homelands to escape political oppression, to seek the freedom to
practice their religion, or for adventure and opportunities denied them at home.

Jamestown (1607)

The first of the British colonies to take hold in North America was Jamestown. On the basis
of  a  charter  which  King  James  I  granted  to  the  Virginia  (or  London)  Company,  a  group  of
about  100  men  set  out  for  the  Chesapeake  Bay  in  1607.  Seeking  to  avoid  conflict  with  the
Spanish, they chose a site about 60 kilometres up the James River from the bay.

Made  up  of  townsmen  and  adventurers  more  interested  in  finding  gold  than  farming,  the
group was unequipped by temperament or ability to embark upon a completely new life in the
wilderness.  Among  them,  Captain  John  Smith  emerged  as  the  dominant  figure.  Despite
quarrels,  starvation  and  Indian  attacks,  his  ability  to  enforce  discipline  held  the  little  colony
together through its first year.

In 1609 Smith returned to England, and in his absence, the colony descended into anarchy.
During the winter of 1609-1610, the majority of the colonists succumbed to disease. Only 60
of the original 300 settlers were still alive by May 1610.

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  a  development  occurred  that  revolutionized  Virginia's
economy.  In  1612  John  Rolfe  began  cross-breeding  imported  tobacco  seed  from  the  West
Indies with native plants and produced a new variety that was pleasing to European taste. The
first  shipment  of  this  tobacco  reached  London  in  1614.  Within  a  decade  it  had  become
Virginia's chief source of revenue.

Prosperity did not come quickly, however, and the death rate from disease and Indian attacks
remained extraordinarily high. Between 1607 and 1624 approximately 14,000 people
migrated to the colony, yet only 1,132 were living there in 1624. On recommendation of a
royal commission, the king dissolved the Virginia Company, and made it a royal colony that
year.

Most  settlers  who  came  to  America  in  the  17th  century  were  English,  but  there  were  also
Dutch, Swedes and Germans in the middle region, a few French Huguenots in South Carolina
and  elsewhere,  slaves  from  Africa,  primarily  in  the  South,  and  a  scattering  of  Spaniards,
Italians and Portuguese throughout the colonies.

After 1680 England ceased to be the chief source of immigration. Thousands of refugees fled
continental Europe to escape the path of war. Many left their homelands to avoid the poverty
induced by government oppression. By 1690 the American population had risen to a quarter
of a million. From then on, it doubled every 25 years until, in 1775, it numbered more than
2.5 million.

The Mayflower Compact

The Mayflower Compact is often cited as one of the foundations of the US Constitution. The
story  of  its  creation  begins  with  the  Pilgrims  in  England.  Pilgrims  were  separatists  from  the
Anglican  Church  in  England.  They  were  protestants  who  did  not  recognize  the  authority  of
the  Anglican  Church  and  formed  their  own  Puritan  church.  To  escape  persecution  and
possible imprisonment, they actually fled England for Holland in 1607. They lived in Holland
for awhile before deciding to create their own colony in the New World. They received a land
patent  from  the  Virginia  Company  and  created  their  own  joint-stock  company  for  the
enterprise.

The Pilgrims left aboard the Mayflower in 1620. There were 102 men, women, and children
aboard  including  some  non-puritan  settlers  including  John  Alden  and  Miles  Standish.  They
were headed for Virginia but got blown off course and instead decided to found their colony
in  Cape  Cod  in  what  would  become  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony.  They  called  the  colony
Plymouth after the harbor in England from which they departed for the New World.

Since  the  new  location  for  their  colony  was  outside  the  areas  claimed  by  the  two  chartered
joint-stock  companies,  they  considered  themselves  technically  independent  and  created  their
own government under the Mayflower Compact.

In basic terms, the Mayflower Compact was a social contract whereby the forty-one men who
signed it agreed to abide by the new government's laws in exchange for shared protection.
Unfortunately, the original document has been lost. William Bradford included a transcription
of the document in his book, Of Plymouth Plantation. In part his transcription states:

"Having  undertaken,  for  the  Glory  of  God  and  advancement  of  the  Christian  Faith  and
Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of
Virginia,  do  by  these  present  solemnly  and  mutually  in  the  presence  of  God  and  one  of
another,  Covenant  and  Combine  ourselves  together  into  a  Civil  Body  Politic,  for  our  better
ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact,
constitute and frame such just and equal  Laws,  Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices,
from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the
Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."

Significance

The Mayflower Compact was the foundational document for the Plymouth Colony. The fact
that  it  was  a  covenant  whereby  the  settlers  would  subordinate  their  rights  to  follow  laws
passed  by  the  government  to  ensure  protection  and  survival  made  it  a  unique  document.  As
previously stated, it set a precedent and was indeed an influential document for the founding
fathers  as  they  created  the  US  Constitution.  The  Mayflower  Compact  reads:

"In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  the  Loyal  Subjects  of  our
dread  Sovereign  Lord,  King  James,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  of  England,  France  and  Ireland,
King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement
of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first
colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly  and mutually in the
Presence  of  God  and  one  of  another,  covenant  and  combine  ourselves  together  into  a  civil
Body  Politick,  for  our  better  Ordering  and  Preservation,  and  Furtherance  of  the  Ends
aforesaid;  And  by  Virtue  hereof  to  enact,  constitute,  and  frame,  such  just  and  equal  Laws,
Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet

and  convenient  for  the  General  good  of  the  Colony;  unto  which  we  promise  all  due
submission  and  obedience.  In  Witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names  at
Cape  Cod  the  eleventh  of  November,  in  the  Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord,  King  James  of
England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini,
1620."

One  of  the  first  lists  of  the  Mayflower  Compact’s  signers  was  provided  by  William
Bradford’s nephew, Nathaniel Morton. The names are published in his 1669 New England’s
Memorial. They are also posted by the Avalon Project of Yale University. Some of the more
familiar names includes are those such as: John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow,
William  Brewster,  Isaac  Allerton,  Myles  Standish,  and  John  Alden.  When  creating  the
Mayflower  Compact,  the  signers  believed  that  covenants  were  not  only  to  be  honored
between God and man,  but also between each other. They had always honored covenants as
part  of  their  righteous  integrity  and  agreed  to  be  bound  by  this  same  principle  with  the
Compact.  John  Adams  and  many  historians  have  referred  to  the  Mayflower  Compact  as  the
foundation  of  the  U.S.  Constitution  written  more  than  150  later.  America  was  indeed  begun
by men who honored God and set their founding principles by the words of the Bible. They
lived their lives with honesty, reliability, and fairness toward establishing this country “for the
sake of its survival.” A great many of America’s Founding Fathers have been quoted in regard
to living by Biblical values. The founding fathers were those political leaders who were part
of the American Revolution and the founding of the new nation after independence was won.
There were many more than ten founders that had a huge impact on the American Revolution,
the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. However, this list attempts to pick the top
ten founding fathers who had the greatest impact. Honorable mentions not included were John
Hancock, John Marshall, Peyton Randolph, and John Jay.

Colonial Life In America

Colonial  life  in  America  was  very  difficult  for  the  hopeful  settlers  who  came  to  escape
poverty, persecution, and to gain religious freedom. Later came the adventurous explorers and
those  sent  by  European  Nations  to  begin  business  ventures  in  this  uncharted  new  land.

They eventually settled into the original 13 colonies now known at the States of New Jersey,
Pennsylvania,  New  York,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Virginia,  New  Hampshire,
Maryland,

Massachusetts,

Connecticut,

Rhode

Island,

Delaware,

and

Georgia.

The  settlers  did  not  know  how  to  live  in  the  rugged  wilderness  and  had  no  experience  in
preparing for the harsh, bitter cold winters. They faced many hardships such as knowing little
about  how  to  hunt  for  game  or  how  to  plant  crops  on  this  new  soil.  As  a  result,  many
succumbed to malnutrition and diseases. In Massachusetts, for example, the Plymouth settlers,
spent most of their first winter (1620–21) on board the Mayflower. It took a great deal of time
to clear the land and erect adequate shelters. The following winter, the Pilgrims were able to
live  on  land  but  it  was  under  extremely  primitive  conditions.  Many  were  sick  and  all  were
hungry. Nearly one-quarter of them died before  a ship from England brought fresh supplies.
They relied heavily on their faith and spent much time in prayer. In time, the colonists learned
how to live in the wilderness through trial and error and with the help of an English speaking
warrior named Squanto and the Wampanoag Chief, Massasoit. By the 1700s, small cities and
towns  were  established.  The  colonists  slowly  developed  their  own  customs  and  lifestyles.
Eventually  they  began  to  feel  that  this  new  land  was  now  their  true  home.  Life  in  colonial
America centered on the family. Most of the following took place at home in the very earliest
years of the settlements:

•

work

•

play

•

schooling

•

learning a craft or trade

•

worshiping

Large families were common and necessary in colonial days. Everyone was needed to get all
the work done. The father was considered the head of the family. He made all of the family
decisions  and  earned  a  living  by  farming  and  other  crafts  such  as  blacksmithing.  Women
worked  in  the  home  raising  children,  preparing  meals,  making  clothes,  preserving  food  for
winter, fetching water and scrubbing clothes. They made their own candles, soaps, and most
other  basic  items.  None  of  this  was  easy  and  often  done  without  the  proper  tools.  Much  of
their dawn to dusk work was merely for day to day survival.

After  concerns  of  survival,  came  the  Colonists  desires  and  struggles  to  form  a  fair  and
democratic  government.  The  tyranny  that  some  of  them  came  from  made  this  a  priority.
Those  who  survived  had  a  very  difficult  life  but  they  had  determination  and  steadfast  faith
that this would be a great land. Many died before their time, but for most of them, their faith
in God and the Bible is what helped them persevere. They were  grateful to God for sending
the  Indians  who  taught  them  how  to  survive  in  this  new  land.  It  was  through  their  faith  and
determination that America was born a free, democratic, and Christian nation.

Colonies

The United States began as 13 independent states under a loose confederation in 1776. After
winning their independence from Great Britain in 1783, the states had trouble getting along
with each other. After much debate and controversy, the states adopted a written constitution
in 1787. Certain powers were given to the federal government, while other powers were kept
by the individual states. The constitution forms the framework for the American legal,
political and governmental system.

Chart of the Thirteen Original Colonies

COLONY
NAME

YEAR
FOUNDED

FOUNDED BY

BECAME ROYAL
COLONY

Virginia

1607

London Company

1624

Massachusetts

1620

Puritans

1691

New Hampshire 1623

John Wheelwright

1679

Maryland

1634

Lord Baltimore

N/A

Connecticut

c. 1635

Thomas Hooker

N/A

Rhode Island

1636

Roger Williams

N/A

Delaware

1638

Peter Minuit and New Sweden
Company

N/A

North Carolina

1653

Virginians

1729

South Carolina

1663

Eight Nobles with a Royal
Charter from Charles II

1729

New Jersey

1664

Lord Berkeley and Sir George
Carteret

1702

New York

1664

Duke of York

1685

Pennsylvania

1682

William Penn

N/A

Georgia

1732

James Edward Oglethorpe

1752

From  the  foundation  of  the  colonies  beginning  with  the  founding  of  Jamestown  until  the
beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  different  regions  of  the  eastern  coast  had  different
characteristics.  Once  established,  the  thirteen  British  colonies  could  be  divided  into  three
geographic areas: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each of these had specific economic,
social, and political developments that were unique to the regions.

Virginia

Jamestown was the first English settlement in America (1607). It had a hard time at first and
didn’t flourish until the colonists received their own land and the tobacco industry began
flourishing, the settlement took root. People continued to arrive and new settlements arose. In
1624, Virginia was made a royal colony.

Massachusetts

Pilgrims  wishing  to  flee  persecution  and  find  religious  freedom  traveled  to  America  and
formed the Plymouth Colony in 1620. Before landing, they established their own government,
the basis of which was the Mayflower Compact. In 1628, Puritans formed the Massachusetts
Bay  Company  and  many  Puritans  continued  to  settle  in  the  area  around  Boston.  In  1691,
Plymouth joined with the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The American Revolution

The American Revolution began in 1775 as open conflict between the united thirteen colonies
and Great Britain. By the Treaty of Paris that ended the war in 1783, the colonies had won
their independence. While no one event can be pointed to as the actual cause of the
revolution, the war began as a disagreement over the way in which Great Britain treated the
colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated. Americans felt they deserved
all the rights of Englishmen. The British, on the other hand, felt that the colonies were created
to be used in the way that best suited the crown and parliament. This conflict is embodied in
one of the rallying cries of the American Revolution: No Taxation Without Representation.

Major Events That Led to the American Revolution

The road to revolution built slowly over time. Many events fed the growing desire of the
thirteen colonies for independence. Following are the major events that led to the Revolution.

1754-1763 - French and Indian War
This war between Britain and France ended with the victorious British deeply in debt and
demanding more revenue from the colonies. With the defeat of the French, the colonies
became less dependent on Britain for protection.

1774 - First Continental Congress
In response to the Intolerable Acts, 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia from September-
October, 1774. One of the main results of this was the creation of The Association calling for
a boycott of British goods.

1775 - Lexington and Concord
In April, British troops were ordered to Lexington and Concord to seize stores of colonial
gunpowder and to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. At Lexington, open conflict
occurred and eight Americans were killed. At Concord, the British troops were forced to
retreat with the loss of 70 men. This was the first instance of open warfare.

1775 - Second Continental Congress
All 13 colonies were represented at this meeting in Philadelphia beginning May. The colonists
still hoped that their grievances would be met by King George III. George Washington was
named head of the Continental Army.

1775 - Bunker Hill
This major victory for the Colonists resulted in George III proclaiming the colonies in
rebellion.

In  the  end,  the  American  Revolution  grew  out  of  increasing  restrictions  placed  upon  the
colonies  by  the  British.  One  interesting  side  note:  It  is  estimated  that  only  one-third  of  the
colonists were in favor of rebellion. One-third continued to side with the British. The last third
were neutral concerning the rebellion and break from Great Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

Largely  Jefferson's  work,  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  adopted  July  4,  1776,  not  only
announced  the  birth  of  a  new  nation,  but  also  set  forth  a  philosophy  of  human  freedom  that
would  become  a  dynamic  force  throughout  the  entire  world.  The  Declaration  draws  upon
French and English Enlightenment political philosophy, but one influence in particular stands
out: John Locke's Second Treatise on Government. Locke took conceptions of the traditional
rights  of  Englishmen  and  universalized  them  into  the  natural  rights  of  all  humankind.  The
Declaration's familiar opening passage echoes Locke's social-contract theory of government:

The witches of Salem (To kill the students’ curiosity)

In  1692  a  group  of  adolescent  girls  in  Salem  Village,  Massachusetts,  became  subject  to
strange fits after hearing tales told by a West Indian slave. When they were questioned, they
accused several women of being witches who were tormenting them. The townspeople were
appalled  but  not  surprised:  belief  in  witchcraft  was  widespread  throughout  17th-century
America and Europe.

Town officials convened a court to hear the charges of witchcraft, and swiftly convicted and
executed  a  tavern  keeper,  Bridget  Bishop.  Within  a  month,  five  other  women  had  been
convicted  and  hanged.  Nevertheless,  the  hysteria  grew,  in  large  measure  because  the  court
permitted  witnesses  to  testify  that  they  had  seen  the  accused  as  spirits  or  in  visions.  By  its
very  nature,  such  "spectral  evidence"  was  especially  dangerous,  because  it  could  not  be
verified. By the fall of 1692, more than 20 victims, including several men, had been executed,
and  more  than  100  others  were  in  jail  --  among  them  some  of  the  town's  most  prominent
citizens.

1656.Quakers expelled from Massachusetts.
1662.Connecticut charter granted.
1663.Charter granted to Rhode Island.
Charter for the Carolinas granted.
1664.September 8. The English conquer New Amsterdam. New Jersey given by King Charles
          II to his brother, the Duke of York.
1667.Fundamental Constitutions drawn up for the Carolinas.
1673.Marquette explores the Mississippi.
1676.Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia. King Philip's War in New England.
1681.Penn receives charter for Pennsylvania.
1682.Penn founds Philadelphia and makes treaty with the Indians. La Salle explores
         Louisiana and takes possession for France.
1686.Edmund Andros made governor of all New England.
1689.Rebellion against Andros; his fall and arrest.
1692.Salem witchcraft delusion.
1700.Iberville plants colony in Louisiana.
1713.Treaty of Utrecht, ending Queen Anne's War, which began in 1702.
1733.Georgia settled by Oglethorpe.
1748.Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ending King George's War, which began in 1744.
1754.Colonial Congress at Albany; Franklin's plan of union.
1755.Braddock's defeat.
1756.French and Indian War formally begun.
1759.Wolfe captures Quebec.
1763.Treaty of Paris; end of the war. Conspiracy of Pontiac.

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United
States. The U.S. President and is the highest political official in the United States by
influence and recognition. The President of the United States leads the executive branch of the
federal government and is one of only two nationally elected federal officers (the other being
the vice president of the United States).

Responsibilities of the American President

Among other powers and responsibilities, Article II of the United States Constitution charges
the president:

•

To "faithfully execute" federal law

•

Makes the president the commander-in-chief of the United States armed forces

•

Allows the president to nominate executive and judicial officers with the advice and
consent of the Senate

•

Allows the president to grant pardons and reprieves

Due to the United States' status as the only remaining superpower, the president of the United
States is generally regarded by Americans as the most powerful person in the world.

How is the President Elected?

The president is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year
term. Since 1951, presidents have been limited to two terms by the Twenty-second
Amendment.

List of American Presidents

Following is a list of U.S. Presidents.  As you can see from the list, there have been 44 U.S.
American Presidents to date.  American presidents are elected to a term of 4 years and may
serve a maximum of 2 terms.  Some U.S. American presidents in the list served for a longer
period before the term limitation on U.S. Presidents was put into effect.  Also, some of the
Presidents on the list only served a year or two of their term due to death in office.

The following list of United States Presidents shows the years each president spent in office,
and the presidential party the president belonged to.

List of U.S. American Presidents

US President Name

Years as President

Presidential Party

George Washington

1789-1797

John Adams

1797-1801

Federalist

Thomas Jefferson

1801-1809

Democratic-Republican

James Madison

1809-1817

Democratic-Republican

James Monroe

1817-1825

Democratic-Republican

John Quincy Adams

1825-1829

Democratic-Republican

Andrew Jackson

1829-1837

Democrat

Martin Van Buren

1837-1841

Democrat

William Henry Harrison

1841-1841(died In
office)

Whig

John Tyler

1841-1845

Whig

James K. Polk

1845-1849

Democrat

Zachary Taylor

1849-1850

Whig

Millard Fillmore

1850-1853

Whig

Franklen Pierce

1853-1857

Democrat

James Buchanan

1857-1861

Democrat

Abraham Lincoln

1861-1865

Republican

Andrew Johnson

1865-1869

Democrat / National Union

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant

1869-1877

Republican

Rutherford B. Hayes

1877-1881

Republican

James A. Garfield

1881(died in office)

Republican

Chester A. Arthur

1881-1885

Republican

Grover Cleveland

1885-1889

Democrat

Benjamin Harrison

1889-1893

Republican

Grover Cleveland

1893-1897

Democrat

William McKinley

1897-1901

Republican

Theodore Roosevelt

1901-1909

Republican

William Howard Taft

1909-1913

Republican

Woodrow Wilson

1913-1921

Democrat

Warren G. Harding

1921-1923

Republican

Calvin Coolidge

1923-1929

Republican

Herbert Hoover

1929-1933

Republican

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1933-1945

Democrat

Harry S. Truman

1945-1953

Democrat

Dwight D. Eisenhower

1953-1961

Republican

John F. Kennedy

1961-1963

Democrat

Lyndon B. Johnson

1963-1969

Democrat

Richard M. Nixon

1969-1974

Republican

Gerald R. Ford

1974-1977

Republican

Jimmy Carter

1977-1981

Democrat

Ronald Reagan

1981-1989

Republican

George Bush

1989-1993

Republican

Bill Clinton

1993-2001

Democrat

George W. Bush

2001-2009

Republican

Barack H. Obama

2009 -Present

Democrat