The presidents decoded A guide to the leaders who shaped our nation

Katie Kennedy, 1963-

Book - 2023

"In The Presidents Decoded: A Guide to the Leaders Who Shaped Our Nation, author Katie Kennedy presents the 45 people who have held the role of President of the United States. From George Washington to Joe Biden, each leader's time in office is broken down and explained through primary sources--documents, letters, policies, and diaries--that show the what, how and why of our leaders' thoughts, decisions and policies. Familiar documents like the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, The Emancipation Proclamation, and The Fugitive Slave Act--the part of the Compromise of 1850 that set the country on a path to Civil War--are included. But we've also included things like George Washington's letter to Martha as he... learns that he's been chosen to be the General of the Continental Army, the types of letters FDR received from desperate families during the Great Depression, a letter from baseball legend Jackie Robinson urging JFK to do more to push for civil rights, and the Executive Order limiting the hours of the federal work day, are only a handful of the examples included in this book. Full-color illustrations bring each president and their time in office to life on the page in their career-defining moments as history marches forward and changes the job - and the way of life - through inventions like the camera, the telephone, the first metal detector, services like the Navy and the Red Cross begin, and Twitter. As she did in THE CONSTITUTION DECODED, Katie Kennedy shines a light on American History through the lens of the leaders who shaped our nation--good, bad, and everything in between--through the documents that confirm what really happened"--

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Subjects
Genres
Biographies
History
Juvenile works
Illustrated works
Published
New York : Workman Publishing [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Katie Kennedy, 1963- (author)
Physical Description
viii, 239 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 26 cm
Audience
Ages 10 and up
Grades 4-6
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781523515868
  • Introduction
  • George Washington
  • John Adams
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Madison
  • James Monroe
  • John Quincy Adams
  • Andrew Jackson
  • Martin Van Buren
  • William Henry Harrison
  • John Tyler
  • James Knox Polk
  • Zachary Taylor
  • Millard Fillmore
  • Franklin Pierce
  • James Buchanan
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Andrew Johnson
  • Ulysses S. Grant
  • Rutherford B. Hayes
  • James A. Garfield
  • Chester A. Arthur
  • Grover Cleveland
  • Benjamin Harrison
  • Grover Cleveland
  • William McKinley
  • Theodore Roosevelt
  • William H. Taft
  • Woodrow Wilson
  • Warren G. Harding
  • Calvin Coolidge
  • Herbert Hoover
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • Harry S Truman
  • Dwight David Eisenhower
  • John Fitzgerald Kennedy
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson
  • Richard Milhous Nixon
  • Gerald Ford
  • James Earl Carter
  • Ronald Reagan
  • George H. W. Bush
  • William Jefferson Clinton
  • George Walker Bush
  • Barack Obama
  • Donald Trump
  • Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
  • Conclusion
  • Suggestions for Further Reading
  • About the Author
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Short biographies of the 45 people who have been president of the United States, including snippets of primary source material. Kennedy, a college-level history and government educator and author of The Constitution Decoded (2020), offers quick looks at each of the men who have served in the nation's highest office. Each chapter opens with a portrait and fast facts, both ordinary and unusual. Each goes on to cover the man's life before his presidency, his actions as president, his legacy, and his post-presidential life, if any. The prose is smooth, engaging, informative, and often sympathetic. What gets decoded are the short selections from primary sources: George Washington's farewell address, a prescient comment from Thomas Jefferson about the "Missouri question," a statement by Grover Cleveland regarding the overthrow of Hawaiian queen Lili'uokalani, and so forth. Text boxes appear on almost every page, making interesting and often important points. The narrative is also broken up with occasional maps, drawings, and photos, adding to the accessibility. The author pays careful attention to past presidents' attitudes and actions about slavery. Donald Trump's section concludes with an open-ended observation that "Trump's post-presidential period was one of turmoil, just like his presidency." This might serve as a pleasant accompaniment to a more sober middle school history text. The volume is also visually engaging, with portraits opening each profile, spot art breaking up the text, and helpful maps. Surprising, straightforward, and readable. (additional illustration credits, further reading) (Nonfiction. 9-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.