The American President

The last thing that the Founding Fathers envisioned was a hereditary chief executive. After all, they had fought a war in part to rid themselves of a...

Nearly one in six American presidents has died in office. The vice presidents who succeeded them were often chosen because they provided some electora...

Is an independent cast of mind the best approach to the presidency? The four men profiled in this hour (John Adams, Zachary Taylor, Rutherford B. Haye...

In our nation’s early years, taking part in political affairs was considered a duty and an honor, but not a way of life. It was not long, however, bef...

It is often observed that American national identity is less a condition than an idea. What we have come to refer to as “the vision thing” is an expec...

The president has no greater responsibility than representing the nation on the world stage. These four men (James Monroe; William McKinley; Woodrow...

From the beginning, the presidential office has beckoned to national heroes renowned for their selfless service to their country (George Washington, W...

With the rise of political parties came the dawn of political compromise: nominees were selected because they were less offensive to some voters than...

Though the powers of the presidency have expanded with the growth of the nation, the process has been anything but smooth. These four presidents are b...

The final episode examines presidential leadership in an era of an increasingly divided government. The American presidency was conceived as one part...