Introduction
Read markers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to learn more about the American Presidents.
- In 2009, then-president George W. Bush, center, met with president-elect Barack Obama, second from left, and former presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office in the White House.
- George H.W. Bush was the nation's forty-third president. During the elder Bush's term, the Soviet Union collapsed, ending the Cold War. He also led the U.S. into the Gulf War in 1991. Economic troubles at home cost him a second term.
- Barack Obama became the nation's forty-fourth president in 2009. He is the first African-American to be elected president. Before becoming president, Obama served as the U.S. Senator for Illinois from 2005-2008.
- George W. Bush served as the nation's forty-third president from 2001-08. Just eight months after being sworn in, Bush had to unite a mournful country in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. As president, Bush, like his father, led the country into war in Iraq.
- Bill Clinton was the nation's forty-second president from 1993-2000. While in office, Clinton achieved goals such as passage of the NAFTA trade agreement and cuts in the budget deficit. But his popularity was uneven and his second term was plagued by scandal.
- Jimmy Carter served as the nation's thirty-ninth president from 1977-1981, Carter had success promoting peace in the Middle East, but soaring oil prices, high inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis made him look weak and ineffectual.
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