Comparing Presidents
Presidents Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter pose for a photo in the Oval Office of the White House.
Comparing Presidents
The men who have served as President of the United States of America are a diverse group in some respects but in other ways they are very homogeneous. The election of 2008 broke a major barrier in the issue of presidential diversity.
In this lesson, you will examine the diverse backgrounds of the men who has served as President of the United States of America. Explore the factors that helped prepare them to serve in the office that is considered the most powerful position in the world.
In Their Own Words
The following quotes are about the Presidency from a few of the men who have held the office.
"No man who ever held the office of president would congratulate a friend on obtaining it." - John Adams
"When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency."- Harry S Truman
"Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
In Their Own Words
"No easy problem ever comes to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them." - John F. Kennedy
"The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was; and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands." - Lyndon B. Johnson
Read Presidential Character to learn more about successful presidents.
In Their Own Words
These comments of past presidents may provide some insight into the personal qualities one needs in order to be a successful president.
"No man will ever bring out of the Presidency the reputation which carries him into it." - Thomas Jefferson
"Certainly in the next 50 years we shall see a woman president, perhaps sooner than you think. A woman can and should be able to do any political job that a man can do." - Richard M. Nixon
"But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret." - Ronald Reagan
In Their Own Words
"All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway." - Harry S Truman
"To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States." - George W. Bush
What does it take to be President?
Traditonally, Americans have had high expectations for their presidents.
Do you have to be born to a prominent or wealthy family? No, several presidents rose up from humble beginnings.
Do you have to get the highest degree of education or finish at the top of your class? No, remember some of the previous quotes. Some presidents had no formal education.
President Lyndon Johnson's third-grade report card.
What does it take to be President?
Read School House to White House to learn more about the education of the presidents.
School House to White House
Read What Makes a Strong President? to learn more about the characteristics of a strong president.
What Makes a Strong President?
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