About this President's Blog

When I was in the 2nd grade, my grandmother challenged me to memorize all of the U.S. Presidents. At that time, Ronald Reagan was the President, so it was a list of 40 names to memorize. I quickly did so, and then moved on to memorize all the Vice Presidents, followed by the First Ladies. She inspired in me a love of studying and learning about each presidential administration. I started collecting various books on the Presidents. My family also vacationed in Washington DC a couple times which included tours of the US Capitol and Whitehouse, as well as going to the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History amongst other sites.

As I grew into later teenage and college years, my passion for this subject area faded, and sat on the proverbial bookshelf, collecting dust. Now in middle adult life, the flame has rekinkdled, especially upon discovering recent presidential biographies from Chernow, McCullough, Goodwin, and Smith, to name a few. These authors, and many others, have humanized and demythologized their lives and times. I have also found there are many people who share enthusiam for this subject.

There is an abundance of information about the Presidents on the Internet from official U.S. government websites, academic instituions, podcasts, Presidential libaries, YouTube channels, book talks and enthusiast amateur historians. I have come across so much and want a place to collect and curate all of my favorites. Hence the creation of this blog.

Aims and Intentions

1. Story telling through pictures and portraits.
2. Include basic personalize information such as date of birth, date of death, key locations and residences, spouse and family
3. Election figures and anecdotes
4. Administration details such as dates of service, Vice President, cabinet members
5. Domestic issues of the time and the administration's position and policies
6. Foreign affairs of the time and the administration's position of policies
7. Key legislative leaders, foils and political opponents
8. Key accomplishments including precedents and notable firsts
9. Key criticisms and failures, from the contemporary time and based on modern standards
10. Anecdotes and fun facts, myths and legends and humanizing stories
11. Curated links to notable online resources such as park service facilities, presidential library, podcasts, YouTube channels (and notable videos), documentaries, library of Congress resources, etc.
12. List of notable biographies and books about the times of the administration
13. Remain nonpartisan and apolitical
14. Include some personal opinions and reflections
15. Cite resources and give proper attribution
16. Inflammatory and incendiary comments are unacceptable and will be deleted