Data Cards for
Presidency Activity
CARD 1
Data about Franklin D. Roosevelt, as of 1945 The American people
elected Roosevelt president four times. Because of his New Deal programs
designed to combat the severe financial depression of the 1930s and his
leadership during World War II, many historians have classified him as one
of the most effective chief executives ever to hold the office. Some of
Roosevelt's critics, however, felt that he misused the power of the
presidency by exerting extensive political pressure on Congress in order to
secure passage of the New Deal legislation. He served as president from
1933 until his death in 1945. An attack of polio in the early 1920s left
Roosevelt's legs partially paralyzed for the remainder of his life.
CARD 2
Data about Benedict Arnold, as of 1801 Before he joined the British in
their attempt to defeat the rebels during the American Revolution, Arnold
had served George Washington with distinction during military campaigns
from 1776 to 1779. Distressed with financial worries and with a feeling of
not receiving adequate recognition from the Continental Congress for his
services, he abandoned the American cause and became one of the most
well-known traitors in American history
CARD 3
Data about Martin Luther King, Jr., as of 1968 Before he was
assassinated in 1968, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., had become
one of the most active champions of the nonviolent civil rights movement.
Beginning with his successful boycott of segregated city buses in
Birmingham, Alabama, King rose to become leader of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference-one of the most effective organizations to
lobby for the federal civil rights legislation during the 1960s.
CARD 4
Data about Andrew Jackson, as of 1829 According to most historians of
American life, Jackson was one of our most forceful chief executives. As
president, Jackson asserted the supremacy of the federal government when
South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariff laws. His opposition to
any form of monopoly was evident in his veto of legislation to recharter the
powerful and half-public Bank of the United States.
CARD 5
Data about Alexander Hamilton, as of 1804 Until his death in a duel with
Aaron Burr, he had served his country as an advisor to George
Washington. His arguments for adoption of the federal Constitution were
instrumental in its final approval. His financial' genius helped to establish
the young U.S. on a firm financial footing during its early years.
CARD 6
Data about Eleanor Roosevelt, as of 1949 Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, became one of our country's most active champions
of the poor, minority groups, women's labor unions, and civil rights. As
Franklin Roosevelt's wife, she constantly served as an unofficial advisor
for many of his New Deal domestic policies. After her husband's death in
1945, Mrs. Roosevelt was appointed a United States delegate to the United
Nations.
CARD 7
Data about Lyndon B. Johnson, as of 1972 Taking over as president upon
the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson became an active
and outspoken proponent of civil rights. Wining the presidency by a
landslide in 1964, the Johnson administration escalated the war in Vietnam
but as the war became more and more unpopular, Johnson chose not to run
for re-election in 1968.
CARD 8
Data about Abraham Lincoln, as of 1865 With the exception of George
Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt, probably no other president ever
entered office facing such immense problems as did Abraham Lincoln. Historians of Lincoln's life generally agree that he did as much as any chief
executive could have to lead the Union to victory in the Civil W8\, and
attempt to heal the wounds of that conflict for both the North and the South.
On numerous occasions before and during his presidency, Lincoln suffered
periods of severe mental depression. His untimely assassination occurred in
1865