Barack Obama

Barack Obama was born August 4, 1961. His parents were both students at the University of Hawaii . He is biracial. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a black man from Kenya, and his mother Ann Dunham, a white woman, had grown up in Kansas. Barack's grandfather had been a soldier in the army in World War 2.
His parents separated when he was two years old and his father returned to Kenya. After the divorce his mother remarried, this time to a student from Indonesia, and the family moved to Jakarta where Barack was enrolled in an Indonesian school.

When he was ten years old he went to live with his grandparents (his mother's parents) who had moved to Hawaii. While attending school in Hawaii he was one of only three black students in the school.

He only had contact with his father on one occasion after that, and then for only a month. His father died in a car accident in 1982.

After graduating from high school he attended college in Los Angeles and then graduated from Columbia University in New York.

In Chicago he worked with low-income families and housing development.

Next he attended law school at Harvard and became a civil rights lawyer. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School.

In 1992 he married Michelle Robinson, a young woman who had been his adviser when he started working at the Chicago law firm. Six years later their first daughter Malia Ann was born. Three years after that they had a second daughter, Natasha whom they call "Sasha". Young children have not lived in the White House in over 25 years. Amy Carter was nine years old when her father, Jimmy Carter became President.

Barack's mother Ann died of cancer in 1994 at the age of fifty-two.

In 1996 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, and eight years later he was elected to the United States Senate.

In 2004, the year John Kerry was nominated to run for President on the Democratic ticket, Obama gave the keynote speech at the Democratic convention. He gave a very impressive speech, and people at that time took note of his leadership ability.

In 2007 he announced he would run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton also wanted to be the Democratic nominee. After months of campaigning Obama won the nomination. Then he and John McCain, the Republican candidate, campaigned tirelessly for months. On election day November 4, 2008 an early victory was achieved and Barack Obama became the first African American to ever be elected to the highest office in the land, the presidency. It was a truly historical event in the country.

Unfortunately his beloved grandmother,Madelyn Dunham did not live to see her grandson elected. She died on November 3rd, the day before the election.

After the election people began naming their newborns after Barack and Michelle. The story of Barack Obama has only begun to be written. The nation and the world watch as he starts to accomplish the goals he has set for the betterment of Americans.

RONALD REAGAN

Ronald Reagan grew up in Illinois. His father was a shoe salesman. When he was very young, his mother read to him, moving her finger under the words as she read aloud. He taught himself to read by looking at the words as she read, and by the time he was five years old he could read the newspaper.

His mother was an amateur* actress performing onstage in local productions. She encouraged her boys to participate in the theater and public readings. These experiences served him well in later life as he became an actor and an excellent public speaker.

His mother taught him how to connect with people. She told him he needed to look them in the eyes, remember their names, and show them he cared about them. He followed her sage* advice and later became known as "The Great Communicator"*.

After finishing high school he graduated from Eureka College. Upon graduation he worked as a radio sportscaster, then hosted some TV shows. General Electric hired him to give talks to its employees. He visited all 139 GE plants and gave two or three speeches a day.

He became an actor and his acting career spanned several years. He was active in the Screen Actors Guild helping his fellow actors. He was married twice, both times to actresses. His first wife was Jane Wyman. They had a daughter and adopted a son. After their divorce he married Nancy Davis with whom he had a daughter and a son. They would be married for more than 50 years.

During World War 2 he served as a captain in the Army Air Corps making training films for pilots. After the war he switched political parties and became a Republican in 1962.

In 1967 he was elected governor of California. Reagan was a conservative* regarding his policies. He set out to reform the welfare* system which was out of control in California. In 1967 the California Welfare Act was signed and in 1971 he signed a welfare reform bill which required mothers and fathers without young children to work. The guidelines became stricter and the number of people on welfare was reduced. Within three years it had saved the California taxpayers 2 billion dollars.

In 1976 he tried to win the Republican nomination for President of the United States, but Gerald Ford was the nominee that year. Ford, however did not get elected and Jimmy Carter, the Democratic candidate became President.

Reagan was elected governor of California for a second term, then in 1980 he tried again for the Presidency and was elected winning over Jimmy Carter. Reagan had 489 electoral* votes to Carter's 49 votes.

When he became President one of his priorities was to increase the national defense and he advocated increased spending in that area. He pushed the Star Wars missile defense system. Under his leadership the economy stablized. During his first term as President he appointed Sandra Day O'Conner to serve on the Supreme Court. She was the first woman to ever serve in that capacity.

He proved to be so popular he won reelection in 1984 against the Democratic nominee, Walter Mondale. In that election he got 525 electoral votes to Mondale's 13. He advocated a smaller role of government in the lives of people. He bravely spoke out against abortion and for prayer in the schools .

There was an attempt on his life in 1981 when John Hinkley shot him in the chest. He nearly died, but fully recovered from the attack. His press secretary James Brady was struck in the head by one of the bullets and was not so fortunate. He suffered permanent brain damage due to the wound. After that incident stricter gun laws were enacted.

Reagan delegated authority whenever possible. He believed ,"If anyone else can perform a task as well as or better than you could, you should not do it."

( From :"Reagan on Leadership" by James Strock)

He had a clear vision of the things he wanted to accomplish, and if a person was getting off-target, he would talk to that person and help him/her come to a better understanding of the goals.

For many years the United States and Russia had been engaged in what people termed a "Cold War".* There was no shooting or bombing, but there were ill-feelings and a distrust on both sides. Once in a meeting with Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, when they couldn't agree, Reagan walked out on him. Reagan stood his ground.

The Berlin Wall had been erected by the East German army after being advised to do so by the Russian leaders, thus dividing East and West Germany in 1961. Then on June 12, 1987 Ronald Reagan said to to the Russian leader, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Within two years people were traveling freely between the two sectors. He had communicated. The wall came down. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of Ronald Reagan, "He won the Cold War without firing a shot."

While he was President, Reagan kept a plaque on his desk which read, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

When he made a mistake he owned up to it and tried to correct it if possible.

Once when asked about his legacy; how he wanted to be remembered, he said he wanted people to say, "He tried to expand the frontiers of human freedom in a world at peace with itself."

In his later years after he left the White House, Ronald Reagan developed Alzheimer's disease. In 1994 he wrote a letter explaining the sad situation and simply dropped out of public life. There were no more pictures or interviews with him after that time. He lived for ten more years, passing away in 2004.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the son of Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. There were eight children in the Kennedy family; four sons and four daughters. John was known as "Jack". His older brother Joseph Jr. was killed in World War II. His younger brothers were Robert F.and Edward "Ted" Kennedy.

When Jack graduated from high school, his classmates voted him "most likely to succeed". He attended college for a semester at Princeton University in England, then went to Harvard where he graduated in 1940. After doing some graduate work at Stanford University, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Kennedy applied for sea duty. He was in command of a PT * (patrol torpedo) boat. One night a Japanese ship cut his boat in two. He and his men held onto the wreckage for hours, and in spite of an injured back, he was able to save his men and get them safely to shore. They were rescued five days later. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and also the Purple Heart for being wounded in battle.

The Kennedy's wanted their sons to be political leaders, and they were all successful. Robert F.Kennedy would serve as his brother's Attorney General, but would be assassinated * , and Edward "Ted" Kennedy is a United States Senator.

Jack began his career in 1946 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was only twenty-nine years old and looked very young. In 1952 he sought and won a seat in the United States Senate and became Senator Kennedy.

That same year he met Jacqueline Bouvier at a dinner party arranged by mutual friends, and they married the next year. "Jackie" was very popular with the people. Women tried to look like her and dress as she dressed. The Kennedy's had two children, Caroline and John Jr. Another son, Patrick, was born prematurely * and did not survive.

With the strong support of his family he was elected to the presidency in 1960 defeating Richard Nixon by a very narrow margin of popular votes, but Kennedy gained 303 electoral votes compared to 219 for Nixon. At the age of forty-three he was the youngest man ever elected President.

In his inaugural address he told his countrymen, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country".

Kennedy had a new program he called "The New Frontier". He wanted to help the poor people and pressed for an increase in the minimum wage from $1 to $1.25 an hour.

He started the Peace Corps and thousands of young people went to other countries to help people in those countries raise their standard of living.

He championed civil rights reform. It was during his presidency that the "freedom riders" worked to get more equitable treatment for African Americans in America. Martin Luther King along with 200,000 of his supporters staged a Freedom March in Washington DC in support of Kennedy's efforts to gain equal rights for them.

In 1961 Cuban rebels, with U.S. backing, tried to overthrow the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. The attempt failed, and the Bay of Pigs invasion became an embarrassment to the Kennedy administration.

The next year Soviet missile sites were discovered on Cuba. Kennedy sent ships to prevent further buildup by the Soviets. The nation was on the brink of nuclear war until Russia promised to remove all the weapons they had placed on the island, which is only about 100 miles from the U.S. mainland * .

During this tumultuous time the communists built a wall in Berlin to prevent East Berlin citizens from escaping into West Berlin. This wall would remain in place for nearly 30 years.

One bright spot in Kennedy's administration was the launching of John Glenn as the first American astronaut to be sent into orbit. After Kennedy's death President Lyndon Johnson renamed NASA's Cape Canaveral. It would be called the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

In 1963 President and Mrs. Kennedy were visiting in Dallas, Texas. A motorcade * was transporting them through the streets when gunshots rang out, and President Kennedy was shot and killed.

Kennedy motorcade in Dallas 1963

The shots had come from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository * building. An employee in the building, Lee Harvey Oswald, fled the building right after the shots were fired. He was arrested in a theater a short time later. The police questioned him for two days. He said he didn't fire the shots, but the mail-order rifle had been purchased by Oswald for $12.78, and his palm prints were found on the gun.

When the two days were over, the police were moving Oswald from the city jail to the county jail. As they led him out, Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, shot and killed him.

The world joined the American people in mourning the assassination of their leader. Representatives from 90 countries attended the funeral. John F. Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His young widow, Jackie, lighted an "eternal flame" which burns over his grave.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FRANK ln DEL uh no RO zuh velt) known as "FDR" was a descendant of Theodore Roosevelt, his fifth cousin, who had been the 26th President of the United States.

He was the only child of James and Sara Roosevelt. His father was 26 years older than his wife Sara, who was 28 years old when Franklin was born. She was very strict with their son, but both parents loved him very much. They took him on trips to Europe with them, and instead of attending school, Franklin was taught by private tutors.

When he was 14 he went to a preparatory school, and upon finishing high school he attended Harvard where he graduated. Next he went to law school at Columbia University.

While he was at Harvard he made contact with his distant cousin, Eleanor whom he had known as a child. She was rather plain-looking, but she had a brilliant mind, and this attracted Franklin to her. His mother opposed the marriage and constantly interfered. In fact while they couple was on their honeymoon Sara rented a house and fully furnished it to suit her own tastes. Through the years her interference caused Eleanor a lot of grief.

They had six children, but one of their sons died as an infant. Roosevelt was a good father and engaged in many sports and activities with his children.

His political career began at the age of 29 when he became a U.S. Senator from New York. He ran for Vice-President in 1920 on a ticket with James Cox, but they lost the election to Herbert Hoover.

The next year a terrible thing happened to him. He became ill with polio * , a disease which attacks and cripples the body. He became partially paralyzed. He fought hard to overcome the disease and regained the use of his hands, but he would never be able to walk again without help. Swimming in warm water seemed to help his legs.

Some thought his career was ended, but with his determination he proved them wrong. He was elected governor of New York, then in 1932 he was elected President of the United States.

The country was in an economic depression * . People could not get jobs, and families were suffering. Men stood in bread lines to get food. People lost their homes, and farmers lost their farms.

Three weeks after he took office there was a banking crisis. People began to be afraid and drew their money out of the banks. The banks were running out of money. Roosevelt declared a "bank holiday" and closed all the banks until the accounting books could be examined. The financially sound banks were given money by the government to reopen, but the banks in financial trouble remained closed.

WPA workers in 1939

Roosevelt knew he had to do something to help his countrymen survive the economic crisis. He implemented "The New Deal". He created jobs for people building roads, bridges, and schoolhouses. They even paid people to clean up the parks and do odd jobs. The economy gradually began to recover.

He started a program called Social Security to help people in their old age. Millions of Americans today depend on Social Security benefits for their retirement income.

Radio was the primary source of information in those days. Roosevelt used the radio as a means of communicating through his "fireside chats". Through a series of thirty such "chats" he enlisted the co-operation of the American people. He would begin each talk with "My friends...".

In 1936 Roosevelt was re-elected. It was a landslide * ! He received 523 electoral votes and Alf (Alfred) Landon only received 8. Roosevelt won in every state except Maine and Vermont.

In 1935 Congress passed the Neutrality * Act which "prohibited the United States from furnishing weapons or supplies to any nation at war". They passed more laws to keep America free of "foreign entanglements".

Then Germany attacked Poland. What was America to do? Should she just ignore what was happening? Congress passed another Neutrality Act which allowed the sale of weapons, but nations buying the weapons had to move them on their own ships.

In 1940 the Democrats again nominated Roosevelt to run for President. No man up to this time had ever run for a third presidential term, but there was no law against it. (In 1947 the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was proposed limiting a person to serving only two terms as President. It was ratified in 1951.) Roosevelt was elected to a third term.

The world at this time was divided into two camps. On one side were the Axis Powers: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan. Adolph Hitler (AH dolf HIT lur) was the Fuehrer (FYUR r) or the German leader, Benito Mussolini (buh NEE toe moo suh LEE nih) was Prime Minister of Italy, and Hirohito (heer oh HEE toe) was the Emperor of Japan. Tojo (TOE jo) was the Japanese general and Prime Minister. ( See FDR Resources )

In the other camp were the Allies; those opposing the Axis Powers. This alliance was composed of Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, and Joseph Stalin of Russia. (See FDR Resources)

America had been able to stay out of the war until December 7, 1941. That was the day Tojo, the Japanese Prime Minister, ordered an attack on the American Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor on the island of Hawaii. Franklin Roosevelt described it as "a date that will live in infamy". America had finally been drawn into World War II (Two).

Roosevelt had meetings in Washington with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. They decided that Germany, the most powerful of the Axis must be defeated first. They continued to meet, then they included Joseph Stalin of Russia in the talks. They were known as "The Big Three". Roosevelt also had talks with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (JEE-AHNG ki shek) of China.

Since the war was continuing in 1944, Roosevelt was again elected President. This would be his fourth term! He had already been President for twelve years. He wanted to retire, but felt it was his duty to continue to serve his country.

The Republicans were adamantly * opposed to electing a man for a fourth term. They said Roosevelt's health was too poor for him to run again. He would show them! He drove around in an open car for four hours in a rainstorm.

He won the election, but he soon began to have one cold after another. This went on for a year.

Two days after his inauguration he went to Yalta (YAWL tuh) where he met with Churchill and Stalin. They planned their strategy to defeat Germany. Russia, in exchange for the Kurile islands and other favors, agreed to enter the war to help defeat the Japanese. He said Russia would enter 90 days after the defeat of the Germans.

In April 1945 Roosevelt was in Warm Springs, Georgia. While there he collapsed and died of a cerebral * hemorrhage * . Millions of Americans mourned the death of their beloved President. The world had lost a great leader. The war would come to an end four months later.

Webmaster's note: Roosevelt was President during the years of my childhood. I remember well my mother's tears the day he died. We heard the news on the windcharger-powered radio that occupied a prominent place in the living room of our small house on the farm.

I also remember one building we had on the farm that was built by members of the CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of Roosevelts work projects. It was an outhouse with the CCC imprint in the concrete floor.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Theodore Roosevelt was small and weak when he was a boy. His eyesight was bad, and he suffered from asthma. * (AZ mu) With the help of his father, he was able to overcome his weakness. He lifted weights and practiced gymnastics every day. He also rode horseback, swam, hiked, and studied wrestling, boxing and judo.

The hard work paid off. He overcame his asthma and became well and strong. During the time when he was ill, he had to spend a lot of time in bed. He loved to read, and continued to love reading all his life.

Roosevelt liked a challenge. He left his home in New York and went to North Dakota to become a rancher. He read everything he could about ranching, and hired people who could teach him about cattle.

He didn't let anything stand in the way of duty. Once when he was running for president, someone shot him in the chest. He insisted on giving his speech before he had his wound treated. He said, "I have a message to deliver, and I will deliver it as long as there is life in my body."

He only slept 4 or 5 hours a night. He would sit up and read or work while his family slept.

He was a military man. His motto was, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Once in a battle in the Spanish-American war, he led his cavalry soldiers * (called Rough Riders) straight up San Juan Hill, even though he feared that he or his soldiers might be wounded.

Larger view The Rough Riders, Tampa Florida Teddy Roosevelt on the right

Larger view Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado created by Roosevelt in 1906

He was also very concerned about America's natural resources; the land, forests, and rivers. He agreed to protect 150 million acres of wilderness land.

During cattle drives, he worked right along beside the cowboys.

He went into politics because he decided he needed to serve the public. He was honest, and expected others to be honest, also.

He served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He helped to bring about the construction of the Panama Canal.

When he was young, he promised himself he would live his life "to the hilt" * until he was 60. And that is just what he did.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. The family moved to Indiana and 8 year old Abe helped his father build another log house. A year later his mother died and the house was very empty. His father remarried and in addition to his sister Sarah, who was 3 years older, there were now 3 more children in the family.

Lincoln had less than a year of schooling. Books were scarce and so was paper. He worked his arithmetic problems on a board and cleaned the board with a knife so he could use it again.

The family owned a Bible and he spent many hours reading it. He would copy parts of it in order to memorize it. Sometimes he would walk for miles to borrow a book. One of his favorite books was "The Life of George Washington".

By the time he was 17, he knew he wanted to be a lawyer. He would walk 17 miles to the county courthouse in order to watch the lawyers work. He sat in the back of the courtroom and watched them as they shook their fists and became red in the face. Then he would go home and think about what he had seen.

When he was 21 years old he moved to Illinois and spent a year laboring on a farm. It is said that he and his fellow-laborer split 3,000 rails in that year 1830. He also managed a flat-boat on the Ohio River

Every time he got a new job he would try to work on a skill which would help him when he became a lawyer. When he was a shopkeeper he tried to be honest and fair. Once he
shortchanged * a woman by 6 cents, and he followed her home so he could give the money back to her.

When he was a postmaster, he tried to learn how to get along with people well.

When he was a surveyor; * a person who measured land, he tried to always be accurate in his measurements.

He still wanted to be a lawyer. He would go without sleep in order to study. He would borrow books from a neighbor in the evening, read them by the light of the fireplace, and take them back in the morning. In 1836 he passed the test and became a lawyer.

It was during this time he was he was elected to the Illinois legislature. * by the Whig party. He became good at debating and public speaking. He had many debates with John Calhoun regarding the tariff question. They spoke before large audiences, sometimes as long as four hours. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas participated in several debates concerning the question of slavery. They had a previous encounter at the State Fair in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln would lose the senate race, but would win over Douglas in the 1860 presidential race.

"The Undecided Political Prize Fight"

Once a woman wrote an article containing some ridiculing remarks about General James Shields. The editor spoke to Lincoln about it and Lincoln said, "Tell him I wrote it." That's what he did and Shield challenged Lincoln to a duel with Lincoln's choice of weapons. On the appointed day Lincoln arrived with a sword in one hand and a hatchet in the other. A man, John J. Hardin, stopped the fight before it started. The event possibly changed the course of the nation's history.

He was inaugurated * president in March of 1861. Five weeks later the Civil War began. It was a fight about slavery. Lincoln wanted the United States to remain one nation. It was in danger of being divided into two nations; the North and the South.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Photo by David Bjorgen

In his 1860 inaugural address, he said: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." Two years later, President Lincoln wrote: "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union (Letter to Horace Greeley, August 22, 1862)."

He quoted from the Bible," A house divided against itself cannot stand." He was able to realize both of his goals. In 1863 he issued the Emancipation * Proclamation freeing the slaves in the Southern states, and the country was able to remain a united nation. Eventually all the slaves in the United States became free.

We get an insight into the life of Abraham Lincoln when we read an article which appeared in an Athens, Ohio newspaper June 8, 1860 .

On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln were attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. While there he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor with extremist views concerning politics and slavery. There had been a conspiracy by Booth and his cohorts to not only kill the president, but also William Henry Seward, and Andrew Johnson, the vice-president. The attack on Seward failed and the one on Johnson was never carried out. The president, after being shot, was carried to a house across the street from the theater and died nine hours later. Booth was killed by one of the men trying to apprehend him.

Of all the presidents, Abraham Lincoln is the one in whom there is the greatest continuing interest. School children study him, historians debate his life and legacy, and people collect memorabilia about him.

James Madison

James Madison was born in Virginia. He had eleven younger brothers and sisters. He was sick a lot when he was a child and the family hired a private tutor * to teach him until he was 11. Then he went to a boarding school which was 70 miles from his home. There he spent five years studying Latin, Greek, French, Italian,
algebra * , geometry * and geography.

When he was 18 he entered college. He studied hard and finished college in two years instead of three.

After he graduated, he didn't know what he wanted to do. He could go back to the family plantation and farm, or he could become a minister. He thought about becoming a lawyer. He would just keep studying.

Constitution of the United States

He decided to help in the government. He served in the Continental Congress. Some say that without James Madison, the Constitution * would not have been written. He is called the Father of the Constitution. He had studied a lot and taken a lot of notes. When the men met to talk about a constitution, Madison spoke 161 times. He knew about every subject being discussed.

He was elected president in 1809. His wife Dolley enjoyed entertaining in the White House. It is said she had a smile and a pleasant word for everyone.

After he retired from being the president, he and Dolley returned to Montpelier, the family estate. He died there in 1836. His wife then returned to Washington and lived there for the last 13 years of her life.