unPresidented

If you were to look at any list put together by anyone of the greatest American Presidents, would you expect to see Chester Arthur on it? Probably not, but you should. Arthur became the fourth VP to take over after a president died in office, and the second after a president was assassinated. Unlike his predecessors, though, Arthur recognized the importance of maintaining the former administration...

Today we focus on Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy decisions, as he keeps the US out of WWI long enough for him to get re-elected to a second term before sending 2 million troops across the Atlantic by 1918. The end of the War provides the opportunity for Wilson to make himself internationally admired, but he comes up short in keeping up his momentum at home in the latter half of his term. Listen i...

Woodrow Wilson established himself as one of the most influential and effective Presidents of his time -- becoming one of the most celebrated American figures by the time of his death and quickly attaining a top 5 pedigree on many historians' presidential rankings. Like Thomas Jefferson, though, Wilson is facing a similar backlash to his legacy, as Princeton University (the school where Wilson was...

We move from one political dynasty to another with the first child of a former to become president themselves 1825. John Quincy Adams was made fully aware from his parents that he had all of the advantages and privileges in the world, and because of that he had no reason to not excel as an exceptional public servant.  JQA excelled in almost every political office he was elected/appointed to,...

The presidency of George W. Bush was supposed to be a return to the Reagan era of compassionate conservatism presidential leadership, as he called on the United States to “act with humility” in foreign affairs and not to engage in the process of “nation-building” in war-torn regions of the world at the 2000 general election debates.  What unraveled in our post 9/11 was anything but a return t...

How come we rarely hear about the H.W. presidency? In-office just 30 years ago, we transitioned from out of the Cold War into an entirely new economic and global landscape during his tenure. As one of our most quiet and reserved Presidents in the modern era, H.W. was able to navigate the nation through some of the most sensitive foreign policy decisions with an appropriate amount of caution and ca...

We have a new episode out to start season 3 with our first three-parter on the Bush family political dynasty. While each American generation has had its fair share of politically powerful families, none have been able to occupy the white house for 12 years over a 20 year span. Today's episode lays the foundation for how the major political players in the Bush family built their fortune and brand,...

How ashamed should we all feel (especially men) that we are living in a time where a woman has still never been President of the United States? Women only represent approximately a quarter of both chambers of Congress, and as of three days ago, Ketanji Brown Jackson was just confirmed as the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. The nation credited for kickstarting the modern global ord...

One of the most powerful and sustainable ways a country maintains a shared, holistic identity across their varying communities is by prioritizing that its people learn/feel a shared sense of history. At the same time, a country's success rate in achieving this is always changing, as its people's experiences within it vary widely based on their race, gender, income, and education -- especially in t...

The expansionist, states rights focused presidencies of Jefferson, Jackson and Polk in the pre-Civil War era were among the most popular during the period. They also brought the horrific conflict that was the Civil War closer to a reality precisely for the same reasons -- expanding claimed US territory and the institution of American slavery with it. As a result, their early presidencies made it e...

Jimmy Carter, in many ways, was the true 20th century Presidential anomaly. As one of the most religious and solely local politicians to win a Presidential election -- Carter took pride in embracing his outsider appeal to an American public who had grown accustomed to how institutionalized and predictable the presidency had become. Carter's brand that he cultivated, as a devoutly honest and morall...

In this episode of Unpresidented, we move on from the do-nothing president to the man responsible for taking more land than any other US leader in history. James K. Polk's fierce persistence and vital political connections fed him a steady, stable political career, driven to fulfilling his political party's aspirations.  When his name entered the fray at the 1844 Democratic Convention, no one...

There are many Presidents who have passionately advocated for putting as many limits as possible on government intervention into Americans' lives. Platforms of fewer taxes, regulations, and safety nets have been spearheaded by Presidents like Thomas Jefferson, Grover Cleveland, and Ronald Reagan -- spanning across almost 200 years of Presidential history.  Calvin Coolidge could be fairly cons...

Former living American Presidents just might the most exclusive and bewildering clubs to be a part of. What do Presidents do after they are done being arguably the most powerful person on Earth? They have classified knowledge and expertise on all the most pressing issues of our time -- then somehow, they have to return to normal, public life as ordinary citizens. In this special side-episode of Un...

Bill Clinton, the politician, was everything 90s America needed him to be - a genuine centrist not afraid to feed a new era of Republican Congressional dominance with right of center policies, but also ambitious enough to attempt to pass his own Medicare for All bill that came much closer to becoming law than versions that are proposed today. The Clinton name and what it represents as it exists in...

Historical revisionism can be tricky, especially when it's being employed on American Presidents. Whether a President leaves office with a lot of popularity or in disgrace, a common trend for most Presidents long after they are done serving their terms seems to soften among historians and the overall populace. George W. Bush, for example, left office with approval ratings below 40 percent, yet jus...

Thomas Jefferson used to be characterized by most of the American public as an undeniable hero of American history for almost 200 years after he left the Presidency. Having been instrumental to the nation's founding as well as its expansion -- Jefferson's legacy, even as a slave holder, seemed to be on its way to remaining as untarnished as any historical figure could be. In this episode of Unpres...

Even though Gerald Ford had only two and a half years as President, he had a great opportunity to be just as impactful as his post-WWII predecessors. The qualities that got him to the Vice-Presidency -- such as his laid-back demeanor, eagerness to avoid direct confrontation on difficult issues, and his overall compromising nature, though, is arguably what got in the way of him becoming an effectiv...

In this episode of Unpresidented, we discuss what factors have made William McKinley's Presidency become more favorable among historians the further time has gone on. Why is McKinley considered an underrated President in 2021 with such a controversial record on occupying and ruling over newly, forcibly acquired territories? Should McKinley accomplishments of occupation and American imperial expans...

Maps! New decade, new census, same problems. In this episode of UnPresidented, we take a break from diving into individual Presidents to explore another pillar of American political power -- redistricting. The process of redrawing Congressional districts due to a shift in state populations only happens once every ten years, but the process for who gets to decide how new maps are drawn is controver...

The country's newest, youngest President in 1852 was put in office to be a symbol of compromise between the north and south. The expansion of the US and its railroads also forced the country to confront how it was going to move forward on slavery. Franklin Pierce, a northernor but southern sympathizer, seemed like a great choice to guide the nation back to a steady harmony geographically.  On...

Many of the most notable and covered Presidencies focus on so many of the individualistic aspects of a President themselves by detailing their unique rise to the top of American politics. Harry Truman, though, is the rare exception as someone with a remarkably proficient and newsworthy Presidency, but having such little fanfare invested into what he truly was like as a person. This episode of UnPr...

John Tyler Who are the Whigs, and how does John Tyler, a former Democratic-Republican and low-level House member, find himself on their ticket in the 1840 election? In this episode of Unpresidented, we explore the wild, uncertain politics that emerge out of the Founders Era. Figures like Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison are replaced by a less remembered generation such as John Calhoun, Andrew Jacks...

Ronald Reagan Part 2 By 1967, the transition to passionate conservative for Ronald Reagan was complete, and the new governor of California finally secured a distinguished office to bring his brand of conservatism into the mainstream of California politics. Translating that success into victory for a general Presidential election, though, was going to be far more difficult. How do you get a country...

Ronald Reagan Part 1 Conservatism, in the most true sense of its political meaning, could have never emerged with such immense popularity in the US without a brilliant (political) actor like President Ronald Reagan. His career provides the whole political framework for conservative politicians today on how to frame issues to encourage popular support for cuts to government programs, reduced regula...