Presidential history
-
First President Gives a Warning
There is a warning contained in George Washington’s Farewell Address. In an op-ed piece in the New York Times by Thomas R. Pickering and James Stoutenberg, Feb. 18, 2018, they point out Washington’s “uncanny foresight” regarding forces that can threaten our democracy. In a quote from Washington’s address this first leader of America reveals weaknesses in our system of government that can be exploited: “A free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another,” he declared. Such encroachment, he said, would lead to the consolidation of…
-
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Martha Beall was born on September 2, 1918 and later became Martha Beall Mitchell the wife of President Richard Nixon’s 1968 appointed Attorney General, John Mitchell. Nixon, notoriously known as a man who shifted blame away from himself and onto others, shamelessly placed the Watergate scandal onto Martha’s shoulders. In an interview with popular talk show host David Frost (September 1977 on Frost on America) Nixon said, “If it hadn‘t been for Martha Mitchell, there‘d have been no Watergate.” Martha’s claims of White House wrong doing were thought at first as unbelievable, but were eventually proven correct. On January 1, 1975, her husband John Mitchell was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction…
-
Date of Nixon Resignation
It was at 9: 01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House that President Nixon gave his resignation speech that was broadcast on radio and television. PRESIDENT NIXON’S RESIGNATION SPEECH PDF FILE PRESIDENT NIXON’S RESIGNATION SPEECH August 8, 1974 Good evening. This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest. In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best…
-
150 years since Abraham Lincoln’s death
The gunshot that killed Lincoln came from John Wilkes Booth’s .44-caliber derringer as the president and his wife watched “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre. At 7:22 the following morning, April 15, 1865, in the Petersen boarding house across from the theatre, the 16th president of the United States took his last breath, but not before making his mark in history. Who the Secretary of State Edwin M. Stanton called “the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen.” Ford’s Theatre is hosting a comprehensive series of Lincoln memorials, which it calls Ford’s 150: Remembering the Lincoln Assassination. The commemorations will be on Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, D.C.…
You May Also Like
One Term Presidents Voted Out
-
Benjamin Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues
1.Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. 2.Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. 3.Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 4.Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5.Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing. 6.Industry. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 7.Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. 8.Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your…
You May Also Like
One Term Presidents Voted Out
