United States Presidents

Between 1789 and 2016, there have been 45 Presidents of the United States, often referred to as POTUS (President of the United States). Of course, nearly everyone knows the very first president, elected in 1789 by a unanimous vote of the electoral college, George Washington. He was extremely popular and liked by all and has the nickname the 'Father of His Country'.

Washington was a general during the American Revolutionary War, and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were signed during his term in office. His V-P was, who would later become president, was John Adams, and Washington set the high standards future presidents are expected to follow.

The Constitution of the U.S. gives the president the responsibility as the Chief Executive of the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The Presidency is the Executive Branch of the government, and as the Chief Executive, all presidents make sure citizens follow federal laws and abide with the agreements made with other countries.

Most presidents have been elected by the citizens, but nine times in history, the Vice-President took over the office when the sitting president either died while in office, was assassinated, impeached (legally removed), or resigned.

For example, another well-known President, Abraham Lincoln, was the 16^th president who was assassinated while in office. He served as the leader of the country between 1861 and 1865 and was well-known for his opposition of slavery, and is often recognized as the greatest American President. He also had the nickname Honest Abe, and is famous for his speech, the Gettysburg Address.

Typically, a president will serve a four-year term and currently may not serve more than two terms or more than ten years. However, prior to the 22^nd Amendment of the Constitution passed by the states in 1951, a president was permitted to serve multiple terms or years.

Another great president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR for short was a leader who served three terms, between 1933 and 1945. He was in office during the Great Depression and because of his leadership and the policies and projects he used to stimulate the economy, the unemployment rate dropped from 20% to 2%. Social Security also became the law during Roosevelt's terms as president. He was the president during World War II, which took place between 1939 and 1945, and was a key person to the U.S. and the Allies victory. FDR died while in office and his V-P, Harry Truman (1945 to 1953) took over.

There were 42 other presidents as well, and some historians will argue some of them have been just as influential and well-known as Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. For example, Barrack Obama (2009 to 2016) was the first African-American to become president; John F. Kennedy (1961 to 1963) was also assassinated and a proponent of the Civil Rights movement; Richard Nixon (1969 to 1974) was the only president to resign from office; and Ronald Reagan (1981 to 1989) implemented new economic polices known as Reaganomics

Nevertheless, regardless of the individual president and his (there have been no women presidents) achievements, each have contributed uniquely to the history of the United States, and their decisions, policies, and appointments may be judged as positive or negative, and will usually depend on the person's opinion.