Table of Contents

Introduction Chronological List of Events President George Washington Authorizes Military Intervention to Confront the Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 President James Buchanan Alludes to the Dred Scott Case in Inaugural Address, 1857 President Andrew Johnson Vetoes the Second Reconstruction Act, 1867 President Ulysses S. Grant Suspends Writ of Habeas Corpus in Parts of South Carolina, 1871 President Grover Cleveland Takes Action Regarding Violence toward Chinese Immigrants, 1886 President Grover Cleveland Intervenes in Pullman Strike, 1894 President Theodore Roosevelt Remarks on the Importance of Conservation, 1903 President Woodrow Wilson Endorses the Nineteenth Amendment, 1918 President Warren Harding Speaks to the Public about Prohibition, 1923 President Calvin Coolidge Orders Legislation Requiring Documentation from Immigrants, 1926 President Herbert Hoover Comments on the Bonus Army Investigation, 1932 President Franklin D. Roosevelt Discusses the New Deal in Fireside Chat, 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt Signs Conservation Act amid the Dust Bowl, 1936 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Sends Federal Support to Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957 President John F. Kennedy Outlines Civil Rights Act in Report, 1963 President Richard Nixon Answers Question about Kent State University Protest, 1970 President Gerald R. Ford Creates Emergency Immunization Program during Swine Flu Outbreak, 1976 President Jimmy Carter Addresses the Nation about Its Crisis of Confidence, 1979 President Ronald Reagan Fires Air Traffic Controllers on Strike, 1981 President Ronald Reagan Acknowledges AIDS Crisis, 1985 President Bill Clinton Remembers Oklahoma City Bombing Victims, 1995 President Bill Clinton Calls for Gun Control Legislation following Columbine Shooting, 1999 President Barack Obama Gives Remarks at Sandy Hook Interfaith Prayer Vigil, 2012 President Barack Obama Gives Update on the U.S. Response to Ebola Outbreak, 2014 President Barack Obama Remembers Michael Brown and Discusses Race, Class, and Criminal Justice Reform in the United States, 2015 President Donald Trump Takes Executive Action to Combat Opioid Crisis, 2017 President Donald Trump's Remarks on White Supremacist Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, 2017 President James Monroe Discusses the Economic Crisis Facing the Nation, 1819 President Andrew Jackson Vetoes the Re-Charter of the Second National Bank, 1832 President Martin Van Buren Addresses Congress during the Economic Panic of 1837 President John Tyler Vetoes Bill to Create a National Bank, 1841 President James Buchanan Addresses Congress about the Nation's Economic Struggles, 1858 President Ulysses S. Grant Plans to Revitalize a Floundering Economy, 1875 President Grover Cleveland Promotes Importance of Financial Soundness, 1895 President Theodore Roosevelt Endorses Anti-Trust Measures, 1903 President Herbert Hoover Wrestles with the Stock Market Crash, 1930 President Herbert Hoover Signs the Norris-LaGuardia Act, 1932 President George H. W. Bush Outlines a Bailout to Address the Savings and Loans Crisis, 1989 President Bill Clinton Delivers Remarks on Government Shutdown, 1995 President Barack Obama Introduces Measures to Pull America Out of the Great Recession, 2009 President Barack Obama Gives Remarks on Government Shutdown, 2013 Donald Trump Links Illegal Immigration to Government Shutdown, 2019 President Benjamin Harrison Addresses the Nation about the Johnstown Flood, 1889 President Calvin Coolidge Addresses the Red Cross after the Mississippi Flood, 1927 President Lyndon B. Johnson Provides Federal Aid to Alaska after Earthquake, 1964 The White House Prepares a Moon Disaster Speech for President Richard Nixon, 1969 President Jimmy Carter Visits Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Following Meltdown, 1979 President Jimmy Carter Visits Washington after Mount St. Helens Eruption, 1980 President Ronald Reagan Mourns the Loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, 1986 President George H. W. Bush Gives Statement on Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 1989 President George W. Bush Gives Remarks on Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster, 2003 President George W. Bush Tours Areas Damaged by Hurricane Katrina, 2005 President Barack Obama Discusses Status of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010 President Barack Obama Updates Nation on Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts, 2012 President Donald Trump Tweets about U.S. Response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, 2018 President Donald Trump Tweets about Wildfires in California, 2018 President Andrew Johnson Removes Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War, 1868 President Theodore Roosevelt Announces the Death of President William McKinley, 1901 President Woodrow Wilson Creates Committee on Public Information during Red Scare, 1917 President Harry Truman Fires General Douglas MacArthur, 1951 President Harry Truman Attempts to Discredit McCarthyism, 1952 President Lyndon B. Johnson Declares National Day of Mourning for President John F. Kennedy, 1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson Makes Statement about Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1968 President Richard Nixon Announces Resignation after Watergate Scandal, 1974 President Gerald R. Ford Grants Pardon to Richard Nixon, 1974 President Ronald Reagan Denies Illegal Involvement in Iran-Contra Scandal, 1987 President Bill Clinton Gives Remarks Prior to Vote on First Article of Impeachment, 1998 President Donald Trump Makes Statement during United States–Russia Summit in Helsinki, 2018 President George Washington Issues Neutrality Proclamation in the War between England and France, 1793 President John Adams Wrestles over War with France after Passage of Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798 President Thomas Jefferson Responds to British Provocations during the Napoleonic War, 1807 President James Madison Calls All Citizens to Unite in Defense of the District of Columbia, 1814 President James Monroe Ratifies Missouri as a Slave State with the Missouri Compromise, 1821 President Andrew Jackson Praises the Indian Removal Act, 1830 President James Polk Prepares for War against Mexico, 1846 President Millard Fillmore Addresses Congress about the Compromise of 1850 President Franklin Pierce Intervenes in "Bleeding Kansas," 1856 President Abraham Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln Delivers the Gettysburg Address, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln Ponders the Future of Slavery and Citizenship in America, 1863 President William McKinley Facilitates Occupation of the Philippines, 1898 President Woodrow Wilson Seeks Peace during World War I, 1918 President Franklin D. Roosevelt Declares War against Japan, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt Gives State of the Union Address during World War II, 1944 President Harry Truman Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, 1945 President Harry Truman Nationalizes Steel Industry during Korean War, 1952 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Warns about the Implications of Russia's Sputnik Space Satellite, 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower Addresses the Press about U-2 Plane Incident, 1960 President John F. Kennedy Speaks about the Bay of Pigs Fiasco, 1961 President John F. Kennedy Warns Soviet Union about Actions in Berlin, 1961 President John F. Kennedy Gives Report on Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 President Lyndon B. Johnson Vows Continued Support for South Vietnam in Letter to General Minh, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson Gives Report on Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964 President Jimmy Carter Gives Statement on Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979 President Ronald Reagan Addresses Bombing of U.S. Military Barracks in Beirut, 1983 President George H. W. Bush Discusses the Persian Gulf Crisis, 1990 President Bill Clinton Addresses Military Efforts in Somalia after Ambush in Mogadishu, 1993 President Bill Clinton Responds to Terrorist Attack on USS Cole, 2000 President George W. Bush Addresses the Nation after 9/11 Terror Attacks, 2001 President Barack Obama Makes Statement on Attack on U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, 2012 Bibliography Index

Promotional Information

This resource uses primary documents and contextualizing essays to illuminate how America's presidents have responded to major tests of their leadership and approached their role and responsibilities in times of national crisis.

About the Author

Brian M. Harward, PhD, is professor and Robert G. Seddig Chair in Political Science at Allegheny College, in Meadville, PA.

Reviews

Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
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