US Presidents

No.	President	Term(s)	Political Party	Key Events
1	George Washington	1789-1797	Unaffiliated	Establishment of the federal government and its institutions Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794): First test of federal authority Jay Treaty (1795): Improved relations with Great Britain Farewell Address (1796): Warned against foreign alliances and political parties Neutrality Proclamation (1793): Kept U.S. out of European conflicts First Bank of the United States established (1791)
2	John Adams	1797-1801	Federalist	XYZ Affair (1797-1798): Diplomatic crisis with France Alien and Sedition Acts (1798): Controversial laws restricting civil liberties Convention of 1800: Ended the Quasi-War with France Midnight Judges Act (1801): Appointed Federalist judges before leaving office Moved into the newly completed White House (1800)
3	Thomas Jefferson	1801-1809	Democratic-Republican	Louisiana Purchase (1803): Doubled the size of the United States Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806): Explored the new territory Embargo Act of 1807: Attempted to avoid war by ceasing trade Barbary Wars (1801-1805): First overseas war fought by the U.S. Marbury v. Madison (1803): Established judicial review
4	James Madison	1809-1817	Democratic-Republican	War of 1812 (1812-1815): Conflict with Great Britain Burning of Washington (1814): British forces burned the capital Treaty of Ghent (1814): Ended the War of 1812 Second Bank of the United States chartered (1816) "Era of Good Feelings" begins
5	James Monroe	1817-1825	Democratic-Republican	Era of Good Feelings: Period of reduced partisan tensions Missouri Compromise (1820): Maintained balance between free and slave states Monroe Doctrine (1823): Warned European powers against colonization in the Americas First Seminole War (1817-1818): Conflict in Florida Acquisition of Florida from Spain (1819)
6	John Quincy Adams	1825-1829	Democratic-Republican	Controversial election of 1824: Won by "Corrupt Bargain" in the House Erie Canal completed (1825): Boosted commerce and westward expansion Tariff of 1828 ("Tariff of Abominations"): Increased sectional tensions U.S.-Mexico border established (1828) First railroad charter in U.S. granted (1827)
7	Andrew Jackson	1829-1837	Democratic	Indian Removal Act (1830): Forced relocation of Native American tribes Nullification Crisis (1832-1833): Conflict over states' rights and federal authority Bank War: Vetoed renewal of Second Bank of U.S. charter Specie Circular (1836): Required payment for federal lands in gold or silver Texas wins independence from Mexico (1836)
8	Martin Van Buren	1837-1841	Democratic	Panic of 1837: Major economic depression Trail of Tears (1838): Forced relocation of Cherokee people Independent Treasury System established (1840) Amistad case (1841): Supreme Court frees illegally captured Africans Caroline Affair (1837): Diplomatic crisis with Britain over Canadian rebellion
9	William Henry Harrison	1841	Whig	Longest inaugural address in history (8,445 words) Died after only 31 days in office from pneumonia First president to die in office, leading to a constitutional crisis
10	John Tyler	1841-1845	Whig	Established precedent for vice presidential succession to presidency Vetoed Whig party legislation, leading to his expulsion from the party Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842): Settled border disputes with Britain Texas annexation treaty signed (1844), though not ratified until 1845 Admitted Florida as a state (1845)
11	James K. Polk	1845-1849	Democratic	Mexican-American War (1846-1848): U.S. acquired vast southwestern territories Oregon Treaty (1846): Settled Oregon boundary dispute with Britain Annexation of Texas (1845) Independent Treasury system reestablished Smithsonian Institution founded (1846)
12	Zachary Taylor	1849-1850	Whig	California Gold Rush (1848-1855) leads to rapid population growth Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850): Agreement with Britain over Central American canal Debate over slavery in newly acquired territories intensifies Died in office after serving only 16 months
13	Millard Fillmore	1850-1853	Whig	Compromise of 1850: Attempt to address slavery issue in new territories Fugitive Slave Act (1850): Controversial law requiring return of escaped slaves Perry Expedition (1852-1854): Opened trade with Japan Gadsden Purchase (1853): Acquired southern Arizona from Mexico First Japanese embassy to U.S. (1860)
14	Franklin Pierce	1853-1857	Democratic	Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Allowed popular sovereignty on slavery issue Gadsden Purchase (1853): Acquired land from Mexico for transcontinental railroad Ostend Manifesto (1854): Secret proposal to acquire Cuba from Spain Commodore Perry opens trade with Japan (1854) Bleeding Kansas: Violent confrontations over slavery in Kansas Territory
15	James Buchanan	1857-1861	Democratic	Dred Scott decision (1857): Supreme Court ruled slaves were not citizens Panic of 1857: Economic recession Utah War (1857-1858): Conflict with Mormon settlers John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) Secession crisis: Seven Southern states seceded before Lincoln's inauguration
16	Abraham Lincoln	1861-1865	Republican	American Civil War (1861-1865) Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Declared slaves in rebellious states free Gettysburg Address (1863) 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery Assassination (April 14, 1865)
17	Andrew Johnson	1865-1869	Democratic/National Union	Reconstruction: Controversial policies for reintegrating Southern states Civil Rights Act of 1866: Granted citizenship to former slaves Tenure of Office Act (1867): Led to Johnson's impeachment Alaska Purchase (1867): Acquired Alaska from Russia 14th Amendment (1868): Guaranteed citizenship and equal rights
18	Ulysses S. Grant	1869-1877	Republican	15th Amendment (1870): Guaranteed voting rights regardless of race Transcontinental Railroad completed (1869) Crédit Mobilier scandal (1872): Major political corruption case Panic of 1873: Economic depression Compromise of 1877: Ended Reconstruction
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	1877-1881	Republican	End of Reconstruction Great Railroad Strike of 1877: First nationwide labor strike Resumption of specie payments (1879): Return to gold standard Began civil service reform Enforced racial integration in federal workplaces
20	James A. Garfield	1881	Republican	Appointed first African American to a high-level government post Promoted civil service reform Assassinated after only 200 days in office His death spurred passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
21	Chester A. Arthur	1881-1885	Republican	Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883): Established merit-based government jobs Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): Prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers Modernized and expanded the U.S. Navy Oversaw implementation of the first Federal immigration law Lowered tariffs and created budget surplus
22	Grover Cleveland	1885-1889	Democratic	Interstate Commerce Act (1887): First federal regulation of private industry Dawes Act (1887): Privatized Native American tribal land Vetoed numerous bills, earning nickname "Veto President" Chinese Exclusion Act renewed (1888) Department of Labor established (1888)
23	Benjamin Harrison	1889-1893	Republican	Sherman Antitrust Act (1890): First federal action against monopolies McKinley Tariff (1890): Raised import duties to protect U.S. manufacturers Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890): Increased amount of silver the government was required to purchase Six states admitted to the Union Wounded Knee Massacre (1890): Last major armed conflict with Native Americans
24	Grover Cleveland	1893-1897	Democratic	Panic of 1893: Severe economic depression Pullman Strike (1894): Major railroad strike Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894): Moderate reduction in tariff rates Gold Standard Act (1900): Placed U.S. on gold standard Venezuelan boundary dispute with Britain (1895)
25	William McKinley	1897-1901	Republican	Spanish-American War (1898): U.S. emerged as a world power Annexation of Hawaii (1898) Philippine-American War begins (1899) Gold Standard Act (1900): Officially adopted the gold standard Assassinated in 1901
26	Theodore Roosevelt	1901-1909	Republican	"Square Deal" domestic program Panama Canal construction begins (1904) Pure Food and Drug Act (1906): Established FDA Conservation efforts: Established national parks and forests Nobel Peace Prize (1906) for mediating Russo-Japanese War
27	William Howard Taft	1909-1913	Republican	16th Amendment (1909): Allowed federal income tax Mann-Elkins Act (1910): Strengthened ICC regulation of railroads Breakup of Standard Oil (1911) Arizona and New Mexico admitted as states (1912) Appointed six Supreme Court justices
28	Woodrow Wilson	1913-1921	Democratic	Federal Reserve Act (1913): Established central banking system World War I (1917-1918): U.S. enters and helps Allies win 18th Amendment (1919): Prohibition of alcohol 19th Amendment (1920): Women's suffrage League of Nations proposed; U.S. Senate rejects membership
29	Warren G. Harding	1921-1923	Republican	Washington Naval Conference (1921-1922): Limited naval armaments Teapot Dome scandal: Major corruption in his administration Budget and Accounting Act (1921): Established the Bureau of the Budget Immigration quotas established Died in office in 1923
30	Calvin Coolidge	1923-1929	Republican	Immigration Act of 1924: Restricted immigration Indian Citizenship Act (1924): Granted citizenship to all Native Americans Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): International agreement to outlaw war Economic policies leading to the "Roaring Twenties" Radio became a popular mass medium
31	Herbert Hoover	1929-1933	Republican	Stock Market Crash of 1929 Great Depression begins Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (1930): Raised import duties Reconstruction Finance Corporation established (1932) Bonus Army march on Washington (1932)
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	1933-1945	Democratic	New Deal programs to combat the Great Depression Social Security Act (1935) U.S. entry into World War II (1941) Manhattan Project: Development of the atomic bomb Establishment of the United Nations (1945)
33	Harry S. Truman	1945-1953	Democratic	Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) Marshall Plan (1948): Economic aid to rebuild Europe NATO established (1949) Korean War begins (1950) McCarthyism and the Second Red Scare
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	1953-1961	Republican	Ended Korean War (1953) Interstate Highway System initiated (1956) Civil Rights Act of 1957: First civil rights legislation since Reconstruction NASA established (1958) U-2 spy plane incident (1960)
35	John F. Kennedy	1961-1963	Democratic	Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) Established Peace Corps (1961) Space Race acceleration: Goal to land on the moon Assassinated in Dallas (1963)
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	1963-1969	Democratic	Civil Rights Act of 1964 Voting Rights Act of 1965 "Great Society" social programs Medicare and Medicaid established (1965) Escalation of the Vietnam War
37	Richard Nixon	1969-1974	Republican	Moon landing (1969) Vietnamization of the Vietnam War Détente with the Soviet Union and China Watergate scandal Resigned from office (1974)
38	Gerald Ford	1974-1977	Republican	Pardoned Richard Nixon Fall of Saigon, end of Vietnam War (1975) Helsinki Accords signed (1975) U.S. Bicentennial celebration (1976) New York City financial crisis
39	Jimmy Carter	1977-1981	Democratic	Department of Energy established (1977) Department of Education established (1979) Camp David Accords (1978) Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981) Panama Canal Treaties
40	Ronald Reagan	1981-1989	Republican	"Reaganomics" economic policies Escalation of the Cold War Iran-Contra affair Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars") Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
41	George H. W. Bush	1989-1993	Republican	Fall of the Soviet Union (1991) Gulf War (1990-1991) Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) NAFTA negotiation Savings and Loan crisis
42	Bill Clinton	1993-2001	Democratic	NAFTA implemented (1994) Welfare reform (1996) Balanced budget and federal surplus Kosovo intervention (1999) Impeachment and acquittal (1998-1999)
43	George W. Bush	2001-2009	Republican	9/11 terrorist attacks (2001) Wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) No Child Left Behind Act (2001) Medicare Part D (2003) Great Recession begins (2007-2008)
44	Barack Obama	2009-2017	Democratic	American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") (2010) Osama bin Laden killed (2011) Iran nuclear deal (2015) Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide (2015)
45	Donald Trump	2017-2021	Republican	Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017) U.S.-China trade war COVID-19 pandemic response First impeachment and acquittal (2019-2020) Second impeachment (2021)
46	Joe Biden	2021-present	Democratic	COVID-19 vaccine rollout American Rescue Plan Act (2021) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (2021) Inflation Reduction Act (2022)

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