Quiz Instructions
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”
Born: February 12, 1809 Kentucky
First Lady: Mary Todd Lincoln
Pets: Jack the turkey, Nanny and Nanko the goats, ponies, cats, dogs, pigs and a white rabbit
Children: 4 boys but only one grew to become a man. Robert Todd Lincoln was born in 1843. Eddie and Willie died at 4 and 12 years old. Tad lived longer than his father but died of a heart condition at 18.
Education: No college
Terms served: 1861-1865, 1865
Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson
Nickname: Honest Abe
Hobby: Townball, walking, wrestling
Died: April 15, 1865 at age 55
Political Party: Republican
Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin. He didn’t have a chance to go to school, but he learned to read and loved reading. He wanted to learn as much as he could so he would read whenever he could. He worked on his family’s farm. His mother died when he was nine and his 11 year old sister took care of the family.
His family were strongly anti-slavery. He wanted to make a difference in the world so he became a lawyer and then a politician. He was elected to be in the Illinois legislature for three terms. Then he ran for the Senate. The newspapers wrote about the debates he had with Stephen A Douglas. Even though he lost the election, his speaking made him famous. Then in 1860 he ran for president for the Republican Party. His main thing was to restrict slavery.
Right after he was elected, ten states from the south tried to leave the United States. The Civil War tore the country apart. In the beginning, the Union army didn’t do very well. Lincoln was criticized by Democrats and Republicans, Northerners and Southerners. He abolished slavery in his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. This weakened the south and the north marched on to victory. Lincoln then had a big plan to rebuild the South and the whole country. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered and the war was over.
Five days later, Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth while he was watching a play.
Fun Fact: Lincoln loved to tell jokes. He had a great sense of humor.
Fun Fact: He was the first president with a beard in Washington DC.
Fact: He was the first president to be assassinated.
Fact: At 21, he became the county wrestling champion.
Fact: Lincoln was the tallest president at 6 foot 4 inches and wore size 14 shoes.
Fact: He was the first president to be born outside the 13 colonies.
Fact: He was the first president to be photographed at his inauguration. His killer was standing near him. (John Wilkes Booth)
Fact: His favorite food was bacon and gingerbread cookies.
Fact: Lincoln was the only president with a patent. It was to help lift boats out of the water.
Fact: Lincoln and his wife held seances. They loved learning about psychic things.
https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/lincoln_facts.pdfLinks to an external site.
15 James Buchanan
“All the friends that I loved and wanted to reward are dead, and all the enemies that I hated and I had marked out for punishment are turned to my friends.”
Born: April 23, 1791 Pennsylvania
First Lady: Never married. Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnson
Pets: Lara, a Newfoundland, an eagle and an elephant
Children: none
Education: Dickinson College
Terms served: 1857-1861
Vice President: John C Breckinridge
Nickname: Old Buck
Died: June 1, 1868 at age 77
Political Party: Democratic
James Buchanan was a serious student. He was also a smoker and a drinker. He was badly behaved, but then promised to mend his ways. He started a successful law practice before he started to work in politics. He was elected as a congressman and senator. Under President Pierce, he was the foreign minister and secretary of states.
In 1856, the Democrats were looking for someone who could keep the north and the south happy. They thought Buchanan could handle it. However, the extreme parts of the north and the south did not like his attitude. He believed that slavery was bad, but the constitution allowed it. He thought that if he was nice to the people in the north and the south, then the troubles would go away.
One of the most important cases involved the Dred Scott decision in 1857. It said that restricting slavery was not legal. This caused the slavery issue to explode. They said that even though Dred Scott lived in a free state, he needed to go back to his master. They said he belonged to another person and had no right to sue or be a citizen.
Buchanan tried hard to keep the peace, but by the end of his presidency, the first shots of the Civil War started. The south wanted to start their own country and leave the United States. They even voted for their own president. After he finished as president, he retired and wrote a book explaining his actions. He hoped people would understand.
Fun Fact: First president to be a bachelor the whole time he was president.
Fun Fact: He fostered many nieces and nephews at his Pennsylvania estate, Wheatland.
Fact: His boyhood home in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, was later turned into a hotel: the James Buchanan Hotel.
Fact: He was often called a “doughface” which meant he was a northerner who favored southern opinions.
Fact: He was offered a seat on the Supreme Court.
Fact: One of his goals was to buy Cuba from Spain, but he never did it.
Fact: Twice, he was almost kicked out of school.
Fact: His favorite food was cabbage, especially sauerkraut
Fact: His niece became the first lady in her 20s and had lots of parties at the White House.
Fact: He has a quote,” I am the last president of the United States!”
14 Franklin Pierce
“With the Union my best and dearest earthly hopes are entwined”
Born: November 23, 1804 New Hampshire
First Lady: Jane Pierce
Pets: Miniature “teacup” Japanese Chin dogs and Two birds. They were gifts from Japan
Children: 3 boys. They all of in childhood. Franklin Jr. as a baby, while Frank Robert age 4 from typhus and. Benjamin at age 11 in a train accident.
Education: Phillips Exeter Academy, Bowdoin College
Terms served: 1853-1857
Vice President: William R. King
Nickname: Handsome Frank
Died: October 8, 1869 at age 64
Political Party: Democratic
Franklin Pierce was born in New Hampshire and served in the House and Senate. His wife hated Washington DC so much that he resigned. Then he enlisted to fight in the Mexican war and eventually became a brigadier general. His leg was severely hurt, but he stayed in the battle until Mexico City was captured. Then he went back to being a lawyer.
The United States had a good economy at that time, but the North and South of the country became difficult to handle. The fight over slavery became a huge part of his presidency. He was trying to help build the transcontinental railroad, so he supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This pushed people to move to Kansas and both the north and south tried to control that state. Shooting broke out. It was a prelude to the Civil War.
Fun Fact: First president to put a Christmas tree in the White house.
Fun Fact: He had a good memory for names and faces.
Fact: His father fought in the Revolutionary War.
Fact: He met and became friends with Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who were famous writers.
Fact: He was wounded when his horse fell on his leg.
Fact: He became depressed and turned to alcohol.
Fact: He had no middle name
Fact: His favorite food was Fannie DaddiesLinks to an external site.
Fact: His vice president died after one month
Fact: The only president to keep his cabinet for the four years.
Fact: He bought land in southern New Mexico and Arizona for $10 million
#13 Millard Fillmore
“It is not strange…to mistake change for progress.”
Born: January 7, 1800, New York
First Lady: Abigail Fillmore and Caroline Carmichael McIntosh Fillmore
Pets: Mason and Dixon, ponies
Children: 1 boy (Millard) and 1 girl (Abigail)
Education: One room schoolhouse
Terms served: 1850-1853
Vice President: None
Nickname: The American Louis Philippe
Died: March 8, 1874 at 74 years of age in Buffalo, New York
Political Party: Whig, Know Nothing
Millard Fillmore grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York. He had a difficult frontier life, but worked hhard. He was a famer and cloth dresser before he became a lawyer. He was friends with the Whigs and held state office for many years and then was elected as Vice President.
After the death of Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore became the 13th president. As president he supported the Compromise of 1850. This allowed the territories of Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah to become states even though they were not slave states. He also allowed Washington DC to ban slavery. They also enforced the Fugitive Slave Act which required people to help in the recovery of runaway slaves. These pro-slavery policies lost him support in the North and he did not get reelected.
Now that California was a state, Fillmore started thinking about Japan. He sent a special naval expedition to give a letter to the Japanese emperor. He suggested that the United States and Japan could work together. They signed a treaty of Kanagawa and started world trade.
In 1853, he was beaten by Pierce. In 1856, Fillmore ran again. This time he was nominated by the Know-Nothing Party. He lost to James Buchanan and retired from politics. He was sad after his wife died and went to live in New York.
Fun Fact: Fillmore loved collecting book and started a permanent library in the White House.
Fun Fact: He was the first president to have a bathtub with running water in the White House.
Fact: He carried a dictionary with him at all times.
Fact: He fell in love with and married his teacher.
Fact: Another nickname was Last of the Whigs
Fact: He protected the Hawaiian islands from France
Fact: His favorite food was soup.
Fact: His wife died just after leaving the White House.
Fact: First First Lady to have a job after marriage. She loved teaching.
Fact: Bathtub hoax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_hoaxLinks to an external site.
#12 Zachary Taylor
Born: November 2, 1795, in Mecklenberg, North Carolina
First Lady: Sarah Childress Polk
Pets: a horse
Children: None
Education: University of North Carolina
Terms served: 1845-1849
Vice President: George Mifflin Dallas
Sport: none, he was sickly and couldn’t do physical activity
Nickname: The People’s Choice, Young Hickory
Died: June 15, 1849 at 53 years of age
Political Party: Democrat
James Polk’s parents ran a farm on the frontier, but Polk did not want to work on the farm. His parents decided to get him educated. He had tutors and became a lawyer. He worked hard to help Andrew Jackson become president. Then he became an aide to Jackson.
At the 1844 Democratic Convention, Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cass were tied for the nomination. Jackson then suggested that Polk would be great. He was a dark horse. This also became his nickname. He served in the US Congress for seven terms and became the Speaker of the House. Later he became governor of Tennessee.
Polk worked hard as president. He had a lot of ideas and goals. He wanted to make the USA bigger by adding the Oregon Territory, California and New Mexico. To do this, he made a war with Mexico. It was called the Mexican-American War. When the USA won the war, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming became part of the USA.
He also reduced taxes and created the US Treasury.
Polk did not try to get a second term. He went home to Tennessee and died a few months later.
Fun Fact: Polk was a hard worker. He often worked 12 hours a day and didn’t take many days off.
Fun Fact: Polk was known as a workaholic.
Fact: He added 1.2 million square miles to the United States of America
Fact: He was born in a log cabin. The oldest of 10 children.
Fact: He promised only to be president for one term.
Fact: Sarah Polk banned liquor from the White House and avoided horse racing, dancing, and the theater.
Fact: During his presidency, the United States grew to touch both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Fact: The United States paid $15 million to Mexico for the land that now makes up California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
Fact: His favorite food was ham and cornbread.
#10 John Tyler
” I can never consent to being dictated to.”
Born: March 20, 1790 Virginia
First Lady: Leticia Christian Tyler and Julia Gardiner Tyler
Pets: Le Beau, a greyhound: a horse named The General
Children: 3 boys and 5 girls( with Leticia) 5 boys and 2 girls (with Julia)
More children than any other president
Education: Graduated from William and Mary
Terms served: 1841-1845
Vice President: George Mifflin Dallas
Sport: Fox hunting
Nickname: Accidental President: His Accidency
Died: January 18, 1862 at 71 years of age
Political Party: Whig
First President to marry while in the White House
First President whose wife died while living in the White House
In 1840, William Henry Harrison and his running mate, John Tyler, waged a successful presidential campaign. Remember: Tippecanoe and Tyler too.
Sport: Fox Hunting
Nickname: Accidental President. His Accidentancy
In 1840, William Henry Harrison and his running mate, John Tyler, won the presidency using the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.” He was the first president who became president after a sitting president died.
He liked it when government governs least. Tyler’s entire cabinet resigned except for Secretary of State, Daniel Webster. They thought the president would quit, but he just got more people to work for him. Then the Whigs expelled him.
He passed the “Log Cabin” bill. It allowed settlers to claim 169 acres of land before it was offered for sale. Then they could buy it later at $1.25 an acre. His last act as president was to annex Texas.
Afterwards, he retired to his plantation. As the Civil War approached, he returned to politics. He hoped that a strong confederacy would avoid bloodshed.
Fun Fact: He was on his knees when playing marbles when he learned was president.
Fun Fact: John Tyler had 15 children. He named one son from each wife John.
Fun Fact: He was born to a slave owning family. He thought slavery was evil, but did not free any of his slaves.
Fun Fact: Tyler’s death was not recognized because of him working with the confederate states.
Born: February 9, 1773 Virginia
Years as President: 1841
First Lady: Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison
Vice President John Tyler
Political Party: Whig
College: Hamden-Sydney College
Died April 4, 1841. He was 68 years old.
Nickname: Old Tippecanoe
Children: 5 sons, 4 daughters
Pets: goat, cow
Hobbies: walking, riding, reading the Bible
Fun Fact: Slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler Too
Fun Fact: His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, became the 23rd president.
Fun Fact: His wife’s father did not give him permission to marry her so they eloped.
Fun Fact: His favorite food was squirrel stew.
William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States of America. He was the first president to die in office. He only served for 31 days. He was 68 years old when he was elected which was a record at that time.
Before he was president, Harrison was an Indian fighter. He fought in the Battle of Fallen TImbers and the Battle of Tippecanoe.
He was governor of the Indiana Territory in 1800 and became a congressman and a senator in Ohio.
As a young man, he studied medicine before joining the army. He was not happy with the low pay and lack of advancement so he resigned.
#8 Martin Van Buren
” The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought.”
| Born: December 5, 1782, New York Years as President: 1837-1841 First Lady: Hannah Hoes Van Buren but she died before he was president. Angelica Van Buren was first lady; his daughter-in-law. Vice President Richard Johnson Political Party: Democratic College: No college, just Kinderhook Academy Died July 24, 1862. He was 79 years old. Nickname: Red Fox or Little Magician Children: 4 sons Abraham, John, Martin, Smith Thomson. Plus a daughter and a son who died when they were very small. Pets: 2 tiger cubs Hobbies: Riding Fun Fact: 1st president born in the USA. Fun Fact: He was born at a polling place (His father’s tavern) |
Martin Van Buren, the 8th president of the USA, started working for a law firm when he was 13, where he worked his way up the ladder. He started by sweeping the floors. He was vice president for Andrew Jackson.
His reputation was honest, generous and smart. The hardest thing the country had to go through was “the panic of 1837.” It was a financial crisis where many banks and businesses failed. Van Buren suggested having an independent treasury. He blocked the annexation of Texas because he thought it would add to slavery in the country. He also thought it would cause a war with Mexico.
After he was president, Van Buren stayed in politics. He started a new party, Free Soil Party, but he didn’t win. All his life he voted for Democrats, but in 1850, he voted for Lincoln, the first Republican.
Van Buren won many court cases while he was just a teenager.
OK– Old Kinderhook was another nickname. We use OK now because of him or was it?
Van Buren grew up speaking Dutch so English was his second language. He is the only president who grew up without speaking English first.
Favorite Food: Boar’s Head
Andrew Jackson: The Seventh President
| Birth: March 15, 1767, South Carolina Years as President: 1829-1833, 1833-1837 First Lady: Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson Vice President John Calhoun and Martin Van Buren Political Party: Democratic College: No formal education Died June 8, 1845. He was 78 years old. Nickname: Old Man Hickory Children: 1 adopted son Pets: Horses (Truxton, Sam Patches, Emily, Lady Nashville, and Bolivia); Pol the parrot; ponies Hobbies: Riding Fun Fact: Jackson received a block of cheddar cheese as a gift. It was 1,300 pound. He kept it in the White House for 2 years. |
Jackson was the seventh president and was a famous war hero. He was in the War of 1812 and the First Seminole War.
He was known as the people’s president, but had a history of racist treatment of Native Americans.
He started the Democratic party and was the first Democratic President.
His mother wanted him to be a preacher, but he was too strong willed and hot tempered. After that he became a soldier and a politician. As president, Jackson tried to increase the power of the president. He was the first president to veto laws that he did not agree with. That meant he refused to allow them to become law.
Andrew Jackson was worried that the Second Bank of the United States had too much power so he made it break up. He thought it was corrupt.
He also signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which made Native Americans move away from their homelands.
He was the only president to pay off the national debt.
John Quincy Adams. The 6th president
| Birth: July 11, 1767, in Massachusetts Years as President: 1825-1829 First Lady: Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams Vice President John Calhoun Political Party: Democratic Republican College: Harvard College Died February 23, 1848. He was 80 years old. Nickname: Old Man Eloquent Children: 3 sons, George, John and Charles and one daughter who died as a baby. |
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.”
John Quincy Adams was the son of the second president, John Adams and Abigail Adams. He was the 6th president.
He was secretary of state for James Monroe. No candidate got enough votes to be president. so the House of Representatives picked him. Many people thought that it was corrupt.
He had a hard time in office. Several of his projects did not pass. He did not get reelected.
After he was president, he got elected into the House of Representatives. He was the only ex-president to get elected into that body.
Adams was very strongly anti-slavery. He opposed any new state that allowed slavery.
Fun Facts:
Adams worked as a lawyer, but he never went to law school.
He had an alligator and silkworms for pets, but the alligator could be a myth.
He suffered melancholy and self doubt all his life.
Many people in his family were geniuses and had mental health problems.
He was the first president to be photographed.
Hobbies: Billiards, swimming, walking, reading, theater
He started the Smithsonian Institution which is a group of museums.
He got rid of the House Gag Rule which banned any discussion of slavery.
As president, he went swimming in the Potomac River every day without wearing any clothes.
He worked with the first 5 presidents.
He kept a journal. By the time he died, he had written in 50 books.
He thought science was very important and would help our country.
He never was a Vice President.
James Monroe. The 5th president
| Birth: April 28, 1758 in Virginia Years as President: 1817-1825 First Lady: Elizbeth Monroe Vice President Daniel D Tompkins Political Party: Democratic Republican College: College of William and Mary Died July 4, 1831 Nickname: Last of the cocked hats. Children: 3—Eliza Kortright Monroe, James Spence Monroe (who died in infancy), and Maria Hester . | |
| ” National honor is the national property of the highest value.” The last of the Founding Fathers. Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War and attended the Continental Congress. He was governor of Virginia and Secretary of state. ‘Monroe was president during “The Era of Good Feelings.” America was growing and rich. He bought Florida from Spain for $5 million and watched America grow in size. He made a rule called the Missouri Compromise. It said not new slave states unless a slave free state was also created. This made anything west or north of Missouri.He is known for the Monroe Doctrine. That opposed European colonization and interference with the Americas. | Fun Facts: Monroe was the 3rd president that died on July 4th He approved the settlement of the country of Liberia by freed slaves. Its capital is Monrovia. He got the most votes in the election (%). He was unopposed for his second election. His hobbies were riding and hunting. He was the first president to ride in a steamboat Pet: a spaniel and he also had working dogs. Monroe was very popular and won 68% of the vote. His second election was against nobody. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/americas-presidents-james-monroe/3767612.htmlLinks to an external site.https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/americas-presidents-james-monroe/3767612.htmlhttps://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/americas-presidents-james-madison/3759924.htmlLinks to an external site. |
4. James Madison
| Birth: March 16, 1751 Years as President: 1809-1817 First Lady: Dolley Payne Todd Madison Vice President: George Clinton, Eldridge Gerry Political Party: Democratic-Republican Died: June 28, 1836 | |
| If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”One of the Founding Fathers, Madison wrote drafts of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He is the Father of the Constitution. Madison was a colonel in the Revolutionary War and was in the Continental Congress. He worked with Jefferson to start the Democratic-Republican Party. As president, Madison had declared war against Britain in the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war.After he was finished, he retire to Montpelier, his home in Virginia and worked for the University of Virginia | Fun Facts: Madison was the shortest president. 5’4″ and 100 pounds. He had no children.Pets: Polly the parrot .Education: Graduated from College of New Jersey Sport or Hobby: Chess, riding, readingHe was the first president to wear trousers. One Sunday, Madison was arrested with Thomas Jefferson because carriage riding was illegal on Sundays. Madison wrote George Washington’s first speech as president of the United States. Madison’s favorite meal was Virginia ham, buttery rolls, apple pie and cider. |
| When were they born? When did they die? Where were they born? When were they president? How many terms did they serve? Were they married? What was the wife’s name? Who was the Vice President? Were they ever the Vice President? Did they have pets? What were they? Did they have children? What were their names? What are they famous for? How many syllables in their name? What college did they go to? What is your favorite fact? What is your favorite sentence? What is your favorite word? | Madison was never a vice-president |
Thomas Jefferson- 3rd President
| Facts about Jefferson Birth: April 13th, 1743 in Virginia First Lady: Martha Jefferson Randolph Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr, George Clinton Vice President to John Adams Political Party: Democratic-Republican Died: July 4, 1826 | |
| “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” The third president, Jefferson is known as the Father of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was a lawyer before becoming president. He was the governor of Virginia and minister to France. He was Washington’s secretary of state and vice president to John Adams. One of Jefferson’s greatest successes was the Louisiana Purchase. The United States bought a large piece of land from France which almost doubled the size of the United States. He sent the Lewis and Clark expedition out to explore more of the continent. Later, Jefferson started the University of Virginia. In his retirement, he lived in Monticello. He designed the house himself and you can see it on the nickel. He served as president for two terms. | Fun Facts:Jefferson loved food and maybe he brought French Fries and macaroni and cheese to the United States. He graduated from William and Mary at age 18 He was an inventor, lawyer and educator. He wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. He had 6 children, but only 2 grew to be adults. His face is on the nickel and his house is on the back. He loved animals. He had many mockingbirds, dogs, bears sheep and horses. |
- When were they born?
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- What is your favorite fact?
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- How many terms did they serve?
- Were they married? What was the wife’s name?
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- Were they ever the Vice President?
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- How many syllables in their name?
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