2024 the best american president of all time review

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The American President is an enthralling account of American presidential actions from the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 to Bill Clinton's last night in office in January 2001. William Leuchtenburg, one of the great presidential historians of the century, portrays each of the presidents in a chronicle sparkling with anecdote and wit.

Leuchtenburg offers a nuanced assessment of their conduct in office, preoccupations, and temperament. His book presents countless moments of high drama: FDR hurling defiance at the "economic royalists" who exploited the poor; ratcheting tension for JFK as Soviet vessels approach an American naval blockade; a grievously wounded Reagan joking with nurses while fighting for his life.

This book charts the enormous growth of presidential power from its lowly state in the late nineteenth century to the imperial presidency of the twentieth. That striking change was manifested both at home in periods of progressive reform and abroad, notably in two world wars, Vietnam, and the war on terror.

Leuchtenburg sheds light on presidents battling with contradictory forces. Caught between maintaining their reputation and executing their goals, many practiced deceits that shape their image today. But he also reveals how the country's leaders pulled off magnificent achievements worthy of the nation's pride. Now with a preface new to the paperback edition, The American President provides a timely reflection on the office that has shaped and continues to shape the destiny of the United States and its people.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (December 17, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 904 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195176162
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195176162
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.97 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.21 x 6.14 x 2.13 inches
Reviewer: David H. MacCallum
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a brilliant march through the american presidency in the 20th century
Review: This marvelous history of the American presidents, from Teddy Roosevelt at the dawn of the 20th century to Bill Clinton, as the century ended, is an achievement of the first order. Professor Leuchtenburg presents the presidents, one by one, outlines their major achievements, discusses their failures, and gives the reader a sense of the inner life of these national leaders. They range from the exuberant personalities and accomplishments of the two Roosevelts, the compelling talents of Truman, Kennedy and Johnson, the disappointing records of Wilson, Clinton and the Bushes, father and son, and the non-entities that led the nation during the 1920’s.In any history of more than 800 pages, there must be judgments that are contestable; this history is no exception. But the broad sketches of these men seem largely on the mark. Teddy Roosevelt was all action, incessant and productive; Wilson’s presidency tragically ended two years before his term expired; Harding and Coolidge were largely forgettable; FDR was remarkable – his judgments almost unerring and his sense of how and when to enter the world war perfectly timed; Truman was easy to underestimate but grew into a major force during what amounted to virtually two full terms; Eisenhower seems to have disappointed Professor Leuchtenburg; Kennedy’s record is more legend than solid achievement; Johnson’s overpowering personality enabled him to accomplish great goals but his mendacity in allowing the war in Southeast Asia to consume the country ultimately destroyed his presidency; Nixon’s presidency, despite his foreign policy achievements, is marked by unspeakable criminality; Ford allowed the country to take a deep breath after the ruinous Nixon years; Carter seems largely ineffective; the first Bush is dealt with in a very short section; and finally the personal drama of Bill Clinton saps his ability to lead the country.As the century marches on, the power of the presidency, as the central force in the government of the country and as the embodiment of the head of state, steadily gathers momentum. After Lincoln’s brilliant leadership of the country during the agony of the Civil War, the country had 50 years of virtually somnolent presidents but the emergence of Teddy Roosevelt reinvigorated the role of the presidency and this is the theme of this absorbing book. Of course, 800 plus pages is a bit of a challenge, both to read and to hold in one’s hands, but it is well worth it. It is a pleasure to read, absorbing and thoughtful, and a real contribution to understanding the long march of American history.

Reviewer: Patrick
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: very readable, entertaining, accurate
Review: Highly recommend, very readable, entertaining. History of 20th C presidents has to be long, size seems daunting but pick a pres, can read a chapter independent of others. Factual but not academic book, witty anecdotes, natural, conversational writing style. Interesting preface, late 19th C pres had little power (as did U.S.,) now they seem to be able to "declare" war.

Reviewer: J.K. Turner
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great look at the change in the presidency
Review: Rating - Put it on your listLevel - Moderate to difficult read, 800+ pagesSummaryThis book is kind of unique. I thought I was buying a big book that essentially be a volume of shortish biographies for all the presidents of the 20th century. In a since that is what it is, the presidency from Teddy to Bill. The major difference it is really is focused on each man's presidency more than it is the man himself. There is short biographical into, so to speak, but it really is more a chronicle of their years in office.It is more than just history that Leuchtenburg write on, the uniqueness comes from his approach of how the presidency changed under each man and overtime. In a way, the book is more a biography/history of the presidency in the 19th century; certainly much more so than a collection of biographies.My ThoughtsIt really is an interesting book. The presidency changed so dramatically from Teddy to Bill, covering those changes and diving into the intricacies of how and when they happened really is a fascinating take on history. For his part, Leuchtenburg is a master historian, but if I had one criticism of him, it is that often it seemed he was going out of his way to find a long, rare word. I fire threw about 50 books a year and write reviews for most of them, so I feel I have a pretty decent vocabulary, but I felt like I had to look up words every few pages or so.In that sense, the book was a bit academic, but for the most part, his writing is much more of story telling. You can breeze through a surprising amount of pages as he tells the tale of the major shifts in the way the most powerful office in the country has been handled. When you are ready to tackle this book, you better well know, it is not small. Not only is it well over 800 pages, but they are large pages, and densely packed with writing.All that said, anyone interested in politics or history needs to pick up this book. Hopefully, there are come college classes out there requiring it. The book is a wealth of information and is exceedingly important to see how we got to where we are today with regard to presidential power.

Reviewer: Nick Haley
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Really entertaining look at Presidents. Moves right along. I recommend it.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book was a gift for my son who is a senior lecturer in history in this field. He very much appreciates the book and has found it extremely useful and a good read!