User:Jerry995/The American Presidents (TV series)

The American President is an eight-part documentary miniseries which aired on American television on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) beginning April 9, 2000. The series examines each of the men who have served as President of the United States from George Washington through Bill Clinton.

The series is narrated by journalist Hugh Sidey with interjecting commentary by Robert Neustadt.

Each episode examines a handful of presidents, but rather then follow them in chronological order, each chapter groups several presidents by a common thread. Example: John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy and are lumped together in a single episode because of their political family ties.

Episode 1, Family Ties: John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy. This episode examines the presidents who have had a familial legacy in politics and how it is often a burden on their ability to govern.

Episode 2, Happenstance: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Harry Truman. This episode examines five men who have been elevated to the presidency by the death of their successor.

Episode 3, An Independent Cast of Mind: John Adams, Zachary Taylor, Rutherford B. Hayes, Jimmy Carter. This episode examines four presidents who tried to govern without playing the political game. Rather, they tried to lead by an independent cast of mind.

Episode 4, The Professional Politician: Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson. This episode examines four presidents who were experts at playing the political game and how difficult that role was in times of crisis.

Episode 5, The American Way: Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan. This episode examines four men who attempted to return their country to its roots by keeping the American ideals very close to the job.

Episode 6, The World Stage: James Monroe, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, George Bush, Sr. This episode examines four presidents who made their legacy in international affairs, especially in a time of war.

Episode 7, The Heroic Posture: George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight Eisenhower. This episode examines four men who served in the military (all of which saw action on the battlefield) before entering a life of politics.

Episode 8, Compromised Choices: Franklin Pierce, James Garfield, Warren G. Harding, Gerald Ford. This episode examines four dark horses who unexpectedly rose to the presidency.

Episode 9, Expanding Power: Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon. This episode examines four presidents who tried to expand the power of the job of President, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Episode 10, The Balance of Power: James Madison, James K. Polk, William Howard Taft, Bill Clinton.