Key People
George Washington
As both soldier and statesman, George Washington played a pivotal role in the establishment of the United States of America, from the 1750s until his death in 1799. Washington could be found at the center of events during both the French and Indian War (1754–1763) and the American Revolution. After a brief retirement, Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and then served two terms as the nation’s first president.
Key Places
Abraham Lincoln
By almost every standard, Abraham Lincoln is rated as America’s greatest president. He presided over the direst crisis in American history, the Civil War, and accomplished the abolition of slavery in the United States. He was also one of the most impeccable craftsmen of the English language to ever hold political office in the United States, a skill seen in his two inaugural addresses.
Spotlight
Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address
Delivered in January 1933 amidst the misery of the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s first inaugural address signaled that the federal government would take a much more direct role in putting people to work and in managing the national economy. In one of the most famous lines ever uttered by an American president, he noted: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
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Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address
Jefferson’s address is one of the great documents of democratic government and oratorical rhetoric. The speech completed the peaceful transfer of power from one hostile administration to another, setting a tradition in American politics. In this sense it marked one of the great moments in the history of democratic government.
