THE SPEECH THAT REMADE AMERICA

A self-taught lawyer, legislator, and a strong opponent of slavery, Abraham Lincoln is considered to be one of the greatest presidents of the U.S. Let's relive the moment this American hero gave his monumental speech, popularly known as the "Gettysburg Address."

On November 19, 1863, before an estimated 15,000 spectators President Abraham Lincoln dedicated a new soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. Here he delivered a 272-word speech famously known as the Gettysburg Address, with the hope that it would guide the Nation through the war and towards healing.

Civil War & the Republicans

The Republican Party came into existence in 1854, seven years before the Civil War. Initially there were only two political parties in the U.S. namely the Whigs and the Democrats.

America was quickly expanding westward and the debate as to whether or not the new states should permit slavery was intensifying.

In the Northern states, manufacturing and industries formed the economic base, unlike the South where people depended on plantation farming of crops like cotton and tobacco for their livelihood. Agriculture heavily depended on black slave labour, and the Democratic Party, with its strong support in the South, was growing increasingly pro-slavery. But the Whigs were divided on the issue.

In 1854, unable to come to a solid resolution on the topic. the party collapsed. The former Whigs in the North came together to form a new party called the Republican Party. with abolition of slavery as their mission statement.

By 1860. this party established a strong foothold in the North. enough so that its member Abraham Lincoln. won the 1861 presidential elections.

This led to 11 Southern states breaking away from the union to form the confederate states of America. The Northern states decided to fight to keep the union together and the Civil War began. The result was, victory for the North and abolition of slavery nation-wide.

The Battle of Gettysburg

 One of the bloodiest battles fought during the American Civil War took place in Gettysburg from 1st to 3rd July 1863. It claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers from both sides. The union's victory here marked a turning point of the war, which officially ended in 1865.

The Address & The Greek Influence

According to literary research done on this piece, Lincoln's elegiac speech at Gettysburg was modelled on the ancient Greek politician and general Pericles' epitaphios logos (Athenian funeral speech). Even though his address was brief (in comparison to the Greek format), he still successfully managed to encapsulate the essential reference to the circle of life (as birth, death, and rebirth).

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." (excerpt from Gettysburg Address)

The Gettysburg Address begins with a recollection of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the birth of America. It alludes to the struggles of the founding fathers who built this nation on the principles of universal equality and freedom.

Paying his homage to the deceased, he then proceeds to declare that the thousands lost to death on this battlefield have replenished the American soil with their selfless sacrifice. This sacrifice has not only prolonged the nation's life, but also presented it with a fair chance of renewal.

Lincoln further reinforces the idea of rebirth when he says that this second chance must not be taken for granted, but incentivise us to work together "that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (excerpt from the Gettysburg Address)

Beacon of hope

With the struggle of war at its climax Lincoln's speech was a beacon of hope for the thousands who were gripped by the feeling of impending doom. It revived the national ideals of freedom, and justice amid circumstances that had torn the country into pieces.

Since delivered this speech in particular has gone on to become one of the most powerful statements in the English language. Its brevity and intelligent word play has enabled it to cement its place as one of the most important expressions of liberty and equality.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. While giving this iconic speech the President was interrupted five times with the audiences' applause.

2. Edward Everett (the featured speaker for the event) immediately afterward wrote to Lincoln: "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

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What is the President's helicopter called?

Marine One, any aircraft of the U.S. Marine Corps transporting the president of the United States. Strictly speaking, Marine One is the call sign adopted by a Marine aircraft while the president is aboard. However, in common usage, it has come to mean any of the state-of-the-art helicopters reserved for the president.

Although the U.S. military had adopted helicopters in the 1940s, safety concerns led the Secret Service to prohibit the president from flying in them. However, that policy changed the following decade as the escalating Cold War increased the potential for an emergency evacuation in the event of a nuclear attack. Officials ultimately settled on the Bell H-13J, which was relatively slow and small—accommodating just one pilot and two passengers—but noted for its safety record. In a test run known as “Operation Alert,” Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first president to fly in a helicopter, on July 12, 1957, when he was transported from the White House to Camp David. The Bell was flown by a U.S. Air Force pilot; also aboard was a Secret Service agent..

Helicopters soon became indispensable in presidential travel—both within the United States and abroad—though the uncomfortable Bell was quickly replaced by larger models. Since the Air Force only operated smaller-sized helicopters, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps assumed responsibility. When flown by the former, the aircraft was designated Army One, while the latter was identified as Marine One.

While the first presidential helicopters offered few amenities, later versions became increasingly sophisticated. The current models can fly more than 150 miles (241 km) per hour and feature ballistic armor and antimissile countermeasures. In addition, the green-and-white helicopters have electromagnetic-pulse protection in the event of a nuclear explosion. As a further protective measure, a decoy helicopter flies alongside Marine One. The relatively spacious interior, which can accommodate at least 14 passengers, includes a bathroom. When the helicopter lands, a Marine is waiting outside to greet the president, regardless of the location. The vice president travels in Marine Two.

Different helicopter models have been used over the years. The Sikorsky VH-3A was introduced during the John F. Kennedy administration, and the VH-3D entered service during Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The latter were supplemented with the VH-60N in the 1980s. In 2014 work began on a fleet of VH-92 helicopters, which were based on the Sikorsky S-92. The projected cost for each aircraft was more than $237 million.

Credit : Britannica 

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Abraham Lincoln was known for wearing which type of clothing?

Abraham Lincoln was very distinctive looking, mostly due to his height and thin frame, but also because of what he wore.

Although Lincoln was not a particularly fashionable man, but like most politicians he knew personal appearance was a great way to make him stand out in a crowd, particularly while campaigning during an election.

As a result, Lincoln chose clothes and accessories with a distinctive silhouette or shape, although the items themselves were often plain and sometimes faded and worn. These fashion items later became Lincoln’s famous trademarks.

Lincoln had a few suits but his most famous suit was the one he was wearing the night he was shot at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865.

That suit consisted of a custom-made black double-breasted Brooks Brothers coat made of wool. The coat had a hand-embroided silk lining that featured an eagle carrying a banner that read “One Country, One Destiny” which is a phrase that comes from an 1837 speech given by one of Lincoln’s role models, Senator Daniel Webster.

In addition to the coat, Lincoln also wore a shawl-collared, single-breasted, four-pocket black wool vest and black wool trousers with a waistband, fly front, metal suspender buttons and front pockets with a single button closure.

After Lincoln’s assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln gave the suit to Lincoln’s favorite doorman, Alphonse Donn. The Donn family kept the coat in the family for over a century and allowed souvenir seekers to cut away swatches of the bloodstained lining. The coat was later donated to Ford’s Theater where it is now on display to the public.

Credit : Civil War Saga 

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Who was the first President to live in the White House?

Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. 

In 1842 the visit to the United States of the English novelist Charles Dickens brought an official invitation to the White House. After his calls at the White House door went unanswered, Dickens let himself in and walked through the mansion from room to room on the lower and upper floors. Finally coming upon a room filled with nearly two dozen people, he was shocked and appalled to see many of them spitting on the carpet. Dickens later wrote, “I take it for granted the Presidential housemaids have high wages.” Until the Civil War, however, most White House servants were enslaved people. Moreover, the wages of all White House employees—as well as the expenses for running the White House, including staging official functions—were paid for by the president. Not until 1909 did Congress provide appropriations to pay White House servants.

Dickens was not the only foreign visitor to be disappointed with the White House. On a trip to Washington just before the Civil War, Aleksandr Borisovich Lakier, a Russian nobleman, wrote that “the home of the president…is barely visible behind the trees.” The White House, he said, was “sufficient for a private family and not at all conforming to the expectations of a European.” Subsequent changes to the building in the 19th century were relatively minor. The interior was redecorated during various presidential administrations and modern conveniences were regularly added, including a refrigerator in 1845, gas lighting in 1849, and electric lighting in 1891.

The White House was the scene of mourning after the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln (1861–65). While Mary Todd Lincoln lay in her room for five weeks grieving for her husband, many White House holdings were looted. Responding to charges that she had stolen government property when she left the White House, she angrily inventoried all the items she had taken with her, including gifts of quilts and waxworks from well-wishers.

Credit :  Britannica 

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Known for his sweet tooth, Ronald Reagan kept a large jar of what kind of candy in the Oval Office?

Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, is an American company that manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy.

The company is based in Fairfield, California, with a second manufacturing facility in North Chicago, Illinois. A distribution and visitor center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin began liquidation and closure on August 3, 2020.  In October 2008, the company opened a 50,000 sq ft (4,645 m2) manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand where it produces confectionery for the international market.

The company's signature product, the Jelly Belly jelly bean, comes in more than 50 varieties, ranging from traditional flavors like orange, lemon, lime, and cherry, to more exotic ones like cinnamon, pomegranate, cappuccino, buttered popcorn, and chili-mango.

Jelly Belly Candy Company manufactures numerous specialty Jelly Belly jelly beans with licensed products like Tabasco sauce and uncommon candy tastes like egg nog and pancakes with maple syrup. A few flavors, like lychee and green tea, are sold only in markets outside the United States.

Several flavors have been based on popular alcoholic beverages, beginning with Mai Tai in 1977. Over the years, new additions have included strawberry daiquiri, margarita, mojito, and piña colada. Draft beer, a flavor inspired by Hefeweizen ale, was introduced in 2014. All such flavors are entirely alcohol-free.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" were inspired by the Harry Potter book series and featured intentionally gruesome flavors such as "Vomit", "Earwax", "Skunk Spray", "Rotten Egg" and "grass". A similar product dubbed "BeanBoozled" pairs lookalike "normal" flavors with weird flavors, such as "Peach" and "Barf".

"Sport Beans" are jelly beans designed to provide physical energy and enhance athletic performance. They contain carbohydrates, electrolytes (in the form of sodium and potassium), and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. "Extreme Sport Beans" include the additional boost of caffeine.

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Who is the first African American to be President of the United States?

Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. On November 4, 2008, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeats Senator John McCain of Arizona to become the 44th U.S. president, and the first African American elected to the White House. The 47-year-old Democrat garnered 365 electoral votes and nearly 53 percent of the popular vote, while his 72-year-old Republican challenger captured 173 electoral votes and more than 45 percent of the popular vote. Obama’s vice-presidential running mate was Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, while McCain’s running mate was Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, the first female Republican ever nominated for the vice presidency.

Obama, who was born in 1961 in Hawaii to a white woman from Kansas and a Black man from Kenya, graduated from Harvard Law School and was a law professor at the University of Chicago before launching his political career in 1996, when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate. He was re-elected to that post in 1998 and 2000. In March 2004, he shot to national prominence by winning the U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Illinois, and that July he gained further exposure when he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, which included his eloquent call for unity among “red” (Republican) and “blue” (Democratic) states. That November, Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in a landslide.

On February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois, Obama officially announced his candidacy for president. A victory in the Iowa caucuses in January 2008 made him a viable challenger to the early frontrunner, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, whom he outlasted in a grueling primary campaign to claim the Democratic nomination in early June 2008.

During the general-election campaign, as in the primaries, Obama’s team worked to build a following at the grassroots level and used what his supporters viewed as the candidate’s natural charisma, unique life story and inspiring message of hope and change to draw large crowds to his public appearances, both in the United States and on a campaign trip abroad. His team also worked to bring new voters—many of them young or Black, both demographics they believed favored Obama—to become involved in the election. Additionally, the campaign was notable for its unprecedented use of the Internet for organizing constituents and fundraising. According to The Washington Post: “3 million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations online adding up to more than $500 million. Of those 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 or less.”

In terms of campaign issues, Obama pledged to get the United States out of the war in Iraq and expand health care, among other promises. A crushing national financial crisis in the months leading up to the election shifted the country’s focus to the economy, and Obama and McCain each attempted to show he had the best plan for economic improvement.

On November 4, more than 69.4 million Americans cast their vote for Obama, while some 59.9 million voters chose McCain. (Obama was the first sitting U.S. senator to win the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1960.) Obama captured some traditional Republican strongholds (Virginia, Indiana) and key battleground states (Florida, Ohio) that had been won by Republicans in recent elections. Late that night, the president-elect appeared before a huge crowd of supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park and delivered a speech in he which acknowledged the historic nature of his victory (which came 143 years after the end of the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery): “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer…It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America.”

Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. On November 6, 2012, he defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term in the White House. He left office in January, 2017. 

Credit : History

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What is the U.S. President's yearly salary?

US law requires the president of the United States to be paid a salary while in office. According to Title 3 of the US code, a president earns a $400,000 salary and is still on government payroll after leaving office. The president is also granted a $50,000 annual expense account, $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment.

Congress raised the presidential salary from $200,000 to $400,000 in 2001 (plus an extra expense allowance of $50,000 a year). For President Trump, that is a huge decrease from his usual income — he's worth $3.1 billion according to Forbes.

The president also receives a travel budget of $100,000 and a $19,000 allowance for entertainment. While a presidential salary is taxable, the other bonus benefits are not, according to the US tax code.

Presidents and their families are given $100,000 to redecorate the White House to feel more at home. The Obamas did not accept the allowance to redecorate and used their own funds instead, according to Candace Keener on How Stuff Work's podcast "Stuff You Missed In History Class."

NBC News reported that Trump's administration spent $1.75 million on new furniture, wall coverings, and a desk, though it's unclear if Trump paid out-of-pocket.

Credit : Business Insider

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What was the White House called before 1901?

The stone exterior of the building was first painted with a lime-based whitewash in 1798 to protect it from the elements and freezing temperatures. According to the White House Historical Association, the "White House" moniker began to appear in newspapers before the War of 1812.

But it was President Theodore Roosevelt, who, in 1901, designated the official name of the residence of the U.S. president to be the White House. (Previous names included the Presidents' House, the Executive Mansion, the Presidential Palace and the Presidential Mansion.) It also commonly goes by “The People’s House.”

At 55,000 square feet, the six-floor White House boasts 132 rooms (16 are family guest rooms), along with 35 bathrooms. According to the official White House web page, it’s home to 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, 412 doors and 147 windows—and has a kitchen equipped to serve full dinner for up to 140 guests, or hors d'oeuvres for 1,000-plus visitors. And when it gets a new coat of paint every four to six years? It takes 570 gallons to cover the exterior.

The mansion and grounds also include a now-covered indoor swimming pool, installed for Franklin D. Roosevelt, and an outdoor pool, installed by Gerald R. Ford. Other on-site facilities where the president can let off some steam: a tennis court, one-lane bowling alley, small movie theater, game room, jogging track and putting green.

There are rumors of secret rooms in the building, but, according to the White House Historical Association, the only "secret" passage is an emergency shelter built under the East Wing during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Vice President Dick Cheney used the passage during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, The Washington Post reports, President Donald Trump was likely sequestered there during a 2020 protest outside the White House.

According to the newspaper, at least two tunnels exist under the mansion: One connects to the Treasury Building, and the other leads to the South Lawn.

Credit :  History 

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Martin Van Buren was known for creating which common expression?

The word "Okay" or "OK" became popular when it was used in Van Buren's campaign. It stood for one of his nicknames "Old Kinderhook".

Martin grew up in Kinderhook, New York where his father was a tavern owner and farmer. His family primarily spoke Dutch at home. Martin was intelligent, but only received a formal education to the age of 14. He learned law by working and apprenticing for attorneys in New York. In 1803 he passed the bar and became a lawyer. Martin became involved in politics at a young age. When he was just 17 he attended his first political convention. He became attracted to politics and soon entered political office himself.

Van Buren became a key player in New York state politics. Many considered him a master manipulator of "machine politics". He also helped to start another political tool called the "spoils system". This was where supporters of a candidate would receive good jobs in the government as a reward when their candidate won. In 1815, Van Buren became the New York Attorney General. He then was elected to the U.S. Senate representing New York. He was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson during this time, helping him in the north during the presidential election. After Jackson was elected, Van Buren became his Secretary of State. Due to some scandals, Van Buren resigned as Secretary of State in 1831. However, he remained loyal to President Andrew Jackson. When Jackson found that his current Vice President, John Calhoun, was disloyal, he picked Van Buren as his Vice President for his second term.

Credit : Ducksters 

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Did George Washington have wooden teeth?

Next to the Cherry Tree legend, the story that George Washington wore wooden dentures arguably remains the most widespread and enduring myth about Washington's personal life. While Washington certainly suffered from dental problems and wore multiple sets of dentures composed of a variety of materials—including ivory, gold, lead, and human teeth—wood was never used in Washington's dentures nor was it commonly employed by dentists in his era.

Nevertheless, even into the mid-twentieth century scholars published studies of Washington describing his false teeth as being crafted out of wood. Today older adults still remember being taught this tale in school, and the National Museum of Dentistry, the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, and the Papers of George Washington project at the University of Virginia find these mythical dentures a common subject of interest for visitors.

The origin of this myth remains unclear. The standard, and most likely, explanation given by dental scientists and historians is that the ivory employed in the dentures fabricated for Washington by dentist John Greenwood became stained over time, giving them a grained, wooden appearance that misled later observers. Indeed, in a 1798 letter to Washington, Greenwood emphasized the importance of cleaning these dentures regularly after examining ones Washington had used and sent to him for repair: "the sett you sent me from philadelphia...was very black...Port wine being sower takes of[f] all the polish."

The now discredited story of Washington's wooden teeth does reflect elements of truth, however. For instance, in one version of this myth Washington carved the wooden teeth himself, and it is true that on occasion he made his own repairs to the dentures made by Greenwood.2 Furthermore, the myth of the wooden teeth remains the only myth associated with a major Founder that calls attention to the individual's physical frailty and thus serves as a reminder of the genuine struggles Washington experienced as he sacrificed his health in public service.

Washington called attention to the "frequent interruptions in my health to the gradual waste committed on it by time," for instance, in his First Inaugural Address in 1789, a speech he delivered when he had only a single remaining natural tooth.3 The myth of Washington's wooden teeth conventionally imagines such wooden contraptions as understandably painful to wear, thus supposedly explaining Washington's dour expression in his most well-known portraits.

Washington did actually experience great discomfort and facial distortion with his cumbersome metal and ivory dentures.4 Moreover, the belief that Washington had to use teeth made out of ordinary wood—as opposed to the technologically advanced and expensive contraptions he actually did wear—helps make Washington more accessible to the general public as a common person with everyday struggles. Perhaps this myth has endured because it balances Washington's imposing status in American history and the idealized images of the man presented in other myths like the Cherry Tree legend and, in doing so, humanizes an individual who may often seem remote and statuesque.

Credit : Mount Vernon

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Who has been the tallest U.S. President to date?

The tallest U.S. president was Abraham Lincoln at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters), while the shortest was James Madison at 5 feet 4 inches (163 centimeters).

Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. Congressman from Illinois. In 1849, he returned to his law practice but became vexed by the opening of additional lands to slavery as a result of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. He reentered politics in 1854, becoming a leader in the new Republican Party, and he reached a national audience in the 1858 debates against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln ran for President in 1860, sweeping the North in victory. Pro-slavery elements in the South equated his success with the North's rejection of their right to practice slavery, and southern states began seceding from the Union. To secure its independence, the new Confederate States fired on Fort Sumter, a U.S. fort in the South, and Lincoln called up forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the Union.

Lincoln, a moderate Republican, had to navigate a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from both the Democratic and Republican parties. His allies, the War Democrats and the Radical Republicans, demanded harsh treatment of the Southern Confederates. Anti-war Democrats (called "Copperheads") despised Lincoln, and irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements plotted his assassination. He managed the factions by exploiting their mutual enmity, carefully distributing political patronage, and by appealing to the American people. His Gettysburg Address appealed to nationalistic, republican, egalitarian, libertarian, and democratic sentiments. Lincoln scrutinized the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals and the naval blockade of the South's trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland, and he averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. He engineered the end to slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation, including his order that the Army and Navy liberate, protect, and recruit former slaves. He also encouraged border states to outlaw slavery, and promoted the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed slavery across the country.

Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign. He sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just days after the war's end at Appomattox, he was attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife Mary when he was fatally shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and hero of the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history.

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Who was the 45th president of the United States of America?


Before becoming the 45th president of America, Donald Trump was a real estate mogul and a former reality TV star. In 1980, he opened the Grand Hyatt New York, which made him the city’s best-known developer. Though he was interested in politics and had voiced his opinions many times, it was in 2015 that he announced his candidacy from a Republican ticket.



His victory was remarkable for anyone’s first run. Also, Trump is the oldest ever first term president. Trump is proud about his country; he believes the United States has incredible potential and will go on to exceed even its remarkable achievements of the past. Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal.



It was Trump who moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He also withdrew U.S. troops from northern Syria. He imposed import tariffs which triggered a trade war with China. Trump was criticized by many for his bold moves. For instance, his zero-tolerance policy to prevent illegal migration was criticized by many including the courts of the country. Many of his opinions and comments are also viewed as racist in nature.



Trump’s reaction to Covid-19 was scrutinized by the world. He downplayed the threat of the pandemic and chose to ignore or contradict many recommendations from health officials. In addition to that, Trump promoted false information about unproven treatments and the availability of testing.



Trump refused to admit his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. After a series of failed accusations regarding fraudulence in the election, he eventually acknowledged his defeat.




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Why is it said that Barack Obama made history when he was elected as the president of the USA?


When Barack Obama made his way to the White House, the country got its first president of African-American origin. Obama is proof of ‘the pursuit of happiness’ that Americans hold close to their heart. He was born in a middle-class family and had only education and hard work to help him. He believed that his life should be in the service of others.



After graduating with a law degree, Obama returned to Chicago to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Obama came to the national spotlight in 2004. He was noted for his well-received keynote address at the July Democratic National Convention and his landslide victory in the election to the Senate in November. He was nominated for the 2008 elections. He won against Hillary Clinton and became the 44th president of America with Joe Biden as vice president.



During Obama’s term in office, the United States’ reputation abroad significantly improved. He enjoyed popularity in the beginning, but was criticized later for the slow pace of the economy and the high unemployment rates. Osama Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan during his time as president. Obama’s decision to increase military force in Afghanistan was widely criticized. This was when the situation in Iraq was improving and the target date of ending US combat operations were approaching. He was re-elected in 2013 after defeating Mitt Romney.



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What do we know about George W. Bush?


George W. Bush was the 43rd president and the first person since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 to be elected president despite having lost the nationwide popular vote. It was one of the most controversial elections in which Bush won by a narrow margin of Electoral College votes. This happened in 2001.



Bush had a sound background in politics; his father George H.W. Bush had been the 41st president. His grandfather Prescott Bush had been a senator and his brother Jeb was a governor of Florida.



As president, Bush had a successful start. The government had a budget surplus from Clinton’s tenure and Bush got the Congress to reduce taxes. He also passed the No Child Left Behind bill; this bill increased funds for education. However, one of the most tragic events in the history of America also happened when Bush was the president- the 9/11 attack!



The airborne terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001 killed nearly 3000 Americans. The attack was orchestrated by a terrorist organization called Al Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden. Less than a month after the attacks, Bush sent U.S. troops to Afghanistan, where Bin Laden was thought to be hiding. He later sent forces to Iraq despite opposition from many quarters.



Bush was elected for a second term. The country was in the shackles of the Great Recession in 2007. After finishing his second term, Bush returned to Texas. Decision Points, his memoir was published a year later.



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Why is it said that the 42nd U.S. president once dreamt of becoming a musician?


William J. Clinton, popularly known as Bill Clinton dreamt of becoming a popular musician when he was in high school. He used to play the saxophone as well but fate had something else in store for him- to become the 42nd president of the United States.



As a student, Clinton had an excellent record. He was part of the Boys Nation (an organization imparting civic training) and once got a chance to meet President Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. This incident changed his life and paved his way to public service. After receiving a law degree, his life in politics began in Arkansas, first as the attorney general and then governor.



Clinton became the president defeating George H.W. Bush. His tenure was considered as a new wave in American political leadership. Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in the history of America. His budget plan increased taxes on the wealthy and provided tax cuts to high-tech companies to encourage their growth. He wanted to improve the economy and stop the government from spending more than it took in. His plan worked; he was able to create a surplus of money in the federal budget for the first time in thirty years!



Clinton became the first D Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to be elected to a second full term. During his second term, though he was charged for some unethical behaviour, he was never found guilty. Clinton was the second president to be impeached; it was the result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern. Despite this, Clinton continued to have unprecedented popular approval for his work as president. His autobiography My Life was a best-seller.



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