The First Five Presidents of the United States

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The First Five Presidents of the United States
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Objective

• SPI 8.60.1
• Identify the impact of individual and group
  decisions on historical events.
• Essential Question
• Who were the first 5 presidents, what years were
  each of them in office, and what was one major
  accomplishment for each of the five men?

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Who Were They?
John Adams
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
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George Washington
The Early Years
Presidential Highlights
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George WashingtonThe Early Years
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732
in Virginia.
Through the course of his life, Washington was a
surveyor, a planter, and a member of both the
British and American military.
Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, and
had two children.
The home where Washington lived was called Mount
Vernon.
When tensions with the British grew, Washington
was a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental
Congress.
The wedding of George Washington and Martha
Dandridge Custis.
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George WashingtonPresidential Highlights
George Washington, the first president, was the
only U.S. president to be elected unanimously.
George Washington was an American general during
the American Revolution.
When George Washington was elected, there were
only 7 states in the Union.
In 1782, George Washington was the first to
award a purple heart to soldiers who Displayed
bravery and courage this award is still given to
soldiers who prove to have these
characteristics.
After serving as president from 1789- 1797,
Washington died on December 14, 1799.
A quote by Washington
"As the sword was the last resort for the
preservation of our liberties, so it ought to be
the first to be laid aside when those liberties
are firmly established."
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John Adams
The Early Years
Presidential Highlights
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John AdamsThe Early Years
John Adams was born October 30, 1735 in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Adams attended Harvard, where he became a lawyer.
He married Abigail Smith, and they had five
children.
He was a delegate to the First Continental
Congress, as well as the Second Continental
Congress.
During the Revolutionary War, he was a diplomat
to both Holland and France.
He served two terms as vice president to George
Washington.
The house where John Adams was born.
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John Adams Presidential Highlights
The third president, John Adams, was the first
president to have a son who also became president.
John Adams was also the first president to live
in the White House.
He helped to create the Declaration of
Independence, as well as the Constitutional
government.
Adams was president from 1797-1801.
John Adams died on July 4, 1826- the same day as
his rival, Thomas Jefferson.
A Quote by Adams
"By my physical constitution, I am but an
ordinary man. The times alone have destined me to
fame - and even these have not been able to give
me much."
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Thomas Jefferson
The Early Years
Presidential Highlights
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Thomas Jefferson The Early Years
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in
Albemarle County, Virginia
Jefferson attended the College of William and
Mary, and became a lawyer
He married Martha Wayles Skelton, and had five
children
The home in which Jefferson lived was called
Monticello
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of
Independence
Besides president, he also served as minister to
France, as well as on the cabinet of George
Washington
Monticello
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Thomas JeffersonPresidential Highlights
Thomas Jefferson, the third president,
authorized the Lewis and Clarke expedition, which
led to the Louisiana Purchase.
He was the first president to be elected by the
House of Representatives.
While he was president, the U.S. population was
5.5 million.
Because his wife died 19 years before he became
president, his daughter, Martha, took on the role
of First Lady.
Thomas Jefferson served as president from 1801-
1809, and died the same day as John Adams, on
July 4, 1826.
A quote by Jefferson
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for
people of good conscience to remain silent.
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James Madison
The Early Years
Presidential Highlights
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James MadisonThe Early Years
James Madison was born March 16, 1751, and was
brought up in Orange County, Virginia.
Madison attended Princeton University, and
studied history and government.
Throughout his life, Madison worked as a
farmer, a planter, and a Colonel in the military.
He married Dolly Payne Todd.
Madison was part of the Continental Congress, as
well as the Virginia Assembly.
Madison helped the frame the Virginia
Constitution, as well as the Bill of Rights, as
well as help to write the Federalist Papers,
along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton.
The men who wrote the Federalist Papers (l-r)
John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.
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James MadisonPresidential Highlights
James Madison, the fourth president, was
president during the War of 1812- the was even
referred to as Mr. Madisons War.
Madison kept the most complete notes on the
Constitutional Convention.
He was a central person in the development of
the Constitution of the United States.
He served two terms as president, from 1809-
1817, but both of his vice presidents died while
in office.
James Madison died on June 28, 1836.
A quote by Madison
"A popular Government without popular
information, or the means of acquiring it, is but
a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or, perhaps
both."
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James Monroe
The Early Years
Presidential Highlights
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James MonroeThe Early Years
James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758 in
Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Monroe attended the College of William and Mary,
and became a lawyer in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
He also served in the Continental Army as a
Lieutenant and Colonel.
James Monroe married Elizabeth Kortright, and
they had three children.
Before becoming president, Monroe was a senator
for the state of Virginia, and also a Minister to
France.
As the Presidents before him, Monroe also served
on the Continental Congress.
The home of James Monroe.
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James MonroePresidential Highlights
The fifth president, James Monroe received all
but one vote from the electoral college in the
election of 1820.
Monroe bought Florida from Spain in 1819.
He issued The Monroe Doctrine, which protected
Latin America, as well as the Northwest
Territories from Europe.
Monroes presidency was known as The Era of
Good Feelings.
He served two terms as president, from 1817-1825.
James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
A quote by Monroe
"The earth was given to mankind to support the
greatest number of which it is capable, and no
tribe or people have a right to withhold from the
wants of others more than is necessary for their
own support and comfort."