Recorded Books Inc. - Presidents: Every Question Answered

by Allen Weinstein

Carter Smiths compendium Presidents: Every Question Answered provides readers with an entertaining and informative overview of the fascinating history of Americas chief executives. To clarify matters at the outset concerning the books tongue-in-cheek subtitle, every question concerning the U.S. presidency is obviously not answered in this engaging volumethough a great many are. Those seeking historical background should find Presidents an extremely helpful introduction to the office and its occupants, from George Washington to Donald Trump. Even the buffs and professional historians who scan the book may discover either some long-forgotten information or unfamiliar facts.

The books format lends itself to leisurely browsing. Each president is introduced in a brief essay followed by basic biographical facts, chronological summaries of major events in that presidents administration, a timeline, profiles of the First Lady (when there was one), boxed discussions of major events, and relevant quotations concerning the incumbent.

Alert readers will recognize that Carter Smith has given certain presidents whose period in office most historians consider especially significantamong them Washington, Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reaganmore detailed attention than others whose term or terms in office were arguably of lesser importance. Readers judgments may or may not agree with those of the author; this writer, for example, has his own occasional divergences from Mr. Smiths allocations. But that should not detract from enjoyment of the volume overall.

Readers may find of special interest in a book such as this the evolution of the presidency in power and purpose among the three branches of government, especially in the second half of the twentieth century. Still, the Constitutions delegation of authority to holders of the officevirtually everyone at the time expected trustworthy George Washington to be its initial occupantprefigured its later development. Even some of the Founders expected this. Thus, the British historian Marcus Cunliffe reminded us that Alexander Hamilton predicted that a time would come when every vital question of state will be merged in the question, Who will be the next President? This prediction, Cunliffe noted, was borne out, in large part because the presidency became the apex of the contest between excited and organized political parties [in the United States].

In our time, the American public has come to expectindeed, demandvigorous leadership from its presidents in both foreign and domestic affairs. Only on occasion in the nineteenth centurythe Civil War years under Lincoln being the most notable exceptionwas this the case. The modern pursuit of a powerful chief executive began with Theodore Roosevelts assumption of the office after William McKinleys assassination. It was TR, as he was known, who wrote of his almost-seven years in office that he had developed a very definite philosophy about the presidency. I think it should be a very powerful office, and I think the president should be a very strong man who uses without hesitation every power that the position yields; but he should be sharply watched by the people [and] held to a strict accountability by them.

Only a few of the subsequent occupants of the American presidency have disputed TRs expansive vision of the office and its authority. Even earlier, however, some American presidents rarely hesitated to define the powers of their office as broadly as their specific actions required.

Readers who browse the pages of this book can discover for themselves the varied uses (and occasional abuses) of presidential power as each chief executive experiences the achievements and failures, dramas and melodramas, tumult and occasional tragedy of his historic moment as president of the United States.

NOTE: The collection of facts and other material for every presidential essay in the book, as well as the opinions it offers on specific presidents, are entirely those of Carter Smith, the books author, to whom all reader comments should be addressed.