Baptism by fire : eight presidents who took office in times of crisis

Author

Mark K Updegrove

Call Number

• 973.099 U66 (CEN)

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Edition

1st ed.

Publication Information

New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2009.

Physical Description

x, 292 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 25 cm.

Summary

Presents accounts of eight U.S. presidents who assumed office at times of crisis and how they met high-stakes challenges, from Lincoln's efforts on behalf of a divided nation and FDR's strategies during the Depression to Truman's inheritance of World War II and Kennedy's role in addressing the Cold War.

Contents

• George Washington : the first
• Thomas Jefferson : "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists"
• John Tyler : the accidental president
• Abraham Lincoln : "The Union is unbroken"
• Franklin D. Roosevelt : nothing to fear
• Harry S. Truman : "If you pray, pray for me now"
• John F. Kennedy : "The torch has been passed"
• Gerald R. Ford : "Our long national nightmare is over".