The Presidency

Children's Literature - Joyce Rice

Since 1789, when General George Washington returned from his military successes to take the oath of office and become our first president, there have been questions about how this highest office in the land should work. Although our earliest politicians put into place a way of balancing power among the branches of government that continues to work today, leaders from all walks of life continue to debate the power of the presidency and how it should be controlled. This small volume is part of "The U. S. Government: How It Works" series. The author presents chapters on the powers of the office of president and how elections work. Some standard information found here includes a chronology of the 43 presidents and their terms of office as well as some of the more famous speeches given by presidents. Information included here that is not quite as familiar includes how presidents transition from being president to not being president and a discussion on why someone would want to be president. There is text on presidents who have been impeached, presidents who have assassinated, and presidents who have died in office. The appendices include a glossary, a bibliography, further reading recommendations, and an index. There is even a section that presents trivia questions about the role of president and those who have filled it. This is a welcome addition to the volumes of material for middle school collections on the subject of the U. S. presidency.