Every President's
Notable Accomplishments

Truman made some of the most consequential decisions in presidential history with little preparation, he had been VP for 82 days when FDR died. He dropped atomic bombs on Japan, integrated the military, launched the Marshall Plan, created NATO, and defined the Cold War strategy of containment.

The Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII, Eisenhower presided over peace and prosperity. He built the Interstate Highway System, integrated Little Rock's schools with federal troops, and warned of the 'military-industrial complex' in his farewell address.

Kennedy served only 1,036 days but became perhaps the most mythologized president in American history. His navigation of the Cuban Missile Crisis may have prevented nuclear war. His assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963 shocked the world and reshaped American politics.

Johnson was the most legislatively effective president since FDR, passing the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and more. Vietnam destroyed his presidency, he declined to run in 1968 as the country tore itself apart.

Nixon's foreign policy achievements, opening China, détente with the Soviets, ending the draft, were extraordinary. His domestic record was surprisingly progressive. And then came Watergate, a criminal conspiracy that led to his unprecedented resignation.

Ford is the only person to serve as both Vice President and President without being elected to either. He pardoned Nixon one month into his presidency, a decision he believed was right for the country that almost certainly cost him the 1976 election.

Carter's presidency was defined by economic stagflation and the Iran hostage crisis. His post-presidential career, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, monitoring elections worldwide, writing 35 books, may be the most distinguished in history.

Reagan transformed American conservatism into a governing philosophy and remade the Republican Party in his image. His supply-side economic policies, defense buildup, and confrontational approach to the Soviet Union defined the 1980s.

Bush navigated the end of the Cold War with extraordinary skill, oversaw the Gulf War coalition, and presided over German reunification. His reversal of his 'no new taxes' pledge cost him the 1992 election.