Don't Know Much About the American Presidents

Don't Know Much About the American Presidents

by Kenneth C. Davis

Overview

Which president broke the law to prevent enslaved people from being freed? Who said, "When the president does it,that means it's not illegal"? Why does America have a president?

From the heated debates among the framers of the Constitution in 1787 over an "elected king," to the creation of the presidency, and on through rich profiles of each man who has held the office, New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis takes readers on a guided tour of American history. Examining each chief executive, from the low lights to the bright lights, the memorable to the forgettable and the forgotten, Davis tells all the stories, offering rich anecdotes about real people. He also charts the history of the presidency itself, debunking myths and grading the presidents from A+ to F.

For history buffs and history-phobes alike, this entertaining book may change your understanding of the highest office in the land throughout more than two hundred years of history.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781401330439
Publisher: Hachette Books
Publication date: 04/15/2014
Pages: 752
Sales rank: 517,571
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 2.10(d)

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the author of Don't Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About® series of books and audiotapes for adults and children. Davis, who is also the author of A Nation Rising and the New York Times bestseller America's Hidden History, has appeared on national television and radio, written for the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, and been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He posts regularly at dontknowmuch.com and makes "virtual visits" to schools, libraries, and other groups around the country to talk about American history, the presidents, the Bible, the Civil War, and mythology, all subjects of his work. Kenneth C. Davis lives in New York City with his wife.

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Don't Know Much About the American Presidents 3.9 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 7 reviews.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
I always wanted to know more about our past presidents without having to be "scholarly". Davis provides an easy to read summary of each president. It"s like a one-volume encyclopedia. Seems to be unbiased.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
I love reading presidential history. However, I found this book very liberally biased. Civil rights determines your grade as a president in this book. Franklin Roosevelt was graded an A+. I admire him as a president but hardly agree he deserves an A+. The section praising Eleanor is almost amusing in it's worship. I was looking for factual history not opinion. I stopped reading after I began to have feelings of shame of being a white American.
Sandragon More than 1 year ago
Everyone knows a little bit about the more famous presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, etc., but what about those we don't hear about very often? This book gives an excellent account of each president's tenure in the highest office in the country, AND gives them a grade for the way they ran the country while in office! I totally enjoyed this book and recommend it highly!
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Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Author glosses over events. Rather like reading an encyclopedia. Not the good , interesting read I was expecting. Author's political agenda comes into play far more than one would expect. Disappointing!