How can Americans develop a coherent overview of the presidency? The Preamble of the Constitution provides a historical foundation to assess the major patterns, events, and policies of seven important presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman. From the 1790s to the 1950s, presidents have faced challenges to the meaning and existence of the Union, the definition and implementation of justice, the necessity of domestic tranquility, the formulation of defense policy to enhance national security, the advancement of general welfare, and the protection and promotion of liberty within the context of their times. This conceptual framework allows readers to study long-term continuity and change in the presidency and in America. In an age of specialization, when most historical studies of individual presidents are hundreds, even thousands of pages long, Saunders gives readers a brief, interpretive overview of select presidents. The elegant, flexible, and understandable framework of the Preamble provides the historical foundation for the assessment of the presidency and the individuals occupying this important office. Readers will be able to use this assessable framework to study other presidents, bringing the discussion of the presidency as an evolving institution up to the present day.

Saunders complements an understanding of the origins and evolution of Woodrow Wilson's beliefs, particularly the notion of stewardship, with an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of his leadership and the historical context within which he pursued his dreams. Based upon a thorough and systematic analysis of the available primary sources, this work explores Wilson's relationship with his parents, his wives, and his professional and political colleagues. It examines his conduct of domestic and foreign policy from 1913-1921, as well as his inner turmoil over professed beliefs which conflicted with the demands of leadership. This detailed account records the social background, beliefs, and behavior of one of America's most controversial and significant 20th century leaders. Woodrow Wilson is perceived as the epitome of the modern idealist who took the United States into World War I to make the world safe for democracy; however, this book will show that this view of Wilson is fraught with more than the usual distortions. With the end of the Cold War and the publication of the full body of Wilson's papers, it is now possible to examine Wilson in a new and more complete light. The tensions between Wilson's private ambitions and his public role refute the main stereotype of him as an idealist.

How can Americans develop a coherent overview of the presidency? The Preamble of the Constitution provides a historical foundation to assess the major patterns, events, and policies of seven important presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman. From the 1790s to the 1950s, presidents have faced challenges to the meaning and existence of the Union, the definition and implementation of justice, the necessity of domestic tranquility, the formulation of defense policy to enhance national security, the advancement of general welfare, and the protection and promotion of liberty within the context of their times. This conceptual framework allows readers to study long-term continuity and change in the presidency and in America.

In an age of specialization, when most historical studies of individual presidents are hundreds, even thousands of pages long, Saunders gives readers a brief, interpretive overview of select presidents. The elegant, flexible, and understandable framework of the Preamble provides the historical foundation for the assessment of the presidency and the individuals occupying this important office. Readers will be able to use this assessable framework to study other presidents, bringing the discussion of the presidency as an evolving institution up to the present day.