us prezs 11-28

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Expanded U.S. territory through the Oregon Treaty (1846) and Mexican-American War (1846-1848).

  • Failure: His expansionist policies worsened sectional tensions over slavery.

12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

  • Party: Whig

  • Achievement: Took a strong stance against the expansion of slavery into new territories.

  • Failure: Died in office before making major policy changes.

13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

  • Party: Whig

  • Achievement: Signed the Compromise of 1850, delaying the Civil War.

  • Failure: Enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, angering abolitionists.

14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Signed the Gadsden Purchase (1854), expanding U.S. territory.

  • Failure: Supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), increasing sectional conflict.

15. James Buchanan (1857-1861)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Maintained peace temporarily before the Civil War.

  • Failure: Did little to stop the secession of Southern states.

16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Led the U.S. through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation (1863).

  • Failure: His presidency was marked by the nation's deadliest conflict.

17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

  • Party: Democrat (Union)

  • Achievement: Oversaw early Reconstruction efforts.

  • Failure: Impeached (but not removed) for opposing Radical Republican policies.

18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Fought for civil rights and passed the 15th Amendment (1870).

  • Failure: His administration was plagued by corruption scandals.

19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.

  • Failure: This led to the rise of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation.

20. James A. Garfield (1881)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Advocated for civil service reform.

  • Failure: Assassinated before making significant changes.

21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883).

  • Failure: Alienated his own party by opposing corruption.

22. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Fought against corruption and vetoed wasteful bills.

  • Failure: Opposed pensions for Civil War veterans, angering many.

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Signed the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) to regulate monopolies.

  • Failure: Increased federal spending, leading to economic troubles.

24. Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) (again)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Stabilized the economy during the Panic of 1893.

  • Failure: Sent federal troops to break up the Pullman Strike (1894), angering workers.

25. William McKinley (1897-1901)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Led the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American War (1898).

  • Failure: Assassinated in 1901.

26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Launched progressive reforms like trust-busting and conservation efforts.

  • Failure: His aggressive foreign policy led to controversy.

27. William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

  • Party: Republican

  • Achievement: Strengthened antitrust laws.

  • Failure: Disappointed progressives by not pursuing Roosevelt’s reforms.

28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

  • Party: Democrat

  • Achievement: Led the U.S. during World War I and pushed for the League of Nations.

  • Failure: Failed to get the U.S. to join the League, and his handling of civil liberties during the war was controversial.