Presidential Administrations

To memorize presidential administrations, the major tricks are:

1. There are elections in years divisible by four–1900, 1904, etc.
2. Presidents are sworn in the following winter, and usually serve eight years. So just memorize the start (or end) and add eight.
3. A few don’t serve eight, because they die or resign. Lincoln and FDR had the courtesy to die the same year the major war they led ends. This makes things convenient for you, because you only have to memorize one date! Richard Nixon is an unpleasant guy, and resigns a year before the Vietnam war ends. Dislike him for that!

• Washington: 1789-1797
• Jefferson: 1801-1809
• Jackson: 1829-1837
• Lincoln: 1861-1865
• Teddy Roosevelt: 1901-1909
• Woodrow Wilson: 1913-1921
• Franklin Roosevelt (FDR): 1933-1945
• Richard Nixon: 1969-1974
• Ronald Reagan: 1981-1989

Eras

When we talk about American history, we frequently divide it up into eras. Here is what I consider those periods to be. You can use these on any test: they’re as good as a date.

• The Colonial era: 1607-1763 (Many subdivide this. We don’t in this class!)
• The Revolutionary era: 1763-1783
• The Early Republic: 1783 - 1815
• The Antebellum period: 1815-1860
• The Civil War: 1861-1865
• Reconstruction: 1866-1876
• The “Gilded Age”: 1877 - 1900
• The Progressive Era: 1900-1920
• The 1920s. (No one’s put a good name on it! You probably don’t need a flash card for this one.)
• The Great Depression: 1929-1941
• World War II:: 1941-1945
• The Cold War: 1945-1989

Wars

Some of the eras above are, precisely, wars. These are others you should be able to date. Note that these are the dates of American involvement: World War I in Europe, for example, is much longer.

• King Philip’s War: 1675-1678
• The Seven Years’ War: 1756-1763
• The Revolution: 1775-1783
• The Mexican War: 1846-1848
• World War I: 1917-1918
• Vietnam War: 1965-1975

Foundation dates

• Jamestown, Santa Fe: 1607
• Plymouth: 1620