Debt Ceiling Clash of 2011 and Government Shutdowns Badly Damage US Economy

As President Biden and House Republicans struggle to agree on raising the debt ceiling, more than 140 leaders of the biggest U.S. companies published an open letter to the president and congressional leaders “to emphasize the potentially disastrous consequences of a failure by the federal government to meet its obligations.” They noted that when the …

Barack Obama on the Importance of Reading Books, Even When You’re Extremely Busy

Each year, President Barack Obama releases his reading list. His recent recommendations include: "The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams" by Stacy Schiff, a biography of a Founding Father. “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” by Imani Perry, which won the National Book Award for its nuanced analysis of …

2008 Election of Barack Obama: Breakthrough Moment in Black American History

Crash Course Black American History #50: "Barack Obama was the first Black man elected President in the United States in 2008. In this episode, Clint Smith will explore the early life, political career, presidential campaign, and legislative milestones of Barack Obama." Transcript. The comments below this video on Youtube.com are also interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKWEwBxDd9k Clint's book, …

On Seizing Opportunities, From Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy

When Barack Obama, just a freshman senator from Illinois, elected in 2004, was considering in 2006 whether or not to run for president in 2008, Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy pulled him aside and gave him this advice, according to Obama's memoir: “You think you may not be ready, that you’ll do it a more convenient …

How the ‘Solid South’ Shifted from Reliably Democrat to Reliably Republican

Understanding 20th century Southern political history is essential to comprehending the potential for changes in voting patterns or a realignment of states in presidential and congressional elections in the 2020s. The so-called “Solid South” of White segregationists’ block voting for Democrats existed between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the passage of the Civil Rights Act …

Stock Market Gains, Losses Under Presidents Since Reagan. How Political Parties’ Economic Performances Are Perceived

How much a president inspires the stock market remains a question of debate. But let's look at the record since 1980. During Ronald Reagan's eight years, the stock market gained 118 percent. During George H.W. Bush's four years, the stock market gained 51 percent. During Bill Clinton's eight years, the stock market gained 210 percent. …

Greatest Recorded Speeches in Modern American History

From 1933 when radio became a mass medium through the early 1960s when television became a mass medium through 2008 when the Internet became a mass medium, powerful speeches have transformed American politics, or have lifted the county's imagination. They do tend to contribute to the "great man theory" of history -- just because a …

Generational Approach to Studying American History Offers Insights

Instead of defining American presidents by their political parties or supposed ideologies, historian H.W. Brands of the University of Texas thinks the times in which a leader lives -- generational influences -- are far more important in shaping their lives. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton are all in the …

Leaders’ Historical Reputations Wax and Wane. Images Fluctuate

As Donald Trump's presidency comes to an end, it's important to remember that leaders' popularity and historical reputations tend to shift over time. Here's an overview of how that has happened to previous leaders: Presidents once considered heroes of the Democratic Party -- Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson -- have been removed from their symbolic …

Since the 1930s, Fiscal Policy and Stimulus Have Alleviated Suffering

In the 1930s, with one out of four workers unemployed and growing social unrest, President Franklin Roosevelt broke with the dominant U.S. economic philosophy of "free market fundamentalism" -- the notion that an unregulated laissez-faire or free-market capitalist policies could solve most if not all economic and social problems. Drawing upon the writings of British economist John …