The American Presidency Through History's Lens

The objective of this site is to provide information about U.S. presidential history as it relates to current presidential politics and events at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. There is always a historic context to what we see in the news today and through the articles, videos, and links provided by this site we'll give you the background to better understand the traditions, procedures, and decision-making in our national politics.

Our current topic of interest, of course, is the upcoming mid-term elections. Often a turning point in a presidency, the first congressional elections of a new president's term may lead to gridlock, derailing the ambitious plans of an activist president. Will the 2010 elections result in a lame duck president or provide a hostile Congress that a re-energized president can attack in a re-election campaign? If you'd like to learn more check out some background on the mid-term election process at Wikipedia or look at videos on the current political environment. If you're interested in getting in deeper, look over some selections from Amazon on the history of the presidency.