Nicolas

Sawicky Critique of Presidential Courage The position of President of the United States of America has been unique

since it was first thought up by our founding fathers centuries ago. Position was meant to replace the tyrannical kings of the past and bring forth a leader who had the power of a king, but worked for his citizens. The great George Washington, who set precedence that, is still followed today. Over the years, the President of the United States has had to deal with some very important decisions and these decisions have made the position the de facto leader of the world. The book, Presidential Courage, attempts to transcribe the power and responsibility that sits with the position through numerous examples of past presidents. Although not perfect, the book does a great job of: telling a complicated story of controversy, using first hand accounts, giving background information on new characters or situations, transitioning between presidential stories, giving the reader insight into peoples emotions, presenting rare facts, covering less popular political stories, giving interesting side stories, foreshadowing to events in present day America, providing great visual imagery of the past, comparing and contrasting the different presidents that are covered in the book, and even making the reader laugh a few times. The book, Presidential Courage, aims to teach its reader about the many times

a president has had to face adversity and save America. Some of the examples are things you learn about in high school history classes, while others are a little less

well known. For either case, these situations were very complicated and involved numerous parties. Michael Beschloss does a great job of helping the reader understand these conditions with plenty of detail. He spends 4 chapters on each of the presidents he choses to highlight. In those 4 chapters, the reader follows the transition of a certain conflict and how the president works to solve the problem, making America stronger in the process. Presidential Courage uses a lot of great first hand accounts of events. This

allows for the words in a specific conversation to be given to a reader, allowing for the best understanding of the topic at hand. One excellent example of this is when Reagan was talking to Gorbachev and he decided to tell the Soviet leader a joke. The joke went An American asked a young Moscow cabdriver what he would do when he got out of school. The driver replied that the authorities hadnt told him yet (Location 5472). This gives great insight into Reagans joking side and how he was sometimes unaware of what he was saying. Gorbachev obviously became offended and their relations were put back. The author also includes text from letters that were written between different parties. The inclusion of these written documents allows the reader to jump write into what someone was thinking at the time, proving insight that newspaper articles lacked. An example of this is when Vice President John Adams would write to his wife Abigail. As Jays treaty was being debated, Adams confined to his wife that A battle royal I expect at its ratification, and snarling enough afterwards. I am very much afraid of the Treaty!...Be Careful, my dearest Friend, of

what you say.The Times are perilous (Loc. 235). This excerpt shows how deathly afraid Adams was of this treaty being passed and the revolts that would take place by Americans and the French. This is something that he would have never confined to the outside world, but you know its his true feelings since the letter is to his dear wife. Michael Beschloss also does a great job of letting the reader know all the necessary information every time a new person is introduced into the story. He does this with these side stories. Unfortunately they do not always work and can sometimes be confusing. Once example of it not working was in the Washington section of the book. One minute the author is talking about Jays treaty and how it took a long time to get to him in his house in Philadelphia. Then the next paragraph goes on a tangent about Washingtons house. The reader is feed useless knowledge about how a painter one time insulted one of his housemaids and how he had slaves on the property, but would have them brought back to Virginia every five months so that they remained slaves. The book then cuts right back to Jays treaty like someone running into a wall, no effort to transition. The author does have some good side stories throughout his book as well. Many times throughout the book, Beschloss will introduce a new person who will add another dimension to the overall story. Thankfully, the author wants to make sure the reader knows all the necessary background information and gives it to them in a short and structured manner. One great example of these side stories is when Pickering points out to Washington that he believes Edmund Randolph was a

traitor. The book then goes into a side tangent about who Randolph was and how he came to be Secretary of State for Washington. The book then goes back to the main story with a smooth transition. Another helpful side story was the one on Nicholas Biddle. I honestly did not know much about the man and since he plays a large role in the Andrew Jackson section of the book, it was smart to include a large side story about whom he was and what he had accomplished before his showdown with Old Hickory. The transition between the different presidents was something that truly amazed me. Almost anyone could write about the presidents of the United States, but that fact that Beschloss took the extra time to transition between the men. Right after reading about Washington, the reader starts a chapter titled Rivalries Irritated to Madness and is immediately given some wise words. John Adams insisted that popularity was never my mistress, but it wounded him to know that when Americans saw him as President, they dreamt of George Washington. This excellent entrance to a new section of the book prepares the reader for a different experience and a different president. The beginning of the Theodore Roosevelt section also has an interesting transition from Abe Lincoln. It is done with Lincolns secretary John Hay. Hay is not the Secretary of State for T.R. This bring between the two presidents is nice and does not go unnoticed. There are also some excellent transitions at the end of chapters. An eerie ending is Andrew Jacksons section. Jackson had predicted the slave question would

some day blow up a storm with southern leaders forming a southern confederacy that would destroy the Union (Loc. 1712). As most Americans know, there was a Civil War in Americas future. The next chapter starts off where Jackson finished. Lincoln is now president and he was leading the fight against the Southern confederacy that Andrew Jackson had dreaded (Loc. 1718). Although there were numerous presidents between the two men, it is a seamless transition. These types of transitions also make the book hard to put down for the reader. What kind of person is going to put down a book when they are about to get into the Civil War? Emotion is a very important part of story telling. When reading a book, you would be more inclined to like the book and want to continue reading it if you have either an emotional tie to the story or the characters in the story are portraying some sort of emotion. One example that brings about some emotional reactions to readers is when Beschloss describes Washington alone in his darkened mansion, except for the servants. Staggered by Pickerings revelations, he had to decide by himself whether his top appointee was a new Benedict Arnold (Loc. 380). As a reader, you put yourselves in the shoes of Washington and cannot help but feel s sickness to your stomach. I think it was that line that brought me emotionally closer to President Washington than I have ever been before. Another emotional insight into a President is when president Truman is faced with the post WWII Jewish problem. The reader is given numerous examples of Trumans own anti-Semitism, so that the reader has the best understanding possible for Trumans mindset. Knowing both that and the fact that he carried a chip

on his shoulder since being nearly blind as a child, the reader gets to almost ride in the front seat of Trumans mind as he makes decisions. Facts are one of the things that drive the world. Whether it is on a lab report or Wikipedia, they surround us. Facts that very few people know are like gold in your pocket, you can pull them out and use them to your advantage. Presidential Courage is filled with these rare facts that left even a history buff like myself in awe. One of the first facts that I learned was that during the protests for Jays treaty, Alexander Hamilton had rocks thrown at his face, leaving it bloody (Loc. 277). One fact that blew me away was the story surrounding Fisher Ames. A man that I did not even know existed supposedly delivered a speech that is regarded as one of the most powerful speeches in American history (Loc. 563). Even that fact does not even compare to the story revolving around the Republican, Fredrick Muhlenberg. He was once against Jays Treaty and knew supporting it would be political suicide. He was left the tiebreaker and voted for the treaty because he was blackmailed not for money but love. This was due to his sons finance, whose father was a Federalist and supposedly said, If you do not give us your vote, you son shall not have my Polly. Who would have thought that the future of America would have been decided by two love birds whose parents where powerful people. Presidential Courage also seems to include some facts that were left out of most history books. The one example that blew my mind was some of the things I learned about Ronald Reagan. When you think of President Reagan, you think of the best-dressed man who fought head-to-head with the Soviets and won. What is not

known is his obsession with religion. All presidents are religious in one way or another, but Reagan took the Bible literally and had even scared world leaders with his antics. One time he terrified a South Korean leader by jovially warning that the Apocalypse was near (Loc. 4930). It is amazing that a man that was that unstable was running the United States of America. Foreshadowing is a great tool when telling a story and Presidential Courage has plenty of it. An excellent example of this is when Adams warns of the dangers of a large military. He feared that it would transform into a many bellied Monster that might tyrannize the people and draw the country into unnecessary wars (Loc. 698). Adams friend, Elbridge Gerry, compared a large standing army to a swollen penis, providing an excellent assurance of domestic tranquility, but a dangerous temptation to foreign adventure (Loc, 700). Reading this makes me immediately think about President Eisenhowers warning about the military industrial complex that now exists in America. Unfortunately, war means money for people, even though it causes so much death and destruction. A more direct use of foreshadowing is when the author brings up the fact that Jefferson insisted the federalists were fabricating a war scare to bolster their dwindling popularity. Just as Hamilton had once called the Republicans the war party, Jefferson now applied the same epithet to the Federalists (Loc. 791). Beschloss goes on to connect this public name-calling to events much more recent when he reveals that Jefferson coined the term war hawks, a term that was used as recently as the Vietnam and Iraq wars. These connections to modern America really

caught me off guard, since the early years of a America were very different, but it seems like they faced many of the same problems we debate today. The final example of a connection between the past and todays problems is the one that occurred during the historic presidency of FDR. President Roosevelt made a secret decision that gave the FBI authority to secure information by listening devices on American civilians. Although technically illegal, FDR thought it was a necessary evil so that Americans could be protected. This debate continues today with the much talked about Patriot Act which came about after the attacks on September 11th 2001. Whether it is the threat of Nazis or Terrorists, Presidents have to walk a thin line to protect citizens and their rights. It is human nature to compare and contrast people, especially when they hold the same position. The position of President of the United States in no different. One example of this is the comparison between Andre Jackson and Abe Lincoln. Beschloss brings up the fact that although very different in personality, Lincoln actually took Jacksons formula of a down-to-earth candidate and created Honest Abe the Rail Splitter and abandoned the well-to-do lawyer personality. It interesting facts like these that actually make you change your opinion of some of these presidents. I know it makes me think a little less of Lincoln, knowing that he portrayed himself differently just to win votes. My favorite part of Presidential Courage is the fact that it made me laugh numerous times. One funny part was when the reader learns that Reagans staff put together tutorials, they called Soviet Union 101. The medium used for these

tutorials, was the same thing that made Regan famous in the first place, motion pictures. Another laugh-out-loud moment was when the police broke into Tyler Kents apartment and found the anti-Semite with his Jewish mistress. Its funny to learn that man who believed all wars were inspired by international banks that were controlled by the Jews, would still sleep with Jewish women. My favorite line was the one about McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. Mark Hanna had previously warned McKinley that T.R. was crazy and now that he was Vice President, he duty to the country was to live for four years from next March (Loc. 2283). As we all know, McKinley was killed and Roosevelt became one of Americans most progressive presidents. Leadership comes with great power and responsibility. The office of the President of the Unites States is the perfect example of that saying. Each one of these great men had to deal with some very tough situations and proved to the American people that they chose the right man for the job. Presidential Courage attempts and succeeds at telling just a few of these courageous presidential decisions. Using easy to read language with plenty of background information, Beschloss gives the reader an enjoyable reading experience.