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A Retrospective on the American Presidency is an acknowledgement that; throughout American history, presidents have uttered comments, issued decisions and made public and private moves that critics said were racist, either at the time or in later generations. The presidents did so both before taking office and during their time in the White House.
Many of the early presidents, George Washington to Zachary Taylor, owned black slaves and held power when African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos did not have the right to vote or serve on juries and could be refused service in public accommodations. They often repeated racist views that were commonly held in their times, even when challenged by scholars or civil rights leaders.
Of course there’s only so much a president can do when the president aims to tackle centuries-old, deeply entrenched racial disparities, but for many Americans, the White House stands as a symbol of liberty and justice. But its gleaming facade hides harsh realities, from the slaves who built the home to the presidents who lived there and shaped the country’s racial history. A Retrospective on the American Presidency challenges the traditional view of our Presidents and instead demands the reader look at the institution with a wider lens.
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) FDR was intelligent but not brilliant. He was pampered as the only child of aristocrats. He was crippled by...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) The election of 1912 may have been the greatest election we’ve ever had. William Howard Taft was the sitting...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) Handpicked by Roosevelt, William Howard Taft was to continue his agenda. He had been brought in by the McKinley...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) The Republican party’s worst nightmare had come to pass. Teddy Roosevelt was a conservative that fought for reform, a...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) In 1896, Democrat William Jennings Bryan was making the case for the common man. Republican William McKinley was backed...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) Grover Cleveland returns to the White House. He was the first and still the only President to win two...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) Benjamin Harrison was the centennial president elected exactly 100 years after George Washington. While a very good speechmaker, he...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) Chester Arthur was removed in disgrace as Chief Collector of the NY Custom House in 1878. Three years later...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) James Garfield won the Republican nomination and the presidenct in 1881. He was the first former college president and...
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” – Ellis, No Country for Old Men (2007) Hayes was the first president to take oath of office inside the executive mansion, and the first to have...