I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff You Need to Know (2 page)

FUN FACT

The state of Washington, admitted to the Union in 1889, is the only state that has ever been named after a U.S. president.

Washington loved ice cream and in the summer of 1790, our first president ate his way through $200 worth of ice cream made in New York and brought to his home in Mount Vernon. In the days before ice cream makers were invented, it took a long time to make ice cream by hand. After a visit to Philadelphia, Washington brought back a machine that could turn cream into ice. He soon added metal ice cream pots to his kitchen so he could have his favorite treat whenever he wanted.

Washington never had any children of his own, but his wife, Martha, had two young children—Jacky and Patsy—from her first marriage and he raised them as his own.

Remembering George Washington

Seventeen cities, thirty-one counties, one state, and our nation’s capital are named after Washington. He is considered one of our greatest presidents because he saw our nation through one of its most difficult times—its birth.

ON THE MONEY

The Treasury Department can’t say why certain presidents and statesmen were chosen for different kinds of money. However, the secretary of the treasury usually picks the design, unless a design is chosen by Congress. The secretary makes the final decision, with help from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), which prints the new money. The Commission on Fine Arts takes a last look before the design is ready to go.

Here is a list of presidents whose portraits are on different values of paper money and the year when they first appeared:

$1 George Washington, 1869

$2 Thomas Jefferson, 1869

$5 Abraham Lincoln, 1914

$20 Andrew Jackson, 1928

$50 Ulysses S. Grant, 1929

$500 William McKinley, 1928

$1,000 Grover Cleveland, 1928

$5,000 James Madison, 1918

$100,000 Woodrow Wilson, 1934

Can anyone’s picture appear on money?

By law, only portraits of deceased persons can appear on our currency, and they must be persons whose places in history the American people know well. For example, two famous Americans who weren’t presidents but appear on money are Alexander Hamilton on the $10 and Benjamin Franklin on the $100.

FUN FACT

The only woman’s portrait to be on the front of paper money was First Lady Martha Washington on the $1 silver certificate in 1886 and 1891.

FAMOUS FIRST LADIES

First ladies are not elected to their position, but they play an important role in how Americans—and the world—view the president. Some became beloved White House hostesses while others (generally in more recent times) adopted social and political causes of their own. Some were unhappy losing their privacy, while others loved being in the spotlight. Here is the first of eight first ladies who made unique contributions to the presidency and to America.

MARTHA WASHINGTON

June 2, 1731–May 22, 1802

Born in Virginia

The nation’s first First Lady, Martha Washington grew up on a plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia, with three brothers and five sisters. Like most young women of her day, Martha received little schooling. But she had a quick mind that soaked up information and questioned what went on around her.

Two Marriages

When she was 18 years old, Martha married Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy planter who was 20 years older than she was. They had four children, but two of them died. Then Daniel died, too. Two years later, Martha met Colonel George Washington. They were married, and although the couple did not have children together, George raised her son and daughter as his own.

President Washington

When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, George became commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Although Martha wanted her husband to stay at Mount Vernon, she knew that the country needed him, too. When the war was over, there was no election campaign but George was unanimously named president.

Loved by Soldiers

Martha did not like being First Lady, but she saw it as her duty and did it well. She held dinners and invited the public to visit, although some citizens felt these gatherings were too fancy. She was loved by the Revolutionary War veterans because she often helped them when they were in need.

Home Again

Martha was happy to return to her home in Mount Vernon when her husband’s time as president was over. She told a friend, “The General and I feel like children just released from school.” George lived to spend only another two years with Martha. When she died three years after him, Martha was buried beside her beloved George at Mount Vernon.

FUN FACT

Martha Washington was the first presidential widow to receive free postage from Congress because she had to buy so many stamps to mail replies to the letters people sent her when her husband died.

2nd President ~ 1797–1801

JOHN ADAMS

Atlas of Independence

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”

Born

October 30, 1735 Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts

Political Party

Federalist

Vice President

Thomas Jefferson

First Lady

Abigail

Children

Abigail, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, and Thomas

Pets

Cleopatra, a horse; Juno and Satan, dogs

A New House for the President

Born and raised outside of Boston, John Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1755. His great-great-grandparents were among the Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. When he was elected president, after serving as Washington’s vice president, the nation’s capital was still in Philadelphia. When the new capital of Washington, D.C., was ready in 1800, President Adams, traveling with his family, got lost in the woods trying to find the White House. Once in his new—but drafty and damp—home, Adams wrote: “May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

Two Views of the Country

In those days, the candidate getting the second-most votes became vice president. That’s how Thomas Jefferson became Adams’ vice president. However, the two men did not agree on what the brand-new government should be. Adams wanted the government to grow larger and have a big army, and he wanted to raise taxes to pay for it all. Jefferson thought the government should stay small. By the end of Adams’ term in office, he and Jefferson were so angry at each other that when Jefferson beat Adams in the next presidential election, Adams did not go to his swearing-in ceremony. Years later, however, the ice melted and the two Founding Fathers became friends again and wrote many letters to each other, discussing the direction of the country.

FUN FACTS

John Adams’ last words before he died were, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” He didn’t know that Jefferson had died a few hours earlier.

John Adams didn’t like his job as vice president under George Washington. He was frustrated and bored by this job—which he called “the most insignificant office.”

The Adams Presidency

Adams kept the United States neutral during the war between France and Britain, giving the U.S. time to build a strong army and navy. But French ships attacked U.S. ships to stop them from trading with Britain. Adams eventually worked out a treaty with France that stopped this undeclared war. He also signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which some said protected the United States from its enemies, but others said were written to stop people from criticizing the government.

An Important Date

Adams and Jefferson were the only two presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson wrote. It was dated July 4, 1776. Strangely enough, both John Adams in Boston and Thomas Jefferson in Virginia died within hours of each other on the same day, July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

THE WHITE HOUSE

A HOME FOR OUR PRESIDENTS

How the White House Came to Be

When it was time to build a house for the president to live in, George Washington wanted to make it a grand palace. In the spring of 1791, he asked French architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant to create a plan. But when the men in charge of paying for the building saw the plan, they were not happy.