Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Barack Obama: Forty-Fourth President of the United States

Nickname: The First African-American President

Terms in Office: 2009-2013; 2013-present

Fast Stats

  • Born August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Parents: Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham Obama Soetoro
  • Barack Obama is still living and in office
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 47; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 51
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 51
  • Religious Affiliation: Congregationalist (Protestant)
  • Political Party: Democrat
  • Height: 6 feet 1 inch
  • Vice President: Joseph Biden

Bottom Line

President Obama is the current president of the United States and is serving his second term in office. Obama passed his landmark legislation, the Affordable Care Act; oversaw the capture and death of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden; and enforced a multibillion dollar stimulus in an attempt to help the economy. He has struggled with a scandal regarding the surveillance of the American people by the federal government and an ever-growing debt and deficit.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Bill Clinton: Forty-Second President of the United States

Nickname: The Comeback Kid

Terms in Office: 1993-1997; 1997-2001

Fast Stats:

  • Born August 19, 1946, in Hope Arkansas
  • Parents: William Jefferson Blythe III and Virginia Dell Cassidy; Stepfather: Roger Clinton
  • Bill Clinton is still living
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 46; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 50
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 50; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 54
  • Religious Affiliation: Baptist
  • Political Party: Democrat
  • Height: 6 feet 2.5 inches
  • Vice President: Al Gore

Bottom Line:

Bill Clinton dealt with two government shutdowns during his presidency: one from November 14 to November 19, 1995, and another from December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996. He still managed to stabilize the American economy and balance the national budget. Clinton also experienced several international successes and continued national prosperity, but he was forced to fight to overcome three scandals.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Jimmy Carter: Thirty-Ninth President of the United States

Nickname: The Peanut Farmer

Terms in Office: 1977-1981

Fast Stats

  • Born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia
  • Parents: James Earl and Lillian Gordy Carter
  • Jimmy Carter is still living
  • Age upon Start of Term: 52; Age upon Conclusion of Term: 56
  • Religious Affiliation: Southern Baptist
  • Political Party: Democrat
  • Height: 5 feet 9.5 inches
  • Vice President: Walter Mondale

Bottom Line:

Jimmy Carter tried to fix a struggling U.S. economy while simultaneously working to promote international peace and stability, winning a Nobel Prize in 2002.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Richard M. Nixon: Thirty-Seventh President of the United States

Nickname: Red Hunter

Terms in Office: 1969-1973; 1973-1974

Fast Stats

  • Born January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California
  • Parents: Francis Antony and Hannah Milhous Nixon
  • Died April 22, 1994, in New York, New York; age 81
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 56; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 60
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 60; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 61
  • Religious Affiliation: Quaker
  • Political Party: Republican
  • Height: 5 feet 11.5 inches
  • Vice President: Spiro T. Agnew (1969-1973) and Gerald R. Ford (1973-1974)

Bottom Line:

Most of Nixon’s successes came from international policy: his treaty with the Soviet Union, his negotiation to open trade with the People’s Republic of China, and his attempts to conclude the Vietnam War. In 174, a year into his second term, Nixon resigned to avoid the humiliation of impeachment after the infamous Watergate Scandal.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Harry S. Truman: Thirty-Third President of the United States

Nickname: The High-Tax Harry

Terms in Office: 1945-1949; 1949-1953

Fast Stats

  • Born May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri
  • Parents: John Anderson and Martha Ellen Young Truman
  • Died December 26, 1972, in Kansas City, Missouri; age 88
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 60; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 64
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 64; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 68
  • Religious Affiliation: Baptist
  • Political Party: Democrat
  • Height: 5 feet 9 inches
  • Vice President: none (1945-1949) and Alben W. Barkley (1949-1953)

Bottom Line:

Harry Truman assumed the presidency in 1945 after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. As president, he oversaw the conclusion of both the European and the Pacific front in World War II. Truman won a surprise second term, during which time he worked to stabilize the American economy to prevent a second depression and organized the American invasion of Korea during the Korean War.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Thirty-First President of the United States

Nickname: The Great Humanitarian

Terms in Office: 1929-1933

Fast Stats

  • Born August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa
  • Parents: Jesse Clark and Hulda Randall Minthorn Hoover
  • Died October 20, 1964, in New York City, New York; age 90
  • Age upon Start of Term: 54, Age upon Conclusion of Term: 58
  • Religious Affiliation: Society of Friends (Quaker)
  • Political Party: Republican
  • Height: 6 Feet
  • Vice President: Charles Curtis

The Bottom Line

Herbert Hoover served one term, during which he struggled to combat the Great Depression that began the first year he was in office.

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Twenty-Ninth President of the United States

Nickname: Charming Harding

Terms in Office: 1921-1923

Fast Stats

  • Born November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio
  • Parents: George Tryon and Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson Harding
  • Died August 2, 1923, in San Francisco, California; age 57
  • Age upon Start of Term: 55; Age upon Death: 57
  • Religious Affiliation: Baptist
  • Political Party: Republican
  • Height: 6 feet
  • Vice President: Calvin Coolidge

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Twenty-fifth President of the United States

Nickname: Major McKinley

Terms in Office: 1897–1901; 1901

Fast Stats

  • Born January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio
  • Parents: William and Nancy Campbell Allison McKinley
  • Died September 14, 1901, in Buffalo, New York; age 58
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 54; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 58
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 58; Age upon Assassination: 58
  • Religious Affiliation: Methodist
  • Political Party: Republican
  • Height: 5 feet 7 inches
  • Vice President: Garret Hobart (1897–1899); Theodore Roosevelt (March–September 1901)

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Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

 

Grover Cleveland

Twenty-second and Twenty-fourth President of the United States

Nickname: The Veto President

Terms in Office: 1885–1889; 1893–1897

Fast Stats

  • Born March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey
  • Parents: Richard and Anne Neal Cleveland
  • Died June 24, 1908, in Princeton, New Jersey; age 71
  • Age upon Start of First Term: 47; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 51
  • Age upon Start of Second Term: 55; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 59
  • Political Party: Democratic
  • Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian
  • Height: 5 feet 11 inches
  • Vice Presidents: Thomas A. Hendricks (1885) and Adlai E. Stevenson (1893–1897)

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– – Friday, February 19, 2016
The Washington Times

Let it be noted: Pinocchio’s nose no longer grows when he lies. And it’s a real shame. For decades Pinocchio served as the shining example for youngsters like me, warning us to never lie. “If you lie,” our parents said, “everyone will find out, because your nose will grow like Pinocchio‘s!” Out of fear of having out nose extend far out of our face, we kept our tongue from slipping and our words honest.

But those days are now over. Pinocchio wished upon a star for a new nose. Today, Pinocchio has utilized the magic of modern medicine, paid for a nose job, and never again has to worry about his nose growing. Click here to read more!

Juliette Turner is the National Youth Director of Constituting America.

– – Friday, February 12, 2016
The Washington Times

If one were to look through the list of America’s past presidents, one would quickly conclude that many of the men who held our nation’s highest office would not have reached the Oval Office if they ran today. For example, James Madison’s soft voice and small stature would have branded him as too meek and complacent to serve, Andrew Jackson’s mistake of marrying a technically-still-married-woman would have been the subject of countless attack adds, Abraham Lincoln’s strange looks and history of deep depression would have deterred many voters, Theodore Roosevelt’s choice to leave his infant daughter behind while he wrangled the wild west would have been looked upon as unsound judgment, Warren Harding’s extramarital flings would have inevitably surfaced quickly in the primaries, Franklin Roosevelt’s fragile health would have caused his opponents to label him as unable to serve…and the list goes on and on. Click here to read more.

Juliette Turner is the National Youth Director of Constituting America.

If one were to look through the list of America’s past presidents, one would quickly conclude that many of the men who held our nation’s highest office would not have reached the Oval Office if they ran today. For example, James Madison’s soft voice and small stature would have branded him as too meek and complacent to serve, Andrew Jackson’s mistake of marrying a technically-still-married-woman would have been the subject of countless attack adds, Abraham Lincoln’s strange looks and history of deep depression would have deterred many voters, Theodore Roosevelt’s choice to leave his infant daughter behind while he wrangled the wild west would have been looked upon as unsound judgment, Warren Harding’s extramarital flings would have inevitably surfaced quickly in the primaries, Franklin Roosevelt’s fragile health would have caused his opponents to label him as unable to serve…and the list goes on and on.

So what changed? Read more

The Fourth of July
******

Bells cried out, cutting through the air of a still, humid night, crawling through the streets of Philadelphia. The full moon pierced through a small cloud, beaming its rays onto a solitary clock tower that stood in the middle of a maze of cobble stone streets. A white horse pounded its hooves onto the bricks below it as it passed across the road.

Light seeped through the open windows of a tall brick building, through the open windows of Independence Hall. The open paned windows served as peep holes into a congregation of men who plotted to alter the course of the world.

The opened windows lead to a room that was filled with the odorous scent of powdered wigs that clung to sweaty necks. Candle wax slowly dripped onto coarse, hand-made, dark oak tables. Dirt covered, black shoes, white-stocking legs, and bland cotton trousers led up to pondering, moist faces. A young, fiery red haired man stood in the corner of the room near the opened windows, glancing worriedly over his shoulder at a large sheet of parchment that rippled slightly due to the breeze that gusted through the room. An elderly man with a kind face, sparse strands of graying hair falling over coy eyes, sat in the middle of a group of stern-faced men.

The sudden eruption of sound as the bells marked the early hour of the morning startled the men out of their deep meditation. A middle aged Bostonian stopped his pacing abruptly and glanced out over the room of men and then turned his gaze over to a quivering quill pen that perched in a silver inkstand.

One phrase of words echoed through the deep recesses of all their minds as the final bong of the clock’s bell resonated in the room around them, the words “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

The Bostonian, a man by the name of John Adams, strutted over to his chair and pressed his hands on the wooden back of the chair. “Well?” Adams started as he turned his eyes over to a man beside him who was thumbing the table aimlessly. His tone of voice revealed his worn patience after a long day of trying to persuade a group of southern men to pen their autographs onto a statement of independence.

Adams’s words caused a youthful man to spring out of his chair and walked up to the large desk in the front of the room that hosted as the podium for the large piece or parchment. John Hancock arrived at the desk and looked down at the black cursive writing that covered the document. On the top of the sheet, in large bold writing, the words “Declaration of Independence” were sprawled out. Hancock brusquely lifted the quill out of the stand, dipped the tip roughly into the bottle of black ink several times, and then swiftly, and not to mention largely, autographed his name under the statement. He let his hand drop the feather back into its stand and then pivoted on his shined heel.

He walked back down the aisle, ignoring the glances that followed him, and then lowered down into his chair. The red haired man, a young patriot by the name of Thomas Jefferson, the man who penned the document himself, looked over at Hancock with a new look of confidence in his eyes. As if Hancock had stuck the match that lighted a long line of candle sticks, one by one, the men in the room stood and walked forward to sign their name on the declaration that would change the world.

As the men lined up, Adams looked over to Jefferson and nodded. Jefferson walked forward and joined the men as they one by one signed their name. Adams looked out the window, attempting to fathom the magnanimous result this document would have on the rest of the world.

Adams knew, as he penned his name under a long list of the names that belonged to a brave group of patriots, that this document gave breath into a new nation. A new nation, the United States of America, which would promise freedom to all, which would secure the rights of the individual. A new nation, the United States of America, which would produce a Constitution that would harness the powers of government. A new nation, the United States of America, which would have a system of government like none other before: of the people, by the people, for the people. A new nation, the United States of America, that would be born of the courageous acts of one group of men, one group of Patriots, who were led by Divine Providence, who wanted to be free from Tyrannical rule and preserve freedom for all ages.

***************

It is easy to go about Independence Day, preparing for fun holiday events, hanging out with friends and family, watching spectacular fireworks shows, and not think twice about what this holiday stands for. This holiday stands for much more than the signing of a document that declared our independence. This holiday stands for much more than separating from Britain and tyrannical rule.

In the year 1776, on the fourth day of July, in a stuffy Independence Hall in the heat of Philadelphia, a group of men gathered because they knew something wasn’t right. They knew that the country they inhabited was intended to be the land of the free. They wanted to rid the tyrannical rule from over their heads and be able to breath freely the air of independence. They no longer could sit around, watching British redcoats march around their streets, terrorizing the people, and do nothing.

Each brave man who gathered in Independence Hall to compose a document, a declaration, of freedom, had a fire burning inside of them to create a country that would secure and promise freedom to all people. These patriots wanted their children to live in a free country, one without a king, tyrant, or dictator, looming over their heads.

On Independence Day, we must remember the acts of our founders, their brave acts that few men (or women) can even equal. We must remember the Divine Providential hand that guided a young America on a path of freedom. We must remember how blessed we are to live in a country where we can speak our minds without the fear of being imprisoned. We must remember how blessed we are to live in a country where We The People have power over our government through our vote.

So, as you are watching fireworks light up America’s sky tonight, remember the rockets, remember the men, that fought for your freedom, remember the men that signed a Declaration of Independence that changed the course of the whole world.