LEARN THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY, BASED ON THE PARTY ERA CLASSIFICATION SCHEME OUTLINED ABOVE

The first party era of Federalists versus Republicans was preceded by a two-term non-partisan, George Washington. It began with a one-term Federalist, John Adams. The majority Republicans then elected three, two-term presidents- Jefferson, Madison, Monroe. The party era ended with the one term presidency of John Quincy Adams. The presidents, and when they were elected follow:

• 1. 1788- Washington (2 terms)- no party
• 2. 1796- Adams (1 term)- Federalist (Alien and Sedition Acts)
• 3. 1800- Jefferson (2 terms)- Republican (Louisiana Purchase)
• 4. 1808- Madison (2 terms)- Republican (War of 1812)
• 5. 1816- Monroe (2 terms)- Republican (Monroe Doctrine, 1823)
• 6. 1824- John Quincy Adams (1 term)- bifactional Republican Party

The second party era of the majority party Democrats versus the Whigs started with a two-term Democrat, Andrew Jackson, and saw the Democrats win all except two elections that went to war hero Whigs.

• 7. 1828- Jackson (2 terms)- Democrat (Jacksonian democracy)
• 8. 1836- Van Buren (1 term)- Democrat (recession)
• 9-10. 1840- Harrison and Tyler (< 1 term each)- Whigs (Tippiecanoe and Tyler too campaign theme for Indian fighter William Henry Harrison who dies in office)
• 11. 1844- Polk (1 term)- Democrat (Mexican-American war and Manifest Destiny)
• 12-13. 1848- Taylor and Fillmore (< 1 term each)- Whigs (war hero Taylor dies in office)
• 14. 1852- Pierce (1 term)- Democrat (Northern man of Southern principles)
• 15. 1856- Buchanan (1 term)- Democrat (same, ineffective leader)

The third party era of Republicans being a presidential majority versus Democrats who win only two elections with the same conservative Democrat begins with Republican president Abraham Lincoln.

• 16. 1860- Lincoln (1+ terms)- Republican (Civil War)
• 17. 1865- Andrew Johnson (< 1 term)- VP running mate under Lincoln (Reconstruction controversy and impeachment)
• 18. 1868- Grant (2 terms)- Republican (Union war hero, harsh Reconstruction)
• 19. 1876- Hayes (1 term)- Republican (disputed election ends Reconstruction)
• 20-21. 1880- Garfield and Arthur (< 1 term each)- Republicans (Garfield assassination caused Civil Service reform)
• 22. 1884- Cleveland (1 term)- Democrat (conservative)
• 23. 1888- Harrison, Benjamin (1 term)- Republican
• 24. 1892- Cleveland (1 term)- Democrat (recession, populist discontent)

The 4th party era of majority Republicans versus minority Democrats saw only one Democrat elected president, for two terms, and he won only because of a split in Republican ranks between an incumbent and a former Republican president.

• 25. 1896- McKinley (1 + terms)- Republican (business defeats populist Democrat Bryan)
• 26. 1901- Teddy Roosevelt (1+ terms)- Republican (progressive VP follows McKinley's assassination)
• 27. 1908- Taft (1 term)- Republican (conservative)
• 28. 1912- Woodrow Wilson (2 terms)- Democrat (split Republicans elected him, World War 1 reelects him)
• 29. 1920- Harding (< 1 term)- Republican (Return to Normalcy)
• 30. 1923- Coolidge (1 + terms)- Republican (VP assumes presidency after Harding dies; he is reelected)
• 31. 1928- Hoover (1 term)- Republican (stock market crash, Great Depression)

The 5th party era of majority Democrats due to the economically liberal New Deal saw only one Republican elected president, two-term war hero Eisenhower.

• 32. 1932- Franklin D. Roosevelt (3 + terms)- Democrat (elected 4 times, dies year after last win; New Deal program, World War 2)
• 33. 1945- Truman (1 + terms)- Democrat (predecessor dies, Truman reelected in 1948; containment foreign policy)
• 34. 1952- Eisenhower (2 terms)- Republican (WW2 war hero)
• 35. 1960- Kennedy (< 1 term)- Democrat (43 years old, Catholic)
• 36. 1963- Lyndon Johnson (1 + term)- Democrat (Great Society program)

The 6th party era of dealignment saw no majority party as Republicans closed the party identification gap with Democrats.

• 37. 1968- Nixon (< 2 terms)- Republican (Vietnam War discontent elects challenger party; Watergate scandal)
• 38. 1974- Ford (< 1 term)- Republican (unelected president, 25th amendment VP confirmation)
• 39. 1976- Carter (1 term)- Democrat (born again southern Baptist)
• 40. 1980- Reagan (2 terms)- Republican (actor, California governor, conservative hero)
• 41. 1988- George Herbert Walker Bush (1 term)- Republican (Reagan's VP, recession hurts him)
• 42. 1992- Bill Clinton (2 terms)- Democrat (Arkansas governor, sex scandal, loses control of Congress in 1994)
• 43. 2000- George Walker Bush (2 terms)- Republican (disputed election, Texas governor and former President's son)
• 44. 2008- Obama (2 terms)- Democrat (economic disaster elects him)
• 45. 2016- Trump (1 term)- Republican (dissatisfaction elects outsider)
• 46. 2020- Biden (TBA)- Democrat (Covid pandemic dissatisfaction elects him)