Why did FDR's memorial take more than 50 years to complete? How did his physical disability affect his presidency? Students discover the answers to these and other questions about the only American President to be elected to four terms.

Forty-eight years passed between the end of World War II and the authorization by Congress to construct a memorial. Situated on the Mall in Washington, D.C., the 56-pillared memorial commemorates the states and territories of the U.S. at the time of the war. Two 43-foot arches at the north and south entries contain four American eagles holding a victory laurel. A Rainbow Pool, 24 bas-relief panels and a Freedom Wall complete the structure.

As the fascinating story of George Washington unfolds (from young boy to General to President), children will also learn about the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, building the Washington Monument and other tributes to the first President. Activities designed for writing, researching and exploring provide additional information and hands-on experiences.

What are the powers and duties of the President? How did the Executive Branch begin? What does the Cabinet do? Answers to those questions and more are revealed through interesting and informative activities that help students understand how their government works.

The largest figures of any statue in the world are located in the tribute to four great American Presidents known as Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The head of Washington is about 60 feet (18 m) high--to the scale of a person 465 feet (142 m) tall! From Doane Robinson's dream of a South Dakota monument to Western heroes to Gutzon Borglum's eternal tribute to a nation dedicated to democracy, the story of Mount Rushmore is a fascinating study in history, politics, personalities and perseverance.

Most people agree that Thomas Jefferson was a genius. He holds a firm place as one of the greatest Americans in history. How much do your students know about this author of the Declaration of Independence and former President of the United States? This book will help them understand why he is so important to our country’s political history. They will study his early life, his fondness for gadgets, his contributions to the American Revolution, his theory of government, the ups and downs of his presidency and, of course, his home and architectual masterpiece Monticello. Students will also read the Declaration of Independence and answer questions to help them understand it. Review questions are provided for each section of study. Also included are internet research ideas, multiple intelligences activities and an answer key.

Ronald Reagan’s autobiography is a work of major historical importance. Here, in his own words, is the story of his life—public and private—told in a book both frank and compellingly readable. Few presidents have accomplished more, or been so effective in changing the direction of government in ways that are both fundamental and lasting, than Ronald Reagan. Certainly no president has more dramatically raised the American spirit, or done so much to restore national strength and self-confidence. Here, then, is a truly American success story—a great and inspiring one. From modest beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan achieved first a distinguished career in Hollywood and then, as governor of California and as president of the most powerful nation in the world, a career of public service unique in our history. Ronald Reagan’s account of that rise is told here with all the uncompromising candor, modesty, and wit that made him perhaps the most able communicator ever to occupy the White House, and also with the sense of drama of a gifted natural storyteller. He tells us, with warmth and pride, of his early years and of the elements that made him, in later life, a leader of such stubborn integrity, courage, and clear-minded optimism. Reading the account of this childhood, we understand how his parents, struggling to make ends meet despite family problems and the rigors of the Depression, shaped his belief in the virtues of American life—the need to help others, the desire to get ahead and to get things done, the deep trust in the basic goodness, values, and sense of justice of the American people—virtues that few presidents have expressed more eloquently than Ronald Reagan. With absolute authority and a keen eye for the details and the anecdotes that humanize history, Ronald Reagan takes the reader behind the scenes of his extraordinary career, from his first political experiences as president of the Screen Actors Guild (including his first meeting with a beautiful young actress who was later to become Nancy Reagan) to such high points of his presidency as the November 1985 Geneva meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, during which Reagan invited the Soviet leader outside for a breath of fresh air and then took him off for a walk and a man-to-man chat, without aides, that set the course for arms reduction and charted the end of the Cold War. Here he reveals what went on behind his decision to enter politics and run for the governorship of California, the speech nominating Barry Goldwater that first made Reagan a national political figure, his race for the presidency, his relations with the members of his own cabinet, and his frustrations with Congress. He gives us the details of the great themes and dramatic crises of his eight years in office, from Lebanon to Grenada, from the struggle to achieve arms control to tax reform, from Iran-Contra to the visits abroad that did so much to reestablish the United States in the eyes of the world as a friendly and peaceful power. His narrative is full of insights, from the unseen dangers of Gorbachev’s first visit to the United States to Reagan’s own personal correspondence with major foreign leaders, as well as his innermost feelings about life in the White House, the assassination attempt, his family—and the enduring love between himself and Mrs. Reagan. An American Life is a warm, richly detailed, and deeply human book, a brilliant self-portrait, a significant work of history.