US President's Education and Career Path: Anyone Can Be President

Gallery of Short Presidents

Martin Van Buren intrigues me. He was 5'-6" tall. I may add a height column onto the table if I can verify the heights of the Presidents. This was the first president actually born in the United States.when it was the United States.

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This Presidential Election season has prompted me to wonder about the career paths that Presidential Candidates have taken. I have been told all of my life that anyone can be President. The charts in this hub are my first step in looking at the history of our presidents. The question marks in the table indicate areas that require further research on my part.

I have divided the presidents into two groups based on the advent of the camera. I have a notion that the camera heralded the beginning of the United States as I know it. Lincoln was not the first President to be photographed; but, camera use came into prominence during the civil war.

There seem to be a lot of self taught Presidents, which does not seem to be possible in today's regulated environments. Those Presidents did very well, so I am beginning to wonder why college degrees are so necessary in today's world. It seems to me the only function that a degree exclusively serves is to limit the amount of participants in the field.

Presidents Before Photography

Presidents After Photography

Political Party Key

[*] - George Washington was opposed to political parties on the grounds that it would divide the country.

[F] - Federalist - In favor of a strong central government, anti slavery

[DR] - Democrat Republican - in favor of a weak central governments, pro slavery

[W] - Whig - Successor to Federalists, party dissolved and members migrated to Republican Party

[JD] - Jacksonian Democrat - States Rights, Southern Democrats split off from the Jacksonian Democrats to form a separate party called voted for succession from the union.

[R] - Republican - Party formed to prevent the spread of slavery to territories, supports a strong federal government

[D] - Democrat - Under New Deal Coalition assumed it's present day form, supporting a strong federal government

[?] - Still being researched.

Caution

These are only a synopsis of the political parties in the US. The actual history is much more fluid and complex. The intent of the table is to provoke thought and curiosity about the history of the US.

References

• Presidents of the United States (POTUS)
  ipl2: Information You Can Trust features a searchable, subject-categorized directory of authoritative websites; links to online texts, newspapers, and magazines; and the Ask an ipl2 Librarian online reference service.
• John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
  

Comments

Brian L. Powell (author) from Dallas, Texas (Oak Cliff) on October 13, 2011:

Thank you Carcro. I am still researching the subject and hope to be expanding into another hub soon.

Paul Cronin from Winnipeg on October 13, 2011:

I haven't seen that much presidential info in a long time, since school days, its interesting to see the various backgrounds, I wonder if that made any difference to how they performed as president. Interesting hub, thanks for sharing!

Brian L. Powell (author) from Dallas, Texas (Oak Cliff) on October 13, 2011:

Sally,

You could adjust the title of your hub to relate it to the election process we are experiencing right now. It is a fun read and people are going to be thinking about presidents for a while. Good luck with the report cards.

PS - If you want to drive you students crazy, administer a multiple choice test where all of the correct answers are C. Even if they know the material, that pattern will give them second thoughts.

Truckstop Sally on October 13, 2011:

A link would be great, thanks! And mine is so old -- there is not much traffic, but I will link to yours too. You seem to have a better handle on tech stuff. So, I'll see what yours looks like, and then I will try to copy. I'm a red wine drinker -- but whiskey is sounding pretty good right about now. I have report cards to write this weekend.

Brian L. Powell (author) from Dallas, Texas (Oak Cliff) on October 12, 2011:

I will check out your hub. Mind if I link it to mine.

I actually found out about Washington researching an article about whiskey. I was writing it for Textbrokers. As I understand it, whiskey was sold for more money than grain, the shipping was easier, and whiskey does not spoil. And the British had blockaded the rum from the Caribbean islands. The colonists would have made rum, but couldn't grow sugar cane.

Truckstop Sally on October 12, 2011:

Very interesting hub! Lots of new information for me. Andrew Johnson, a tailor?? Wow. And George Washington, a brewer. Probably would come in handy considering politicians' problems today. Of course I knew LBJ was a teacher - to poor Mexican children. I wrote a hub on presidents several months ago. https://hubpages.com/politics/Fun-President-Facts...