CCEA A-level History · The American Presidency 1901–2000
Mini-Lesson
The American Presidency 1901–2000
This mini-lesson covers CCEA Unit A2 1, Option 4 — The American Presidency 1901–2000: how the office grew from apparent weakness in 1901, through the two Roosevelts and Wilson, the New Deal, the 'Imperial Presidency', the shocks of Vietnam and Watergate, and the Reagan revival.
Where this sits: A2 1 is a synoptic 'change over time' unit. Option 4 is one of five options; you study one.
Answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you're ready.
Emerging international presence 1901–20
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 after the assassination of McKinley — at 42, the youngest ever. He expanded presidential activism at home and abroad.
Woodrow Wilson (1913–21) led the USA into the First World War in 1917 and set out his Fourteen Points (1918).
But the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations (1919–20), showing the limits of presidential power.
Quick check
1901
?How did Theodore Roosevelt first become president in 1901?
The passive presidents 1921–32
'Return to normalcy'
After Wilson, the presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover favoured a more limited, business-friendly role — Harding's promise of a 'return to normalcy'. Prosperity in the 1920s gave way to disaster with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, which Hoover struggled to contain.
Quick check
The 1920s presidents
?How is the presidential style of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover in the 1920s usually characterised?
The New Deal 1933–45
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–45) transformed the presidency. His New Deal from 1933 used federal power to fight the Depression through relief, recovery and reform. FDR was elected four times and led the USA through most of the Second World War, dying in office in April 1945. The office was now central to national life.
Sort it
Which era of the presidency?
Tap a president, then tap the era they belong to.
🎩 Early century 1901–32
🦅 New Deal & Imperial 1933–63
🗽 Later century 1963–2000
Quick check
The New Deal
?What was the main purpose of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal?
The 'Imperial Presidency' 1945–63
Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy
As the USA became leader of the 'Free World' in the nuclear age, presidential power grew further — what the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. later called the 'Imperial Presidency' (in his 1973 book of that title). Truman authorised the atomic bombs (1945) and the Truman Doctrine (1947); Eisenhower managed Cold War tensions; Kennedy embodied a vigorous presidency until his assassination in 1963.
Order it
Put the presidents in order
Tap the presidents from earliest to take office to latest.
Limits and Watergate 1963–80
Vietnam and Watergate
Lyndon Johnson's 'Great Society' reforms (and the Civil Rights Act of 1964) were overshadowed by the Vietnam War, which drained public trust.
Richard Nixon resigned on 9 August 1974 over the Watergate scandal (the break-in was in 1972) — a low point for the office.
Ford and Carter then governed a weakened, more closely scrutinised presidency.
Quick check
1974
?Why did Richard Nixon resign the presidency in 1974?
'Morning in America' 1981–2000
Reagan and after
Ronald Reagan (1981–89) revived presidential and national prestige — his 1984 campaign spoke of 'Morning in America'. His successors George H. W. Bush (1989–93) and Bill Clinton (1993–2001) benefited to some extent from this restoration, presiding over the end of the Cold War and the 1990s.
Match it
Match each president to what they are known for
Tap a president on the left, then the association on the right.
President
Known for
Quick check
Change over time
?Taking 1901–2000 as a whole, which best describes the presidency's development?
Recap
The big ideas to know
1901–20: T. Roosevelt (from 1901) and Wilson; WWI 1917; Senate rejects the League.