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Monday is President's Day in the United States. In celebration of that day, Google has published a new kmz file containing images and links to information about each former President of the United States. You can download the file and launch it in Google Earth or view it here using the Google Earth browser plug-in. The file shows where each president was from, offers an image of each president, provides a link to more information about each president, and shows how many states were in the Union when each president was elected.

Information on each of the US Presidents. The information is cursory however would be useful for preliminary or activities where only basic biographic information is required.

'A comprehensive collection of material about the Presidents of the United States and the history of the presidency. This web site features essays about the President's life before, during, and after each presidential term. It additionally provides information about the First Lady and cabinet officials of each administration. A collection of essays on the President at Work delves into the function, responsibilities, and organization of the modern presidency and traces the history and evolution of presidential duties.'

"The New Laws of the Indies, 1542 The Laws and ordinances newly made by His Majesty for the government of the Indies and good treatment and preservation of the Indians created a set of pro-Indian laws - so pro-Indian that they some had to be revoked in Mexico and in Peru due to settler opposition. where the viceroy was killed when he attempted to enforce them. The conflict was between "feudalists" who favored the encomienda system because it maintained society as in the Old World, and the more centralizing "regalists" who wanted to preserve royal power in Spain;s new Empire. Eventually the encomienda was allowed to continue. Charles by the divine clemency Emperor ever august, King of Germany. . . . To the Most Illustrious Prince Don Philip our very dear and very beloved grandson and son, and to the Infantes our grandsons and sons, and to the President, and those of our Council of the Indies, and to our Viceroys, Presidents and Auditors of our Audiencias and royal Chanceries of our said Indies, Islands and Continent of the Ocean Sea; to our Governors, Alcaldes mayores and our other Authorities thereof, and to all the Councils, magistrates, regidores, knights, esquires, officers, and commoners of all the cities, towns, and villages of our said Indies, Islands, and Tierra-firme of the Ocean Sea, discovered and to be discovered; and to any other persons, captains, discoverers, settlers, and inhabitants dwelling in and being natives thereof, of whatever state, quality, condition and pre-eminence they may be. . . . Know ye, That having for many years had will and intention as leisure to occupy ourselves with the affairs of the Indies, on account of their great importance, as well in that touching the service of God our Lord and increase of his holy Catholic faith, as in the preservation of the natives of those parts, and the good government and preservation of their persons; and although we have endeavoured

"President Truman Korean War Address, President Truman addressed the nation on why the U.S. must intervene in the Korean War"

"The American Presidency Project (americanpresidency.org), was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Our archives contain 104,815 documents related to the study of the Presidency."

Online games can be a great way for students to reinforce their learning; this one challenges you to name the presidents in order in under 10 minutes.

PS. Abraham Lincoln was not a Freemason. He did apply for membership in Tyrian Lodge, Springfield, Ill., shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860 but withdrew the application because he felt that his applying for membership at that time might be construed as a political ruse to obtain votes. He advised the lodge that he would resubmit his application again when he returned from the presidency. ( http://www.mastermason.com/wilmettepark/pres.html ) PPS. There are loads of untold stories in academic books...

This biography presents the thousand days of John F. Kennedy's presidency, from his inauguration in 1961 to his tragic death on November 22, 1963. Emphasizing Kennedy's and America's hopes for his term as president, it is narrated by Gregory Peck and was produced for distribution around the world.

Presidents, like everyone else change and adapt over time.  Use the Wordles of last years speech and this years to compare the to speeches and make connections to your own life after you have viewed the speech.  

Can students be convinced of a judgement if it is communicated in a clear, conscise and convincing manner? In this video, President Gerald Ford explains why he pardoned Richard Nixon. Play this video for students after providing them with a brief explanation of Watergate. Have them offer their interpretations.

PBS LearningMedia Video for Social Studies for 4-12

PBS LearningMedia Video for Social Studies for 4-12

"This material covers the historical background of the Korean War, including the division of Korea at the 38th Parallel between US and Soviet occupation forces; reparations reports involving Korea and economic surveys of Korea following World War II; the United Nations Korean Commission and Reconstruction Agency; Office of Strategic Srevices [OSS] reports on Korea; and relations with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Syngman Rhee. This background material also includes the Wedemeyer Report on China and Korea in 1947. The material on the Korean War itself includes a chronology of events relating to the war in the papers of George M. Elsey; selected documents copied from State and Defense Department records relating to the Korean War; and materials from the files of the National Security Council [NSC] and the Psychological Strategy Board [PSB]. The Korean War material also includes information about General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and his dismissal as Supreme Commander Allied Powers; Commander in Chief, United Nations Command; Commander in Chief, Far East; and Commanding General, U.S Army, Far East."

"Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library highlights two collections at the Library of Congress that illuminate the life of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the sixteenth president of the United States. The Abraham Lincoln Papers housed in the Manuscript Division contain approximately 20,000 items including correspondence and papers accumulated primarily during Lincoln's presidency." Awesome.

Wonder if any of those no-doubt steamy phone conversations between Marilyn and JFK made it in there? I'm guessing the 'steamy' section of the JFK recordings might be kinda large...

Between 1940 and 1973, six American presidents from both political parties secretly recorded just under 5,000 hours of their meetings and telephone conversations. Through a combination of historical research and annotated transcripts the Miller Center's Presidential Recordings Program aims to make these remarkable historical sources more accessible to scholars, teachers, students, and the public.

Interactive timeline of major US Presidents