Evolution of the Presidential Image
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In the 1992 presidential election, candidate Bill Clinton periodically conjured up the images of past presidents in his quest for the White House, and with some success. In certain speeches he sounded like Kennedy, in others like Lincoln or Jefferson; both he and George Bush openly made reference to Harry Truman, a gritty, popular politician who had staged a come-from-behind victory in his 1948 re-election bid. Such appropriation of tried-and-true figures was not accidental. Past presidents often possess qualities that living politicians lack: a well-aged image of virtue, wisdom and statesmanship. Presidents of yore were subjected to scrutiny--by the press, by their colleagues, by their enemies--but on a far smaller scale than modern-day presidents, who are in many ways the symbolic leaders of the entire planet and hence exposed to global criticism. In many ways, as the president's power and influence has increased, so has his vulnerability to attack. In examining the evolution of the presidential image, we shall look first at three early presidents--Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln--then briefly compare them to our most recent national leaders. It should be pointed out that, in a fairly recent poll of professional historians (the Murray Poll of 1983), these three men comprised three of the four presidents in the "Great" category, the fourth being Franklin Delano Roosevelt. George Washington, now widely known as the "Father of our Country," was to at least some of
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ty years into the century, Washington's image was unblemished.
Demigod status did not come as quickly to Thomas Jefferson. Despite his reputation as author of the Declaration of Independence, champion of the people, and his largely successful tenure as the third president of the nation, Jefferson failed to win the hearts of Americans as soon or as suddenly as Washington. Unlike Washington, he suffered from what we might call a "character" problem. It was widely rumored that Jefferson maintained sexual relations with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, during the course of many years. In subsequent years critics have taken perhaps a somewhat more tolerant view of Jefferson's interracial, extramarital affair (assuming that it was not one of an exploitative nature). However, the fact that Jefferson owned slaves at all, considering his unambiguous views on abolition, has drawn increased criticism. Yet overall, the Virginian's claim to the authorship of the Declaration, as well as his wide variety of talents (including science and architecture) and his progressive world view, have assured him a warm place in history. His stature has grown with age. By late in the 19th century several favorable biographies had appeared. One of t
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Harry Truman, Sally Hemings, Daniel Boorstin, Abraham Lincoln, Nixon Watergate, Missile Crisis--that, Philadelphia's Aurora, Jefferson Lincoln, Locke Weems, James Parton, past presidents, abraham lincoln, thomas jefferson,
Approximate Word count = 1310
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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