Mount Rushmore Presidents

The Presidents featured on Mount Rushmore National Monument were chosen by Borglum because of their commitment to preserving America as one, united Republic and their willingness to expand its territory.

Overview

Although the monument was named after Charles E. Rushmore, the sculpture of Mount Rushmore portrays four Presidents who dedicated their lives to the success of the United States.  Mt. Rushmore's Presidents are a constant reminder of America's heritage and values.

George Washington

History Prior To Presidency

1732: George Washington is born in present-day Virginia.

1752: Becomes adjunct general in the Virginia militia.

1754 - 1758: Washington is commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel and leads his men into many battles during the French and Indian Wars.

1759: Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis.

1775 - 1783: Washington appears at the Second Continental Congress and is ready to lead an army against the British. Washington is appointed Major General and elected to be Commander-in-chief.

1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed; Great Britain recognizes US independence.

1787: Elected as president of the Constitutional Convention.

Term(s) Served

1789 – 1797

Accomplishments

• First US President.
• Helped form a country capable of standing on its own, without the governance of Britain or France.
• Helped create a national bank and tax system.
• Washington solidified in the minds of Americans the importance of the Constitution and the virtues necessary of citizens living together as one Republic.

Interesting Facts

• Washington was a planter and surveryor.
• He was the only US President who did not live in Washington, DC.
• His second inaugural address was only 135 words in length.

Thomas Jefferson

History Prior To Presidency

1743: Thomas Jefferson is born in present-day Virginia.

1752: Jefferson attends a local school and learns Latin, Greek and French.

1760: Attends the College of William and Mary; studies math, metaphysics philosophy and law. He becomes a lawyer.

1768: Jefferson begins construction of his plantation, Monticello. Jefferson instructs some of his slaves in reading and writing.

1775: Jefferson serves as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and begins early drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence is approved.

1776 – 1801: Jefferson serves as a Virginia State Legislator, Governor of Virginia, Member of Congress, Secretary of State and US Vice President.

Term(s) Served

1801 - 1809

Accomplishments

• Primary author of The Declaration of Independence.
• Third US President.
• Authorized and supported the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expeditions.
• Fostered ideas of republicanism and separation of church and state.
• Supporter of state’s rights.

Interesting Facts

• Died exactly fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• Jefferson's personal library (6,000 books) was bought by the US government, forming the basis of the Library of Congress.

Abraham Lincoln

History Prior To Presidency

1809: Abraham Lincoln is born in Kentucky.

1816: Lincoln’s family relocates to Indiana, and a year later, to Illinois. Lincoln is mainly self-educated.

1834: Lincoln wins an election to the Illinois State Legislature. He decides to study law.

1837: Lincoln begins practicing law. During this time he voices his opposition to slavery.

1842: Lincoln marries Mary Todd.

1846: Lincoln is elected to the US House of Representatives.

1860: Lincoln runs for US President.

Term(s) Served

1861 – 1865

Accomplishments and Assassination

• 16th US President.
• Successfully re-united the country after the US Civil War.
• Signed the Homestead Act in 1862.
• Issued the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery in the United States.
• Delivered the Gettysburg address, one of the most quoted speeches in US history.
• Helped guide the Reconstruction.
• Assassinated in Ford’s Theater in April, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth. 

Interesting Facts

• Lincoln was the tallest US President (6 feet 4 inches).
• First President to wear a beard.
• First President to die by assassination.

Theodore Roosevelt

History Prior To Presidency

1858: Theodore Roosevelt is born in New York to a wealthy family. As a child, he suffers from asthma.

1876: Attends Harvard and does well in biological science, with a love for naturalism and ornithology.

1882: Publishes his first book – The Naval War of 1812

1888: Campaigns for Benjamin Harrison. President Harrison then appoints Roosevelt to the US Civil Service Commission.

1895: Serves as President of the board of New York City Police Commissioners.

1897: Appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

1898: Roosevelt is elected governor of New York.

Term(s) Served

1901 - 1909

Accomplishments

• 26th US President. (Took office after the assassination of William McKinley.)
• Promoted the conservation movement.
• Issued the Monroe Doctrine.
• Passed the Meat Inspection Act and The Pure food and Drug Act.
• Established Oklahoma as the 46th state.

Interesting Facts

• Roosevelt had a photographic memory and loved to read.
• First President to be seen riding in an automobile in public.