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Worksheet 2: Presidential Terms (Answer Sheet)

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In this exercise, we continue creating our timeline by moving from Election Years to Presidential Terms. Using the table below, begin with the first Election Year and write down the beginning and end dates of every Presidential Term of Office.

On the surface, we again have a long list of numbers, but with the few facts we've so far gathered, we can add some meaning and relevance to a long list of four-year ranges.

The First Eight Presidents

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  1. Who served the 1st term as the US President? - George Washington
  2. When did his term start? - 1789
  3. How many terms did he serve? - 2
  4. Who was the 2nd President? - John Adams
  5. Of the first eight presidents, who served only one term? - John Adams, John Quincy Adams, & Martin Van Buren
  6. Who was inaugerated at the beginning of the new century? - Thomas Jefferson (George W. Bush?)
  7. Who was the first father & son group of Presidents? - John Adams & John Quincy Adams
  8. What number President was the son? - 6th President
  9. What years did the son serve as President? - 1825-1829
  10. Which President left office in 1841? - Martin Van Buren

Adjusting the Timeline

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In the table provided below, also notice that the first column of sequential numbers has been moved down so that 1. starts at 1788.

  1. Why do you think this change has been made? - The number 1. now coincides with the first Presidential term, and they are counted sequentially thereafter.
  2. How can this help us remember dates? - Knowing the number of a President's term can help identify when he was elected and which years he served. For instance, John Quincy Adams was the 6th President. Of the five Presidents before him, four served 2 terms, while his father served only 1 term, for a total of 9 terms, making his term number 10. The 9 terms times 4 years per term results in 36 years. Adding 36 to 1788 yields the election of 1824, or 36 to 1789 yields the beginning of his term in 1825, which ended in 1829.
  3. What are the drawbacks? - Well, the obvious drawback is way too much calculation. Sure, it may be handy for picking out election years over a short span, but over the length of 56 elections and soon 44 Presidents, remembering a specific term number is simple memorization all over again. And, as we've seen from the List of Presidents, the traditional method for numbering the Presidents is sequential, regardless of actual time in office. In spite of the pitfalls of large calculations, the general scheme of leap years, election years, and terms in office is particularly good for building up short chains of Presidents.

The Civil War Era

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  1. Which election was held during the Civil War? - 1864
  2. Who was elected during the Civil War? - Abraham Lincoln as President, & Andrew Johnson as Vice President
  3. When was Abraham Lincoln first elected? - 1860
  4. Which years were Abraham Lincoln's inaugerations? - 1861 & 1865
  5. What year was Abraham Lincoln assassinated? - 1865
  6. Who finished out his term as President? - Andrew Johnson
  7. When did this term finish? - 1869
  8. Who was elected President in 1868? - Ulysses S. Grant
  9. How many terms did he serve? - 2
  10. What year did he leave office? - 1877

The Timeline

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# Year Term President Info
1776 Declaration of Independence
1780
1784
1. 1788 1789-1793 George Washington US Constitution
2. 1792 1793-1797 George Washington
3. 1796 1797-1801 John Adams
4. 1800 1801-1805 Thomas Jefferson Not a Leap Year
5. 1804 1805-1809 Thomas Jefferson
6. 1808 1809-1813 James Madison
7. 1812 1813-1817 James Madison
8. 1816 1817-1821 James Monroe
9. 1820 1821-1825 James Monroe
10. 1824 1825-1829 John Quincy Adams
11. 1828 1829-1833 Andrew Jackson
12. 1832 1833-1837 Andrew Jackson
13. 1836 1837-1841 Martin Van Buren
14. 1840 1841-1845
15. 1844 1845-1849
16. 1848 1849-1853
17. 1852 1853-1857
18. 1856 1857-1861
19. 1860 1861-1865 Abraham Lincoln Election before Civil War
20. 1864 1865-1869 Abraham Lincoln & Andrew Johnson Election during Civil War
21. 1868 1869-1873 Ulysses S. Grant Election after Civil War
22. 1872 1873-1877 Ulysses S. Grant 2 Terms
23. 1876 1877-1881
24. 1880 1881-1885
25. 1884 1885-1889
26. 1888 1889-1893
27. 1892 1893-1897
28. 1896 1897-1901
29. 1900 1901-1905 Not a Leap Year
30. 1904 1905-1909
31. 1908 1909-1913
32. 1912 1913-1917
33. 1916 1917-1921
34. 1920 1921-1925
35. 1924 1925-1929
36. 1928 1929-1933
37. 1932 1933-1937
38. 1936 1937-1941
39. 1940 1941-1945
40. 1944 1945-1949
41. 1948 1949-1953
42. 1952 1953-1957
43. 1956 1957-1961
44. 1960 1961-1965
45. 1964 1965-1969
46. 1968 1969-1973
47. 1972 1973-1977
48. 1976 1977-1981
49. 1980 1981-1985
50. 1984 1985-1989
51. 1988 1989-1993
52. 1992 1993-1997
53. 1996 1997-2001
54. 2000 2001-2005 George W. Bush This was a Leap Year.
55. 2004 2005-2009 George W. Bush
56. 2008 2009-2013 Barack Obama Recent Election
57. 2012 2013-2017 Next Election
58. 2016 2017-2021
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