This document provides biographical information about the first five US presidents: - George Washington was the first president and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He lived at Mount Vernon in Virginia. - John Adams was a lawyer and diplomat who served as the second president. He and his wife Abigail lived in Massachusetts. - Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and served as the third president. He resided at Monticello in Virginia. - James Madison helped draft the Constitution and Bill of Rights. He was the fourth president and lived in Virginia. - James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine as the fifth president and resided in Virginia.

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4. *George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia.
*Through the course of his life, Washington was a surveyor, a planter, and a
member of both the British and American military.
*Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, and had two children.
*The home where Washington lived was called Mount Vernon.
*When tensions with the British grew, Washington was a Virginia delegate
to the Second Continental Congress.
*The wedding of George Washington and
Martha Dandridge Custis.
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5. *George Washington, the first president, was the only U.S.
president to be elected unanimously.
*George Washington was an American general during the American Revolution.
*When George Washington was elected, there were only 7 states in the Union.
*In 1782, George Washington was the first to award a purple heart to soldiers who
Displayed bravery and courage; this award is still given to soldiers who prove to have
these characteristics.
*After serving as president from 1789- 1797, Washington died on December 14, 1799.
A quote by Washington:
"As the sword was the last resort for the preservation of our liberties, so it
ought to be the first to be laid aside when those liberties are firmly
established."
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6. *In this video, you will
learn more about the
life of George
Washington. Click on
the video to play.
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8. *John Adams was born October 30, 1735 in the Massachusetts
Bay Colony.
*Adams attended Harvard, where he became a lawyer.
*He married Abigail Smith, and they had five children.
*He was a delegate to the First Continental Congress, as well as the Second
Continental Congress.
*During the Revolutionary War, he was a diplomat to both Holland and France.
*He served two terms as vice president to George Washington.
*The house where John Adams was born.
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9. *The third president, John Adams, was the first president to have a
son who also became president.
*John Adams was also the first president to live in the White House.
*He helped to create the Declaration of Independence, as well as the
Constitutional government.
*Adams was president from 1797-1801.
*John Adams died on July 4, 1826- the same day as his rival, Thomas Jefferson.
A Quote by Adams:
"By my physical constitution, I am but an ordinary man. The times
alone have destined me to fame - and even these have not been
able to give me much."
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10. In the following video, you will watch Abigail
Adams, the wife of John Adams, talk about the
early years of her husband’s presidency.
Click here to view the video
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12. *Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Albemarle
County, Virginia
*Jefferson attended the College of William and Mary, and became a lawyer
*He married Martha Wayles Skelton, and had five children
*The home in which Jefferson lived was called Monticello
*Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
*Besides president, he also served as minister to France, as well as on the
cabinet of George Washington
*Monticello
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13. *Thomas Jefferson, the third president, authorized the Lewis and
Clarke expedition, which led to the Louisiana Purchase.
*He was the first president to be elected by the House of Representatives.
*While he was president, the U.S. population was 5.5 million.
*Because his wife died 19 years before he became president, his daughter,
Martha, took on the role of First Lady.
*Thomas Jefferson served as president from 1801- 1809, and died the
same day as John Adams, on July 4, 1826.
A quote by Jefferson:
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain
silent.”
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14. *In this video, you will learn
more about the life of
Thomas Jefferson. Click on
the video to play.
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16. *James Madison was born March 16, 1751, and was brought up
in Orange County, Virginia.
*Madison attended Princeton University, and studied history and government.
*Throughout his life, Madison worked as: a farmer, a planter, and a Colonel in the
military.
*He married Dolly Payne Todd.
*Madison was part of the Continental Congress, as well as the Virginia Assembly.
*Madison helped the frame the Virginia Constitution, as well as the Bill of Rights,
as well as help to write the Federalist Papers, along with John Jay and Alexander
Hamilton.
*The men who wrote the
Federalist Papers: (l-r) John
Jay, James Madison, and
Alexander Hamilton.
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17. *James Madison, the fourth president, was president during the
War of 1812- the was even referred to as “Mr. Madison’s War”.
*Madison kept the most complete notes on the Constitutional Convention.
*He was a central person in the development of the Constitution of the United States.
*He served two terms as president, from 1809- 1817, but both of his vice
presidents died while in office.
*James Madison died on June 28, 1836.
A quote by Madison:
"A popular Government without popular information, or the means of
acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both."
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18. *In this video, you will
learn more about James
Madison, and how he
helped to revise the
Articles of Confederation.
Click on the video to play.
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20. *James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland
County, Virginia.
*Monroe attended the College of William and Mary, and became a lawyer in
Fredericksburg, Virginia.
*He also served in the Continental Army as a Lieutenant and Colonel.
*James Monroe married Elizabeth Kortright, and they had three children.
*Before becoming president, Monroe was a senator for the state of Virginia, and
also a Minister to France.
*As the Presidents before him, Monroe also served on the Continental Congress.
*The home of James Monroe.
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21. *The fifth president, James Monroe received all but one vote
from the electoral college in the election of 1820.
*Monroe bought Florida from Spain in 1819.
*He issued The Monroe Doctrine, which protected Latin America, as well as the
Northwest Territories from Europe.
*Monroe’s presidency was known as “The Era of Good Feelings”.
*He served two terms as president, from 1817-1825.
*James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
A quote by Monroe:
"The earth was given to mankind to support the greatest number of which it is
capable, and no tribe or people have a right to withhold from the wants of others
more than is necessary for their own support and comfort."
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22. *In this video, you will
learn more about how
the United States
acquired Florida from
Spain during the
presidency of James
Monroe. Click on the
video to play.
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23. My name is Stephanie Mentzer, and I am a student at
Grand Valley State University. My major is group
social studies, with an emphasis in history, and my
minor is elementary education. This slide show is
meant to assist students in “getting to know” the first
five presidents of the United States, as this is
something elementary students study in school.
Please feel free to contact me via e-mail by clicking here
.
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24. *Pictures
-Presidential Portraits: http://www.americanpresidents.org/gallery/
-Washington wedding: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/3a07355r.jpg
-Adams home:
http://photos.igougo.com/images/p216190-Quincy_MA-The_House_where_John_Adams_was_born.JPG
-Monticello: http://www.ussmonticello.com/images/web_art/monticello.jpg
-Writers of Federalist Papers:
http://www.politicalgateway.com/documents/documents/federalist51to55.html
-Monroe Home: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/virginia/home-of-james-monroe.php
*Information
- http://www.americanpresidents.org/
- http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_jefferson.html
- http://www.purplehearts.net/id6.html
*Videos
-Washington:
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=42E87DB9-F539-468C-A798-069B7AFA955B
-Adams: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c7556b1e5a78e4a38692
-Jefferson: http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=42E87DB9-F539-468C-A798-
069B7AFA955B
-Madison: http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=220497B1-783C-4F03-997E-
F4E5593B4CCC
-Monroe: http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=3EDF35AD-5D43-4B76-98CD-
A805C1742A06
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