James Buchanan was not one of our greatest presidents ever. But he was one that I learned about in grade school–since he was from Pennsylvania. What we learned: He was a lifelong bachelor. (We didn’t talk about sexuality in the early 1970’s. We learned that he drank a bit too much. And that someone once called…
Presidents without Politics
Presidential Quote #14: John Quincy Adams
When I realized that my main character, Ari Fish, loved the presidents and was inspired by them, I spent a lot of time reading speeches and quotes by our country’s leaders. Since then, I have thought a lot about leadership–and talked to a lot of kids about it, too. Right now, we are encouraged to…
Presidential Quote #13: John F Kennedy
In 1960, Richard Nixon and John Kennedy participated in the first general presidential debates. So today, let’s quote John F Kennedy! So many good ones: As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. Or this, from the 1960 debate: I…