President of the United States/Worksheets/Worksheet 2.A

Worksheet 2: Presidential Terms (Answer Sheet)
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

 * 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
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

 * 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