Students will learn the personal stories of five U.S. presidents and their roles in propelling America into world leadership. From George Washington becoming the first world leader to turn a potential monarchy into democracy to Thomas Jefferson nearly doubling our size through the Louisiana Purchase to James Polk declaring Manifest Destiny that drove the U.S. across North America, it was leadership that created greatness. And greatness may be best defined by Abraham Lincoln preserving the Union with a Civil War while Teddy Roosevelt later served the world notice the U.S. was now a major power.

Unfortunately, even great men have stains. We'll discuss slave owning by Washington, Jefferson and Polk plus American Indian policies by each president were also harmful to native tribes. 

We’ll discuss five presidents professional and personal accomplishments in detail via lecture and photos. 

Instructor Rick Snider has 10 years experience teaching presidents to students of all ages, including high school. A Washington journalist of 42 years with major media publications, Rick also has 10 years as a licensed tour guide who specializes in presidential monuments and themes. He's an author of nine books, including three on historical topics, and is a regional publisher of seven history books. Rick is related to five U.S. presidents (James Garfield, William Howard Taft, John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush and son George W. Bush) along with presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Rick's other classes include the Lincoln assassination and visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon.