U.S. Presidents during Wartime

Ethan S. Rafuse is Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, USA.Sean N. Kalic is Professor of Military History in the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he has taught since 2004. He specializes in Cold War history and the history of terrorism.

• Introduction1. George WashingtonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—George Washington to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, September 16, 1789—George Washington to Arthur St. Clair, October 6, 1789—George Washington to Henry Knox, September 28, 1792—Treaty of Greenville, August 3, 1795—George Washington to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, December 8, 1795ChronologyBibliography2. James MadisonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—James Madison to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, June 1, 1812—James Madison, “Proclamation,” September 1, 1814—James Madison to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, September 20, 1814—James Madison to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, February 18, 1815ChronologyBibliography3. Andrew JacksonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Andrew Jackson, “Annual Message to Congress,” December 6, 1830—Andrew Jackson, “Message to Congress,” February 15, 1832—Andrew Jackson, “Fourth Annual Message to Congress,” December 4, 1832—Andrew Jackson, “Eighth Annual Message to Congress,” December 5, 1836ChronologyBibliography4. James K. PolkOverviewAnalysisDocuments—James K. Polk, “War Message to Congress,” May 11, 1846—James K. Polk, “Message Regarding the War with Mexico,” February 13, 1847—James K. Polk to the U.S. House of Representatives, February 8, 1849ChronologyBibliography5. Abraham LincolnOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Abraham Lincoln, “Proclamation Calling Militia and Convening Congress,” April 15, 1861—Abraham Lincoln, “Memoranda of Military Policy Suggested by the Bull Run Defeat,” July 23/27, 1861—Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863—Abraham Lincoln to James Conkling, August 26, 1863—Abraham Lincoln, “Address Delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg,” November 19, 1863—Abraham Lincoln, “Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction,” December 8, 1863—Abraham Lincoln, “Speech to Ulysses S. Grant,” March 9, 1864—Abraham Lincoln, “Second Inaugural Address,” March 4, 1865ChronologyBibliography6. Ulysses S. GrantOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Ulysses S. Grant, “Second Annual Message,” December 5, 1870—Ulysses S. Grant, Proclamation, October 17, 1871—Ulysses S. Grant to the Senate and House of Representatives, December 5, 1876— “An Act to Ratify an Agreement with certain bands of the Sioux Nation of Indians and also with the Northern Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians (“Agreement of 1877’), February 28, 1877ChronologyBibliography7. William McKinleyOverviewAnalysisDocuments—William McKinley to U.S. Congress, April 11, 1898—William McKinley, Proclamation, April 23, 1898—William McKinley, Instructions to the Peace Commissioners, September 26, 1898—William McKinley, Proclamation Extending American Sovereignty over the Philippines, December 21, 1898ChronologyBibliography8. Woodrow WilsonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Woodrow Wilson to U.S. Congress, April 19, 1916—Woodrow Wilson to U.S. Congress, April 2, 1917—Woodrow Wilson to U.S. Congress, January 8, 1918—Woodrow Wilson, Address to Joint Session of Congress, November 11, 1918—Woodrow Wilson, Address to the U.S. Senate on the Versailles Peace Treaty, July 10, 1919ChronologyBibliography9. Franklin Delano RooseveltOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “On the European War,” September 3, 1939—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “On the ‘Arsenal of Democracy,” December 29, 1940—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Address to Congress,” December 8, 1941—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “On Sacrifice,” April 28, 1942—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “On the Tehran and Cairo Conferences,” December 24, 1943—Franklin Roosevelt, “Second Bill of Rights,” January 11, 1944—Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Joint Statement with Churchill and Stalin on the Yalta Conference,” February 11, 1945ChronologyBibliography10. Harry S. TrumanOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Statement by President Truman Announcing the Use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945—President Harry S. Truman’s Address (Truman Doctrine) before a Joint Session of Congress, March 12, 1947ChronologyBibliography11. Dwight D. EisenhowerOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Speech (The Eisenhower Doctrine) to a Special Session of Congress, January 5, 1957—The Soviet Union’s Note to the U.S. Government Regarding the U-2 Incident, May 10, 1960—News Conference by President Dwight D. Eisenhower Concerning the U-2 Incident, May 11, 1960ChronologyBibliography12. John F. KennedyOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President John F. Kennedy’s Address to the American Association of Newspaper Editors, April 20, 1961—President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Speech,” Rice University, Houston, Texas, September 12, 1962—President John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” Speech, June 26, 1963ChronologyBibliography13. Lyndon B. JohnsonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Address to the American People on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, August 4, 1964—President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Statement on Sending U.S. Troops to the Dominican Republic, April 28, 1965—President Lyndon B. Johnson, Speech on Vietnam, September 29, 1967—President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Address on Cessation of Bombings in North Vietnam, October 31, 1968ChronologyBibliography14. Richard M. NixonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President Richard M. Nixon, Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969—President Richard M. Nixon, Address to the Nation Announcing an Agreement with the Soviet Union on the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, May 20, 1971—President Richard M. Nixon, Address to the Nation Announcing an Agreement on Ending the War in Vietnam, January 23, 1973ChronologyBibliography15. James E. CarterOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President Jimmy Carter, Commencement Address at Notre Dame University, May 22, 1977—President Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Afghanistan, January 4, 1980—President Jimmy Carter, Address on the Iran Rescue Mission, April 25, 1980ChronologyBibliography16. Ronald W. ReaganOverviewAnalysisDocuments—President Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation on Christmas and the Situation in Poland, December 23, 1981—President Ronald Reagan’s Address to the Nation on Lebanon and Grenada, October 27, 1983—President Ronald Reagan’s Speech before the Signing of the INF treaty with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, December 8, 1987ChronologyBibliography17. George H.W. BushOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Address to the Nation on Panama (Operation Just Cause), December 20, 1989—Address to the Nation on the Start of the Invasion of Iraq (Operation Desert Storm), January 16, 1991—Address before a Joint Session of Congress on the End of the Gulf War, March 6, 1991—Address on Humanitarian Aid to Somalia, December 4, 1992ChronologyBibliography18. William Jefferson ClintonOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Address on Operations in Somalia, October 7, 1993—Address on Bosnian Peace Agreement, November 27, 1995—Statement on Kosovo, March 24, 1999ChronologyBibliography19.George W. BushOverviewAnalysisDocuments—Address to the Nation on Terrorist Attacks, September 11, 2001—Address on U.S. Response to Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, September 22, 2001—Address to Nation on Start of War in Iraq, March 20, 2003—Remarks on War in Iraq, March 19, 2008ChronologyBibliographyIndex