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Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun.
partner

Picking a Partner: The V.P. Relationship

The relationship between presidents and vice presidents is unique and often personal. Sometimes, internal divisions spill out into public life.

The Vice President’s Men

In the 1980s, vice-president George H.W. Bush was secretly the most important decision-maker in America's intelligence world.

Why the Vice Presidency Matters

Choosing a running mate used to be more about campaigning than governing. But after Richard Nixon’s ruinous relationship with Spiro Agnew, the job has changed.
Chief Justice John Roberts attending the State of the Union.

J. Roberts et al. v. A. Lincoln

As the Supreme Court invents a law to negate all others, Chief Justice John Roberts now ranks just below Roger Taney.
Spiro T. Agnew button.

The Wildest Month of the US Presidency, Part I

The Spiro Agnew Edition.
Black and white portrait of Joseph Lane in his suit.

What if Joseph Lane of Oregon had become President in 1861?

How would the presidency have looked under Joseph Lane, a Democrat, as opposed to Abraham Lincoln?
Illustrated portrait of George Washington above portraits of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adamas

The Founders Flounder: Adams Agonistes

Why John Adams was peculiarly unsuited to the moment.
Richard Mentor Johnson.

He Became the Nation’s Ninth Vice President. She Was His Enslaved Wife.

Her name was Julia Chinn.
John C. Calhoun

American Heretic, American Burke

A review of Robert Elder's new biography of John C. Calhoun.

Joe Biden's Audacity of Grief

On the mournful threads connecting his half-century in politics.

Democrats’ Struggle Over Masculinity 50 Years Ago is Still Playing Out Today

Liberal politicians should trumpet a vision of masculinity that incorporates the best qualities of LBJ and Humphrey.

50 Years Ago, Progressive Delegates Commandeered the Democratic Convention

The surprise vice presidential nomination of Julian Bond suddenly turned the televised discussion to poverty, racism, and war.

When a New York Baron Became President

In the case of Chester Arthur, the story is one of surprising redemption.

The Man the Presidency Changed

What a forgotten commander in chief can teach Donald Trump.
Johnson behind President Kennedy as they left the Hotel Texas, in Fort Worth, the day that Kennedy was assassinated.

The Day L.B.J. Took Charge

Lyndon Johnson and the events in Dallas.
A drawing of John Adams.

John Adams Is Bald and Toothless

A brief history of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at a rally.
partner

How Vice-Presidential Nominees Became 'Attack Dogs'

Vice presidential nominees weren't tasked with flinging mud until the last 40 years.
A large crowd listening to Harry Truman give a speech on a train.

Harry Truman's Train Ride

A whistle-stop train tour, and some plain speaking spur Harry Truman's come from behind win in 1948 over Thomas Dewey.
Table of election returns printed in newspaper in 1796.

Collusion, Theft, Violence, and Lies: Lurid Tales of American Elections

1796, the first contested presidential election.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
partner

Does John Fetterman’s Openness Signal New Acceptance of Mental Illness?

Some see the reaction to Sen. Fetterman’s announcement as a sign of progress, but that’s less true than you might think.
President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Edward Kennedy shake hands at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention

What Being Unpopular Does to a First-Term President

Some lessons for Joe Biden from the ’70s presidents who lived it.
Artistic painting showing President Truman (depicted with glasses) in the foreground, and a sketch of President Biden in the background. The two figures are surrounded by America's colors and stars from the American flag.

What Joe Biden Can Learn From Harry Truman

His approval rating hit historic lows, his party was fractious, crises were everywhere. But Truman rescued his presidency, and his legacy.
A close up of an electoral map from Scribner’s Statistical Atlas of the United States

The Electoral Punt

It can be hard to know what the Founders intended when they didn't know, either.

Kamala Harris Isn’t the First Black Woman to Run for VP. Meet Charlotta Bass.

In 1952, the newspaper publisher and activist joined a long-shot bid by the Progressive Party, paving the way for politicians like Harris.
John Tyler.

Two on John Tyler: Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!

After the Whig president’s shocking death, his vice president and successor proved to be a Whig by expedience only

Alternate Histories

A conversation with John Nichols about the night in 1944 that altered the trajectory of the Democratic Party.
Close-up of Spiro T. Agnew as he points his finger from podium.

He Was Trump Before Trump: VP Spiro Agnew Attacked the News Media 50 Years Ago

When Vice President Spiro Agnew gave a speech in 1969 bashing the press, he fired some of the first shots in a culture war that persists to this day.

A National Debate Over Politics, Principles and Impeachment — in 1868

Was the impeachment of Andrew Johnson a matter of national principles? Or an affair of pragmatic politics?
Framed portrait of Julia Chinn.

The Erasure and Resurrection of Julia Chinn

Why the nation's ninth vice-president – and his black wife – were purposely forgotten.

Is History Being Too Kind to George H.W. Bush?

The 41st president put self-interest over principle time and time again.

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