The American President: The Heroic Posture

From the beginning, the presidential office has beckoned to national heroes renowned for their selfless service to their country (George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight Eisenhower). This affinity is especially strong for men of military fame, for the president is formally commander-in-chief as well as symbolically the steward to the national interest.

“The American President” is a series that aired on PBS in 2000 profiling 41 U.S. chief executives, using exclusive interviews with Presidents Clinton, Bush, Ford, and Carter. Well known figures lend their voice to presidents of the past who lived before sound recordings, including: Colin Powell, Bob Dole, Walter Cronkite, Ben Bradlee, John Glenn, James Carville, Andrew Young, and the Rev. Billy Graham. Narrated by Hugh Sidey.

Chapter Markers:
George Washington - America's First Hero 1789-1797 (0:55)
William Henry Harrison - A Manufactured Hero 1841 (13:01)
Ulysses S. Grant - In Over His Head 1869-1877 (21:42)
Dwight D. Eisenhower - The Heroic Image 1953-1961 (35:24)

© Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

#TheHeroicPosture #kunhardtfilmfoundation

[cwilh]

Ouch. That grant hit piece sounds right out of the lost cause playbook. Grant was the first modern General and, along with Sherman, changed the shape of the way wars were waged from then on. And as far as his presidency goes, he defended reconstruction in a way no other president had, plus he crushed the klan. That along is enough for a great presidency. The whole "corruption" hit job, while having some truth to it, was no different than most other administrations during the back half of the 19th century, including Lincoln's. He was the only consecutive two term president between Lincoln and McKinley. The people loved him and considered he and Lincoln to be THE two heroes of the 19th century. Plus his memoir, written while dying, was THE template for all memoirs to come.

I consider Grant to be in my top presidents, along with FDR, LBJ, Teddy, and Lincoln. Anyone who fights for the working class, the oppressed, and the downtrodden deserves a place atop the pantheon of presidents and these men certainly qualify.

[skip]

This series is really great. The way these historic figures are brought back to life is amazing.

[jilltagmorris]

I've really enjoyed these! Thrilled I found them! ❤

[charlespeters]

A perfect choice of Walter Cronkite as George Washington! Two of the most respected and trusted Americans.

[tomjones]

Tippecanoe & Coatless Too!- Wm.Henry Harrison...😢

[deang]

At 29:35, the video makes reference to Grant's visits to the Williard Hotel where he would enjoy a cigar in the hotel lobby. Many people would visit the President asking for favors. The video does not reveal that this is where the term "lobbying" came from.

[carl]

I was born in 1942 and I remember these days this is a great Documentary thanks for sharing this story 😊

[kidmohair]

I'm glad that the reputation of Grant as both a general and president has,
in the intervening 23 years since this was released,
seen a marked improvement.

[christopherthorkon]

Great documentary. But I am not sure why Andrew Jackson was just quickly mentioned and then skipped over.

[can]

It seems our nation rewards Generals with the presidency. It happened in our most consequential wars; Revolutionary, Civi and WW2. Inevitably, non could live up to their war Greatness; it’s not even possible. Though Washington you could say came the closest; though he was essentially writing the book.

[DMA]

I figured they would use Cronkite to voice Washington

[thattimestampguy]

0:01 Episode 7: The Heroic Posture
0:23 The Presidency Has Beckoned to Heroes.
0:39 12 Generals Have Been President.

*George Washington*
_Citizen_
0:54 America's First Hero
1:00 The American Revolution
1:23 His Character, His Vision.
1:33 Plain and Simple Politics.

1:48 A Farmer's Son from Tidewater Virginia.
2:05 Mount Vernon. One of America's Wealthiest Citizens in the late 1700s.

_War Hero_ The Hero of The American Revolutionary War
2:58 Destiny called.
3:06 General of The American Continental Army.

3:17 Remarkable Generalship.

3:34 He attended to his men. He stuck by his men. He cared for them. He shared their hardships.
3:53 Inspiration of Trust.

*Washington refuses to be a King*
4:07 Rejecting the title of King.

*"Gentlemen, if you'll permit me to put on my spectacles."*
4:33 Meeting at Newburgh, New York.
5:10 A Letter Addressing The Soldier's Grievances.
5:27 "Gentlemen, if you'll permit me to put on my spectacles."
5:52 The Essential Quality: Self-Motivation and Self-Restraint.

*Washington retires from his role as General*

6:06 Washington gave up his commission as Commander-in-Chief.
6:23 Washington's Precedent.
6:47 "but I have no lust for power."

_America's First President_

7:02 Reluctant agreement to come out of retirement.
7:49 April 30th, 1789. 47-Year Old War Hero. Reciting The Oath. "So Help Me God."
9:07
9:19 The Presidential Cabinet was invented.
9:32 He chose Washington D.C.
9:47 The President was NOT A King.
10:06 Neutrality.

10:43 March 3rd, 1797, Washington's final day as President.
11:02 "I shall resign the chair of government without a single regret."
11:08 Enormous Self-Discipline, relinquishing power.

11:51 The Country had formed it's own American National Character.

*Washington's final days*
12:00
12:10 "First In War, First In Peace, First In The Heart's Of His Countrymen."
12:17 The Hope that The Constitution be Faithfully Maintained.


*William Henry Harrison*
_Virginian_
12:39
13:31 Humble, Backwoods, Hero.
13:43 Classically Educated Virginian.

_Western Frontier Governor_
13:52 Patroller of The Western Frontier.
14:10 Governor of Indiana for 14 years. Overseeing Native American Relations.
15:00 August 12th, 1810, Tecumseh.
15:28 500 Warriors on The Tippecanoe River. 279 Indians wounded. "Butchery!"
16:18 An Episode of Great American Heroism.

_President_
16:39 Tippercanoe!
17:57 Keep The Ball Rolling.
18:38 Victory. Exhausted and Frail.
19:18 "This may be the last time I speaking to you on Earth. I bid you farewell. If forever, farewell."
19:59 A Healing Figure.
20:16 A Good Senior Civil Servant. Died 1 month in office. The 1st to die in office.
20:47 Harrison's Final Words to John Tyler.
1824-1856, Every Presidential Election except for 1 Included a Major Military Hero, appealing to a public more distrusting of career politicians.

*Ulysses S. Grant* The Hero of The American Civil War
21:13
22:32 Everything he attempted ended in failure as a young boy.
23:00 Grant fought in The Mexican-American War.
_Major Union General of The Civil War_
23:34 The Civil War, The Love of The Union, Drinking Alcohol.
24:09 Health, Youth, Energy. Sleeping anywhere.
24:31 Drunk, but The Union needed him, so no persecution.
25:01 Full Responsibility. He had a stomach for violence.
25:44 Big Army, Destroy The Enemies Resources. Dogged Determination.
26:18 Use and Lose. Fight! Man of Action, not pretty, not high fancy, but it worked.

_President_
27:04 Returning to a Hero's Welcome.
27:49 Concern for The Plight of Black Americans.
28:40 Republican Party President.
29:29 Willard's Hotel. Naively allowed himself to be used. Slandered by The Press with Corruption charges.
30:23 He was honest, his administration was scandal ridden.
31:13 "I never wanted to get out of a place as much as I wanted to get out of The Presidency."
31:27 Financially Bankrupt! Wrote Memoirs.
32:04 Cigar Throat Cancer. The End Was Near.
32:36 "It is nearly impossible for me to swallow."
32:55 The Tragedy. Extreme Pain.
33:31 He was a Loyal, Family Man, forcing himself to live for his family.
34:01 He wrote about his successes in War.
34:32 The Condition of The Colored Man, on The Eve of a New Era.

*Dwight David Eisenhower* The American Hero of World War II
35:05
35:24 Major General
36:10 D-Day, June 6th, 1944. Toppling The German War Machine.
36:39 D-Day
37:37 Humble, Honest, Clean-Cut Man. Popular with The People.
37:57 Popular Ike
38:13 Exuded Friendliness.
38:37 A Very Complex Personality under that Very Attractive Exterior.
+ Learn to suppress your temper.
39:04 Little Ike, West Point Military Man,
39:27 1948 he refused to run, 1952 He approved to run.
40:36 The Country was in an unhappy state. I tried to bring Mutual Serenity.
41:16 Ike gave The Country as sense of Trust. Truthfulness. Honest Ike.
41:52 He listened at Cabinet Meetings. Executive Bureaucracy.
42:36 He stayed involved in important decisions. His "Hidden Hand" Presidency.
43:04 "You're always on the alert."
43:25 Personal Diplomacy. Waging Peace. Keeping Wars from Breaking Out.
44:15 Defusing Nuclear Tensions.
45:20 Disarmament. Peace Through Strength. U2 Spy Missions.
46:06 "We should not pay 1 cent more for defense than we have to."
47:07 U2 Reconnaissance Flight. Valuable information, shot down by The Soviets.
47:55 Devastated, Legacy tarnished.
48:46 An Extraordinaire Presidency, but Nuclear Arms grew.
49:18 A Lasting Peace, returning to being a private citizen.

49:57 Dwight Eisenhower embodied The American Dream. Unwilling to put his reputation on the line for disarmament. Immensely Popular.
50:10 Unwilling to put his reputation on the line.

*The Heroic Posture - Conclusion*
50:46 The Concept of The Hero, The General, who steps off his pedestal, and becomes President.
51:14
51:25 America Has turned to War Heroes for several of it's Presidents.
+ Military Men acting with Military Restraint.
51:52 "But America herself was born in War."
52:00 Raising To High Leadership The American Hero.

52:16 Credits.

[platinumuschannel]

I swear when WHH was first mentioned and the title of his part showed, I had expected Hugh Sidey to simply comment: "He died", and then move on to the next President.

[donovanmcvick]

Eisenhowers voice sounds just like casey kassem

[justinhernandez]

So we are just going to disregard General Andrew Jackson. I understand he is in another video but he was a heroic military man

[PJ]

Washington or Eisenhower as a President?

[markstevens]

Hello 2000. This is 2024. As you might have guessed, some trends have begun over the years, and some have ended. Oh, how they’ve ended.

[InvestingForTomorrow]

If only our wanna-be dictator had any measure of the Washington's character and integrity.

[williambabbitt]

Are military heroes are usually the ones that will be the most careful to ensure the peace. Many of our politicians today. Think that a war is winnable whether it’s a small war or a large war war war maintaining issues between two countries they figure the war is winnable And they fight it and sell it as such. However, no war is truly winnable. If a war is ever won in that sense of the word, no one will ever be convinced of the correctness of the victory. No one will be pleased to put down their arms for the sake of peace. When West fight, they fight to the death if we fight again, we will indeed surely die. I’ll rebuild these and our technology, and I thought processes will ensure that outcome.

[johnnotrealname]

I liked this episode a lot. It boggles my mind that America still has not had a military junta.