Oval Office Chronicles

  • John Quincy Adams

    John Quincy Adams

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    John Quincy Adams spent his entire life preparing to become president. But after a frustrating term in the White House, he found his most consequential role in an unexpected place: the House of Representatives. From diplomatic prodigy to reluctant politician to relentless opponent of slavery’s expansion and the congressional Gag Rule, JQA’s story is one of reinvention, principle, and a man who refused to be silenced. Along the way, there’s a little poetry, a lot of political drama, and one truly remarkable insult about John Tyler’s nose. Come meet the man behind the diary.

    LET’S GET INTO IT

  • James Monroe

    James Monroe

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    James Monroe: The Last Founding Father James Monroe spent his life trying to get into the room—and eventually ended up at the head of the table. From Revolutionary soldier to diplomat to president, Monroe helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, nearly dueled Alexander Hamilton, and left behind the Monroe Doctrine. But his legacy is also full of contradictions, especially when it came to slavery and his unwavering support of Andrew Jackson. Come meet the man behind the myth.

    LET’S GET INTO IT

  • James Madison

    James Madison

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    James Madison helped build the system that still governs America today. In this entry, I unpack the life of the Constitution’s chief architect, America’s first politician, and a man who was often far better at designing power than wielding it.

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  • Thomas Jefferson

    Thomas Jefferson

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    One of America’s greatest thinkers. One of its most frustrating hypocrites. In this entry, I unpack Thomas Jefferson — the brilliance, the contradictions, the mess, and the mythology.

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  • John Adams

    John Adams

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    John Adams is often overshadowed by the men around him — but he shouldn’t be. In this second entry, I look at Adams not as the “forgotten” founder, but as a brilliant, complicated thinker — revolutionary, president, and a man who refused to stay quiet, even when it cost him.

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  • George Washington

    George Washington

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    The first president and one of the most mythologized figures in American history. In this first entry, I look at George Washington not as a statue, but as a person — war hero, nation-builder, enslaver, and walking contradiction.

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  • Start Here

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    by

    Kimberlee Logan
    in

    TL;DR: Each month, I’m going to blog about a President. I know TL;DRs are supposed to be at the end but… yeah. In a nutshell, that’s what I’m about to do. I’m going to try to post on the last Saturday of each month, but show me grace if I get a bit off track. It’s hard out here for a pimp. Life be lifeing. Depression is real. We out here. And all that other jazz. Welcome to Oval Office Chronicles.

    LET’S GET INTO IT