Great Presidents

By: The Great Courses, Alan J. Lichtman

Narrated by: Allan J. Lichtman

Length: 24 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

The creation of the executive branch of government was one of the most audacious decisions in American history. The story of our greatest presidents create a narrative as compelling as an historical novel, and these 48 compelling lectures look at the lives, the achievements, and the legacies of those generally considered our 12 greatest presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ronald Reagan.

Drawing on a wealth of revealing anecdotes and inside stories, Professor Lichtman sheds new light on how the individual characters and historic decisions of each president made a major contribution to shaping our developing nation. You'll study the critical role these men played in America's founding years, Westward expansion, the struggle over slavery and the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, the perils of the atomic age, and more. These 12 leaders can be seen as giants of the most powerful elective office in the world. But through Professor Lichtman's eyes we see them as they really were, contradictions and paradoxes included.

These lectures give the "inside stories" from our highest office, and they reveal 12 leaders with varying styles, personalities, and beliefs, but they all had in common an unsinkable ambition, a deep affinity with the American people, and a strong inner core of guiding values and principles.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great Courses

The Great Presidents

Great course on The Great Presidents. Great in the case of these men is based on what they accomplished. Of course great depends on your politics, view of economics, world affairs, etc. For example many of these Presidents were way too progressive and made government way to large for my liking. What made them great however often was their soaring rhetoric and their ability to achieve their goals.

One of the best

Ive listened to over 20 courses. This for me was top 5. 3 lecture per president was legit. And the professor kept me engaged the whole way through.

inciteful & objective view of great US Presidents

This is not a book. It is a series of lectures.
A good overview of the history and legacy of some of America's greatest Presidents.
Don't expect an in-depth review of each individual, after all, Dr. Lichtman is lecturing on 12 great men.
If you enjoy history you will likely enjoy these lectures.

One of My Favorite Great Courses

I’m a fan of The Great Courses in general, but some are obviously going to be better than others. I would put Great Presidents in my top 5. Another reviewer mentioned the material covered being about what you’d get from a private high school US History class and I’m inclined to agree, it’s not advanced stuff.

That said, it’s incredibly interesting stuff if you’re interested in American History. Professor Lichtman is a very engaging speaker and he presents highly re-listenable lectures that just seem to fly by. You’ll hear lots of great anecdotes alongside the usual timelines- some Presidents are more interesting than others, but it’s all good info.

Don’t look too deeply into the course title- he’s not presenting an argument for or against the “greatness” of any of these presidents, he’s simply chosen presidents who made major impacts on American society and/or policy. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who’s interested in US History or to anyone who’s a fan of Great Courses.

good job, I learned a lot. well taught.

enjoyed it very much. the only issue I had is that I could tell when the instructor liked a president and when he really didn't. when he was not as into it. I was not ether. I drifted a little on a couple lectures as a result. but all and all pretty great indeed.

A great Storyteller

This was extremely helpful for me. I now have a stronger memory of the order of the presidents and a few of their biggest accolades.

Made me sound like a historian in my American Executive class.

Overall, very in depth information on the presidents stated in this course. I disagree that Reagan is a "great president", but I understand the argument. If anything, his particular section gave me more evidence to support my biased of his presidency. Lol Dr. Lichtman is a great narrator. He kept me engaged and entertained.

Great Survey

Lichtman's lectures are informative and entertaining. Sprinkled with memorable quotes and anecdotes, yet cogently covering the policy issues and presidents' responses to political events. Recommended.

Great performance and insight

With most historical/political works, it’s common the bias of the author is apparent. This is well balanced and even offers insight into the critics on different sides of the political spectrum. The flow of the courses was great and drew similarities/differences well from other lectures. Highly recommend!

Very Informative

This is exactly what I was looking for in a course on the presidents. The speaker is very knowledgeable and presents the material in a clear and engaging manner.