Lives of the Presidents by Julian De Vries was published in 1940, so it only covers the presidents up to FDR, with each president getting an average of 8 pages each. He provides no citations or bibliography, so it feels like an amateur effort. Of the 30 presidents he covers, only ten of the presidents get ten or more pages (the first 7 presidents, Lincoln, Grant, and FDR), giving the impression that the most important period of American history is the beginning. He devotes 29 pages to Andrew Jackson, 21 to Thomas Jefferson, and 18 to John Adams so they must be his favorites. Four of the presidents only get 3 pages each (Pierce, Buchanan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Harding) so they must be his least favorite. Why does Theodore Roosevelt only get two and a half pages while Andrew Jackson gets 29?

The chapter on George Washington acknowledges there’s a lot of myth and legend surrounding the first president and much of his life story is lost to time, yet it’s also filled with speculation. “His early boyhood must have been a healthy, happy one.” Naval officers were frequent guests at his step-father’s house, so George “must have been greatly stirred by” the military talk. When Lord Fairfax came to America, “it must have created a profound sensation.” How do we know all this?

Unfortunately, De Vries refers to Native Americans as “savages” who “regarded both the white races [English and French] with jealousy and rage that often flamed up in terrible vengeance.” He doesn’t have a single kind word to say about the native inhabitants of America anywhere in this book.

After his first battle, Washington apparently wrote to his brother: “I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound.” De Vries repeatedly refers to Washington’s fiery temper. Apparently, “Everyone knows how unexpectedly he met the beautiful Martha Custis” because that’s all he tells us about it.

Apparently, the only reason for the Revolutionary War was that England wanted to “crush the liberties and ruin the prosperity” of America. We’re not told any other reason than this. The English are presented as pure evil and the Americans as pure good. De Vries is not one for nuance.

He mentions events without explaining them, assuming his reader knows the details already. In John Adams’ section, he refers to a “famous newspaper controversy” without telling us what it is. I’m guessing this is a reference to the Alien and Sedition Act. Apparently, “it irked Thomas Jefferson sorely that he was a slaveholder.” Not enough for him to actually free his slaves during his lifetime, though.

The author claims James Madison only slept 3 hours a day while at Princeton, which weakened his vitality the rest of his life. He loved making up stories and once said, “I always talk more easily when I lie!”

This book can be repetitious at times. For example, the story of the Louisiana Purchase we already read about under Jefferson is retold under Monroe. It occurs to me the Louisiana Purchase allowed Napoleon to wage war in Europe. Jefferson could have saved lives by not funding Napoleon’s reign of terror.

Andrew Jackson’s whopping 29 pages are mostly details of his military exploits with his presidency quickly summarized. The Trail of Tears, or as De Vries calls it, the removal of Indians, is barely mentioned, as is the fact he’s a slave holder. Apparently, Jackson was so unlettered, he didn’t believe the earth was round.

De Vries generally presents presidents in a positive light. He does lightly condemn Pierce for being pro-slavery in the lead up to the Civil War. He also condemns Buchanan’s inaction when the Civil War broke out.

For Lincoln, De Vries focuses on his early life, not saying much at all about the Civil War because what happened during “those four great historic years has been read by all men.” He doesn’t go into Reconstruction either, but does lightly criticize Andrew Johnson who “proved he was not the man for the time and post.”

Taft was governor of the Philippine Islands before becoming president. “The great services he performed there are too well known to require repetition here.” I guess in 1940 when this book was written, everyone would have known about Taft’s time in the Philippines, but I don’t think it’s well known anymore. Unfortunately, De Vries describes the natives there as “half savage”, his favorite descriptor of native populations.

At the back, De Vries includes a section titled United States History at a Glance. In it, he claims there were recorded voyages to the Americas before the year 1000 by Arabians, Irishman, Welshmen, Chinese, Japanese and Frenchmen. I’ve never heard of these voyages before. Since he provides no citation, I guess I’ll have to take his word on it.