Which US President Said It? Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Kennedy

This was the most famous line from Kennedy's inaugural address. During Kennedy's short term in office Americans had the opportunity to bring these words to life by joining volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corp which was created under the Kennedy administration.

The Peace Corp is a way for average Americans to help the rest of the world and is a chance to display Americans in a better light to the world than the "Ugly American" image.

Answer: Harry Truman

"The buck stops here" is a phrase where someone takes responsibility for their actions. In Truman's case there were two very notable actions for which he had to take responsibility. One of those was the dropping of the two atomic bombs which ended World War II but at the cost of many lives. Truman also got the US involved in the Korean conflict through presidential decree which meant he sidestepped Congressional approval in entering.

Answer: James Madison

James Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution as he wrote most of it. He was given the task to prepare a document that would be the basis of a stronger central government than that under the Articles of Confederation but one that would also guarantee individual liberties.

He also had to create a balance between the larger states such as New York and Virginia and the smaller ones such as Delaware and New Hampshire.

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

In addition to being president, Thomas Jefferson was known as the author of the Declaration of Independence. Under his presidency, the US doubled in size with the Louisiana Purchase. He also sent out the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the western part of what's now the United States.

A quote about Jefferson was given by John Kennedy at a White House dinner honoring several Nobel Prize winners. Kennedy said that it was "the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Answer: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford said this during his inauguration, referring to the nightmare the country had experienced when President Nixon was implicated in covering up the Watergate break-in where Republican operatives had broken into Democratic headquarters.

Ford was in the unusual position of becoming president without having been elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. He became vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading guilty to tax evasion.

What was especially unusual about this was that prior to the ratification of the 25th amendment in 1967, the vice presidency would remain vacant until the current term ended if the vice president died, resigned, or ascended to the presidency. Fortunately, before this, there had never been a situation where something had happened to both.

Answer: George Washington

This is from George Washington's first inauguration. This was a unique event for a number of reasons. It took place in New York City which was the capital at the time rather than in Washington, DC. Washington was given the oath of office by the Chancellor of New York, the equivalent of the chief justice of the supreme court of New York rather than the chief justice of the US because no one had been appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court yet. They had to wait for Washington to appoint the initial justices and he had to be sworn in before appointing them!

Answer: Franklin Roosevelt

This is from FDR's first inaugural address. The part about the only thing we have to fear is fear itself is probably Roosevelt's most famous quote. This address laid the groundwork for Roosevelt's policies over the next several years, most notably the New Deal which helped the US pick itself up and recover from the Great Depression.

Answer: James Monroe

This quote is from the Monroe Doctrine, a proclamation given in 1823 warning the European powers of the day that the US would do everything in its power to prevent their further expansion from Europe into the western hemisphere. It did not do anything to force the European nations to give up their current possessions. For example, Britain controlled Canada until the middle of the 19th century, Belize became independent in 1981, and some of the Caribbean islands remain European territories in the 21st century.

What the Monroe Doctrine did object to was the possibility of European nations attempting to recolonize countries that had gained their independence. Many of the South American countries had recently gained independence and Monroe wanted to see things stay that way.

Answer: Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon used this plea to America during a speech towards the end of his first year in the presidency. In it he expounded his views on continuing American involvement in the war in Vietnam. Many anti-war protesters had let both Nixon and his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, know their views on the war. Nixon's feeling was that while the protesters were very vocal, they were in the minority, with the large majority remaining relatively silent on the matter.

After all, there's never been a history of pro-war rallies in the US.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

This is probably the most famous ironic line ever uttered in a presidential speech. It is from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and, of course, is still remembered long after the great man gave it. What is little remembered are the words of Edward Everett, the keynote speaker that day, who spoke for two hours in dedicating the cemetery at Gettysburg.

Lincoln's speech which lasted about two minutes has become one of the most well-known and moving speeches ever given. For anyone who has the opportunity to visit the museum at Gettysburg and to tour the battlefield, I highly recommend taking the opportunity to do so.