HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.
The above words are inscribed on Thomas Jefferson’s gravestone. Where is “Third President of the United States of America?” Before his death, Thomas Jefferson left specific instructions for a monument to be constructed on his grave site. In reference to the words to be placed on his gravestone, Jefferson said, “On the faces of the Obelisk the following inscription, & not a word more.”1 He continued by writing, “because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.”
Why didn’t Thomas Jefferson rank “U.S. President” as one of his top three most memorable moments? Overall, historians view Thomas Jefferson quite favorably as president – on his worst day he’s still in the top ten. He appears on our money, on Mount Rushmore, and he’s got one of the best memorials in D.C. In fact, one line from Jefferson’s resume would get a person in the history books.
“because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.”
Perhaps the three accomplishments on Jefferson’s gravestone are what he views as his best. The fact that he left explicit instructions for his gravestone’s inscription demonstrates Jefferson’s need to exert some control over his legacy. Independence, religious freedom, and education. You can’t argue with those ideas.
Original gravestone, Courtesy of the University of Missouri
Jefferson’s family erected the obelisk gravestone in 1833.2 The original gravestone was eventually replaced due to visitors chipping off pieces of the it for souvenirs. In 1882 Congress okayed a measure to provide funds to replace Jefferson’s original gravestone. The original obelisk was donated to the University of Missouri at Columbia – where it now resides.
July 4, 1826
Just months after Jefferson wrote instructions for his gravestone, he passed away. According to the Monticello website, Jefferson’s last words cannot be determined with certainty.3 Jefferson’s last recorded words are “No, doctor, nothing more.” However, some believe that Jefferson’s last words were “Is it the Fourth?” or “This is the Fourth of July.” In any case, Thomas Jefferson passed away on the 50th anniversary of July 4, 1776 – arguably the most important date in American history. Jefferson was not alone. In fact, in Quincy, Massachusetts, John Adams passed away on the same day at the age of 90. Adams’s last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.” He was mistaken. Jefferson had actually died five hours earlier at Monticello at the age of 82.4
How do historical coincidences become a presidential legend?
It’s been called by many names: Tecumseh’s Curse, the Curse of Tippecanoe, the Zero-Year Curse, the Twenty-Year Curse. No matter what you call it, it’s not true; however, the presidential legend remains.
This legend is associated with the fact that every president elected in a year ending in zero – fromWilliam Henry HarrisontoJohn F. Kennedy– died in office. Let’s take a closer look at the presidents elected in each zero-year.
1840 Election: William Henry Harrison died in office of pneumonia (or maybe enteric fever).
1860 Election: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre.
1880 Election: James A. Garfield was assassinated in a Washington, D.C. train station.
1900 Election: William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, New York.
1920 Election: Warren G. Harding died most likely of a heart attack (or possiblyptomaine poisoning).
1940 Election: Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office of a cerebral hemorrhage.
1960 Election: John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
1980 Election: Ronald Reagan was shot but survived.
2000 Election: George W. Bush lived.
The Birth of a Legend
It all started with Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison. Those who attempt to make sense of these eerie twists of presidential fate have come to blame a Native American curse for historical coincidence. The curse isn’t true, but Tecumseh’s life is significantly more compelling than the presidential legend.
Who was Tecumseh?
Tecumseh was a remarkable Native American leader born circa 1768. He was a Shawnee Chief from the Ohio River Valley who envisioned a vast Indian Confederacy. He aimed to protect the Ohio River as a border between Native Americans and American settlers.
What did Tecumseh do?
Throughout the early 1800s, Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (The Prophet) traveled extensively among tribes, from Wisconsin to Florida. Tecumseh was an excellent speaker, and he convinced many tribes to join his cause for Native American unity. By 1808, a significant number of Native American warriors gathered under Tecumseh’s leadership. Around this time, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa founded Prophet’s Town at the junction of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers, near present-day Lafayette, Indiana. Prophet’s Town became the site of a large confederacy of midwestern and southern tribes, assembled to stop American settlers from spreading into Native American lands.
William Henry Harrison Confronts Tecumseh’s Confederation
William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indian Territory, was given the task of confronting Tecumseh and his confederacy of warriors. Harrison was well aware of Tecumseh’s power. In a letter to the War Department, he wrote:
“The implicit obedience and respect which the followers of Tecumseh pay to him, is really astonishing, and more than any other circumstance bespeaks him one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions and overturn the established order of things.”
In early November 1811 Harrison organized a group of one thousand men and arrived outside of Prophet’s Town. While Tecumseh was gone to recruit more allies, Tenskwatawa ordered an attack on Harrison. However, the Native American forces under Tenskwatawa were eventually overtaken. After the defeat, the confederacy at Prophet’s Town dissolved. This was the beginning of the end of Tecumseh’s Confederacy.
The confrontation came to be known as the Battle of Tippecanoe. It would eventually be popularized in Harrison’s successful campaign for the presidency with the song-turned-slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!”
Gen’. Harrison & Tecumseh lithograph, 1860 – Library of Congress
The Death of Tecumseh
To gain more power for his cause, Tecumseh and his allies sided with the British in the War of 1812. Fighting alongside the British in the Battle of the Thames in Ontario, Canada, Tecumseh was shot and killed in October 1813. His body was mutilated, and he was buried in a mass grave near the battlefield.
After the death of Tecumseh, the Native American Confederacy disintegrated, and the end of the War of 1812 did nothing to stop the flood of American settlers moving into the Ohio River Valley. Ultimately, Tecumseh’s dream of a confederacy was short-lived, but his leadership and words affected many generations.
The Death of Tecumseh, painting in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda
Tecumseh’s Words
“Will we let ourselves be destroyed in our turn without a struggle, to give up our homes, our country bequeathed to us by the Great Spirit, the graves of our dead and everything dear and sacred to us? I know you will cry with me, ‘Never! Never!’”
Coincidence, Not Curse
Years after his encounters with Tecumseh, William Henry Harrison was elected president on the Whig ticket. During his 105-minute inaugural address on a cold, blustery March day in 1841, “Old Tippecanoe” refused to wear a coat or gloves. He fell ill shortly after the speech and died on April 4, 1841, most likely from pneumonia.
Including Harrison, every president elected in a zero-year died in office from 1840 to 1960: Harrison (1840), Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), Franklin Roosevelt (1940), Kennedy (1960). Ronald Reagan escaped the Curse in 1981 when he was shot by John Hinckley Jr. The assassin’s bullet lodged in Reagan’s chest, missing his heart by inches.
The only presidential death that discredits the twenty-year cycle of the Curse was Zachary Taylor who died in 1850 after consuming bad water, milk, or cherries (His exact cause of death is unclear).
What about the presidents elected after 1840 who survived assassination attempts and were not elected on zero-years? This list includes: Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, and Gerald Ford.
The curse isn’t true, but the legend lives on. It is true that Tecumseh was an extraordinary leader and deserves a significant place in American history. Although the curse is really a long string of unfortunate events for seven unlucky presidents, Tecumseh’s Curse remains a captivating story full of historical intrigue.
Money fascinates people of all ages. Its portraits, symbols, and words tell a story of our nation’s past. For many years, Lady Liberty was the most common icon on currency. Today, images of presidents dominate our money.
At times a fallen president is honored on currency, such as FDR, JFK, and Eisenhower. Perhaps a president like Andrew Jackson would recoil at his portrait on a $20 bill. Lately, women have re-established their place on our money: Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, and in the near future, Harriet Tubman. The images on our money highlight the icons that have found a permanent place in our country’s history.
Money presidents can be collected as artwork, passed on in collections, or handed over a counter to buy a soda at the store. We use them everyday. These are the presidents on money.
$1 Bill:
George Washington first appeared on the one-dollar bill in 1869 – just seven years after the bill was first printed. The first person to appear on the one-dollar bill was Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury at the time (1861-1864). According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the one-dollar bill makes up about 45% of currency printing production.
Cost to produce: 5.4 cents
Average lifespan: 5.8 years
$2 Bill:
The two-dollar bill features Thomas Jefferson on the front of it. Jefferson has been on the two-dollar bill since 1869. Interestingly enough, the first two-dollar bill was printed in 1862 and featured the face of the first Secretary of the Treasury (and Jefferson political adversary) Alexander Hamilton. Despite the government’s best efforts since its creation, the two-dollar bill remains one of our country’s least circulated bills. The most recent printing of the two-dollar note was the 2003 series.
Cost to produce: 5.4 cents
Average lifespan: Not widely-circulated; No Federal Reserve data
$5 Bill:
The portrait of Abraham Lincoln has appeared on the five-dollar bill since 1914. Like other federal reserve notes, the five-dollar bill is composed of one-fourth linen and three-fourths cotton. Look closely, the five-dollar bill also contains red and blue security fibers.
Cost to produce: 11.5 cents
Average lifespan: 5.5 years
$20 Bill:
Andrew Jackson replaced Grover Cleveland on the twenty-dollar bill in 1928 – one hundred years after Jackson was first elected as president. Due to Andrew Jackson’s somewhat controversial nature, some groups have petitioned the government to remove his face from the twenty-dollar bill. But as it stands now, “Old Hickory” will continue to be dispensed out of ATMs across America.
Cost to produce: 12.2 cents
Average lifespan: 7.9 years
$50 Bill
Ulysses S. Grant first appeared on the fifty-dollar bill in 1913. Like Jackson, Grant has faced opposition to his appearance on U.S. currency. In both 2005 and 2010, legislation was brought to Congress to haveRonald Reagan’s face put on the fifty in place of Grant’s, but these measures were voted down. “Unconditional Surrender” Grant does not give up his position easily.
Cost to produce: 19.4 cents
Average lifespan: 8.5 years
According to theBureau of Engraving and Printing, in 1969 the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System announced that currency notes in denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 would be discontinued due to lack of use.
$500 Bill
William McKinley has been on the $500 bill since 1928. If you find a $500 bill laying around somewhere, don’t worry. It’s legal tender, and it may be used. However, you’d probably be better off selling it to a numismatic dealer or collector instead of buying a new iPad.
$1,000 Bill
Grover Cleveland appears on the $1,000 bill. Cleveland was on the twenty-dollar bill before he was replaced by Andrew Jackson in 1928. In April 2013, a $1,000 bill from 1891 sold at auction for $2.5 million. It was not Cleveland’s image, however, that graced the front of the bill. It was U.S. General George Meade. Who knew money could actually be worth so much money?
$5,000 Bill
James Madison, The Father of the Constitution, is on the $5,000 bill. He worked to establish our federal government and served as the fourth president. Madison has appeared on the bill since 1918.
$100,000 Bill
Woodrow Wilson’s image is on the largest U.S. note ever printed – the $100,000 gold certificate, series 1934. These notes were printed from December 1934 to January 1935. According to theBureau of Engraving and Printing, the $100,000 bills were used for transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and were not circulated among the general public.
$10 Bill
Alexander Hamilton
A tried and true Federalist, Hamilton was the first Treasury of the Secretary and a supporter of a national bank system.
Cost to produce: 10.9 cents
Average lifespan: 4.5 years
$100 Bill
Benjamin Franklin
Inventor, author, statesman, and true American genius – Franklin’s ideas shaped the founding of our country.
Cost to produce: 15.5 cents
Average lifespan: 15.0 years
$10,000 Bill
Salmon P. Chase
As Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, Chase established a national bank system and paper money. He later served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Penny
Element composition (1909-1982): 95% copper, 5% zinc
Element composition (1982-present): 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper (plating)
Cost to produce: 1.7 cents
Average lifespan: 25 years
Abraham Lincoln first appeared on the penny in 1909 – the 100th anniversary of his birth. It was President Theodore Roosevelt who is credited with urging a redesign of the penny in 1908. Before Lincoln, the penny had the same imagery since 1859 – Liberty wearing an American Indian headdress. When the Lincoln was issued in August 1909, Abraham Lincoln became the first president to appear on a coin.
The Lincoln Memorial was added to the reverse of the penny in 1959 – the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. If you look closely, you’ll see Lincoln’s statue sitting inside of his memorial. Until 1999, Lincoln was the only person to appear on both sides of a coin. George Washington became the second when he appeared on the reverse of the New Jersey state quarter – crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolution.
On the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, the U.S. Mint released four new designs for the reverse side of the penny. The designs featured key events from Lincoln’s life entitled: Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky, Formative Years in Indiana, Professional Life in Illinois, and Presidency in Washington, D.C.
The Nickel
Element composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Cost to produce: 8.1 cents
Average lifespan: 25 years
In 1938, the Treasury Department announced that it would hold a competition to create a new design for the nickel – with Thomas Jefferson to appear on the front. The winning design featured a bust of Jefferson dressed in a suit and looking to the left. Jefferson’s home, Monticello, appeared on the back.
The Jefferson nickel was first issued in November of 1938, and our third president has been on the nickel since. In 2003, on the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, Congress passed a bill to change the design of the nickel. In the Westward Journey Nickel Series of 2004-2006, the original left-facing Jefferson was replaced with a newright-facing Jefferon and forward-facing Jefferson. Four new Jefferson Era designs appeared on the back, along with a newly-designed Monticello.
The Dime
Element composition (1946-1964): 90% silver, 10% copper
Element composition (1965-present): 91.7% copper, 8.3% nickel
Cost to produce: 3.9 cents
Average lifespan: 25 years
Franklin D. Roosevelt first appeared on the dime in 1946. FDR died in April 1945, and the Mint decide to honor him on a coin. The dime was chosen for Roosevelt due to his work to end polio through the March of Dimes.
The reverse of the dime features a torch in the center with an olive branch on the left and an oak branch on the right. The torch symbolizes freedom, the olive branch is peace, and the oak branch is strength.
From 1946 to 1964, the FDR dime was composed of mostly silver, but from 1965 to the present, the dime has been composed of base metals. Compared to other U.S. coins, the dime has received little attention for a redesign – bearing the same design since the post World War II era.
The Quarter
Element composition (1932-1964): 90% silver, 10% copper
Element composition (1965-present): 91.7% copper, 8.3% nickel
Cost to produce: 9.0 cents
Average lifespan: 25 years
In 1932, George Washington became the second president to be featured on a coin (Lincoln was the first). The U.S. Mint initially intended to produce the Washington quarter for one year – in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth. However, the Mint decided to stick with George, and he’s been on the quarter ever since.
Keep a look out for silver quarters; they can be quite valuable. Quarters produced from 1932 to 1964 contain 90% silver and 10% copper. Today’s quarters are made of mostly copper and no silver.
The Half-Dollar
Element composition (1964): 90% silver, 10% copper
Element composition (1965-1970): 40% silver, 60% copper
Element composition (1971-present): 91.7% copper, 8.3% nickel
Cost to produce: No published data
Average lifespan: 25 years
Within days after the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, the U.S. Mint initiated plans to release a coin featuring JFK. By early 1964, the first Kennedy half dollar was released. Kennedy replaced Benjamin Franklin -who appeared on the half dollar for only fifteen years (1948-1963).
The silver content of half dollars has changed over the years. Franklin half dollars and 1964 Kennedy half dollars are 90% silver and 10% copper, while Kennedy half dollars from 1965-1970 are only 40% silver (and 60% copper). Since 1971, Kennedy half dollars are made of mostly copper.
The Dollar
Element composition: 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
Cost to produce: No published data
Average lifespan: 25 years
After Dwight D. Eisenhower’s death in 1969, the U.S. Mint sought to memorialize the former president on a coin. Ike dollar coins were minted from 1971 to 1978. In addition to honoring Ike on the front, the coins paid tribute to the successful Apollo 11 mission on the back. An eagle is landing on the moon with the earth hovering in the background. The Mint discontinued the Eisenhower dollar in 1978, but did change the reverse design one time – in 1976 on our country’s bicentennial.
The Presidential Dollar Coins
The U.S. Mint began making presidential dollar coins in 2007. The coins were released in the order that the presidents served. Ronald Reagan is the final coin in the series – as no living person can appear on currency.
Element composition: 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel
Cost to produce: No published data
Average lifespan: 25 years
Susan B. Anthony Dollar
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony was a social reformer who worked as an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist. Her efforts paved the way for the 19th Amendment – which gave women the right to vote in national elections.
Element composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Cost to produce: No published data
Average lifespan: 25 years
Sacagawea Dollar
Sacagawea
As a guide and interpreter on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Sacagawea was integral to the success of the cross-country journey. No known images of her exist.
Element composition: 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel
Cost to produce: No published data
Average lifespan: 25 years
In 2009, the U.S. Mint introduced new designs for the reverse of the Sacagawea coin. The designs featured significant contributions from Native American tribes and individuals. The coins show a variety of scenes from our country’s history, including the the treaty signed by the Wampanoag and the Plymouth Colony in 1621, the Code Talkers from WWI and WWII, and Sequoyah – the creator of the written language of the Cherokee Nation.
Liberty
Before presidents, Liberty’s image could be found on almost every form of currency. She first appeared on a coin in 1793, and today, her name remains as a reminder of her former glory. In 2017, the U.S. Mint will release a newly-designed Liberty in honor of the Mint’s 225th anniversary.
It’s an interesting question. When I was a student in junior high, I had no idea who James K. Polk was. As a matter of fact, I didn’t truly realize the importance of Polk until I was a teacher. First of all, Polk was a “dark horse” candidate. This guy came out of nowhere, and few expected him to win the presidential election of 1844. However, “Young Hickory” (an allusion to fellow Democrat Andrew Jackson) won the election, and his promise to only run for one term and his pledge to expand America’s westward boundary would both be tested during his presidency.
Say all you want about Polk, at least he was a man of his word. Polk only ran for one term, and while he was president the map of the United States changed quite a bit. Committed to the idea of “Manifest Destiny,” Polk expanded the western boundary of United States all the way to the Pacific Ocean. As president Polk worked to acquire the Oregon Country for the United States – perhaps feigning the possibility of another war with Great Britain. The U.S.-Canada border was set at the 49th parallel – from the Rockies to the Pacific. This is the border that remains to this day.
Perhaps Polk is best known for leading the nation during the Mexican-American War. After a failed attempt to purchase land (mainly California) from Mexico, Polk sent General Zachary Taylor (future Whig president) into disputed territory just north of the Rio Grande. Believing that the troop advancement was a provocation of war, Mexican forces attacked the U.S. troops stationed in the disputed territory. Subsequently, in a war message to Congress, Polk said of the affair, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil.” Side note: A freshman Whig Congressman from Illinois (and future president) named Abraham Lincoln questioned whether the “spot” of the attack was actually on American soil in his now famous “Spot Resolutions.”
“…shed American blood upon the American soil.”
After fighting for almost two years (April 1846 to February 1848), the United States defeated Mexico. The U.S. got California (and present-day New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, with parts of Colorado, Utah, and Texas). So, does winning a war make a person a good president?
Polk was chief executive of a nation that accomplished more than a victory over Mexico. As president, Polk worked to significantly increase the size of the United States. He did indeed see America fulfill her “Manifest Destiny.” When Polk entered office, the western border of the U.S. was the Rockies, but when he left office America’s borders reached from sea to shining sea.
Polk’s huge land grabs had their costs, including the unclear future of Native American populations of the West and the expansion of slavery from the South. The nation would face some difficult times sorting out what to do with all of this vast new territory. Eventually, we’d fight a civil war about it. Nevertheless, I believe that James K. Polk was an influential president, and his accomplishments – no matter how unbecoming from our present perspective – at least carry weight due to the sheer fact that he kept his campaign promises. In this regard, when a student asks, “Was James K. Polk a good president?,” I can start an answer by saying that he was a man of his times, but also a man of his word. He only ran for one term, and he extended the U.S. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Sure beats answering, “I don’t know, but he did have an interesting haircut.”
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