I want to learn about the political issues and debates which took place during each of the respective American presidencies, from Washington to Obama. I’m willing to invest a lot of time in this.
I would be much obliged for any book or documentary recommendations, and even more obliged for references to free Internet-accessible recommendations (easier for me to access).
It’s a decent summary of the campaigns. You get about 10 pages per campaign which at least gives you an idea of what people were arguing about.
This History channel documentary gives a great overview of each President and major issues of the day. Netflix had it as a physical DVD last time I looked. May not be the detail you’re looking for though.
David Pietrusza has written some good books on specific campaigns: 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, 1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America, and 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies.
The American Presidents series. Short books on each presidency by major writers. I started reading a couple and got hooked so I’ve been buying them all. You can find them free in libraries, of course, but they pop up cheaply all over the Internet.
You’re correct. I misread the OP and was thinking he wanted to learn about the issues and debates of the presidential campaigns.
I’d still recommend Pietrusza’s books but I’ll also add The Ferocious Engine of Democracy: A History of the American Presidency by Michael Riccards. It’s a good history (in two volumes) of the evolution of presidential power.
It’s mammoth (1100 pages) and packed with photos and illustrations (lots of old political cartoons). It focuses on the political process, so it does a great job of discussing the various positions and issues that characterized each election.
http://www.amazon.com/Presidential-Administration-Profiles-Government-Students/dp/0787627968
Both are comparatively out of date, but have info on the majority of Presidents.
Washington to Bush Jr. for the first one, Washington to Clinton on the second I think.