A visit from the President of the United States always brings with it excitement. In Maine, perhaps part of that excitement stems from the fact that presidents rarely visit the state–only 18 of the 45 presidents have visited Maine in the nation’s 244-year history. Many of these visits came at significant points in a presidency; and some visits had controversy, conflict, and ironic twists. For example: * During George Washington’s visit, Maine was not even Maine, it was part of Massachusetts. * President Ulysses S. Grant was the hero of the recently ended Civil War. * President Richard Nixon was met with protests that saw Mainer battle Mainer. * President Carter spent the night of his visit with a common, ordinary Maine family, in their modest home. * President Trump’s visit came in the middle of a global pandemic. Each of Maine's presidential visits left us with great stories, and a detailed view of Maine's lively history.

The Oxford Guide to the United States Government is the ultimate resource for authoritative information on the U.S. Presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court. Compiled by three top scholars, its pages brim with the key figures, events, and structures that have animated U.S. government for more than 200 years. In addition to coverage of the 2000 Presidential race and election, this Guide features biographies of all the Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Supreme Court Justices, as well as notable members of Congress, including current leadership; historical commentary on past elections, major Presidential decisions, international and domestic programs, and the key advisors and agencies of the executive branch; in-depth analysis of Congressional leadership and committees, agencies and staff, and historic legislation; and detailed discussions of 100 landmark Supreme Court cases and the major issues facing the Court today. In addition to entries that define legal terms and phrases and others that elaborate on the wide array of government traditions, this invaluable book includes extensive back matter, including tables of Presidential election results; lists of Presidents, Vice Presidents, Congresses, and Supreme Court Justices with dates of service; lists of Presidential museums, libraries, and historic sites; relevant websites; and information on visiting the White House, the Capitol, and Supreme Court buildings. A one-stop, comprehensive guide that will assist students, educators, and anyone curious about the inner workings of government, The Oxford Guide to the United States Government will be a valued addition to any home library.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From a preeminent presidential historian comes a “superb and important” (The New York Times Book Review) saga of America’s wartime chief executives “Fascinating and heartbreaking . . . timely . . . Beschloss’s broad scope lets you draw important crosscutting lessons about presidential leadership.”—Bill Gates Widely acclaimed and ten years in the making, Michael Beschloss’s Presidents of War is an intimate and irresistibly readable chronicle of the Chief Executives who took the United States into conflict and mobilized it for victory. From the War of 1812 to Vietnam, we see these leaders considering the difficult decision to send hundreds of thousands of Americans to their deaths; struggling with Congress, the courts, the press, and antiwar protesters; seeking comfort from their spouses and friends; and dropping to their knees in prayer. Through Beschloss’s interviews with surviving participants and findings in original letters and once-classified national security documents, we come to understand how these Presidents were able to withstand the pressures of war—or were broken by them. Presidents of War combines this sense of immediacy with the overarching context of two centuries of American history, traveling from the time of our Founders, who tried to constrain presidential power, to our modern day, when a single leader has the potential to launch nuclear weapons that can destroy much of the human race. Praise for Presidents of War "A marvelous narrative. . . . As Beschloss explains, the greatest wartime presidents successfully leaven military action with moral concerns. . . . Beschloss’s writing is clean and concise, and he admirably draws upon new documents. Some of the more titillating tidbits in the book are in the footnotes. . . . There are fascinating nuggets on virtually every page of Presidents of War. It is a superb and important book, superbly rendered.”—Jay Winik, The New York Times Book Review "Sparkle and bite. . . . Valuable and engrossing study of how our chief executives have discharged the most significant of all their duties. . . . Excellent. . . . A fluent narrative that covers two centuries of national conflict.” —Richard Snow, The Wall Street Journal