Historic Presidential Boys' Clothing: The 18th Century
The clothing worn by presidents as children and the clothing
worn by their children are a good reflection of contemporary
children's clothing. America of course has no royal family to help set fashion standards as was the case in
Europe. The American president and his family have in part
Figure 1.--
|
|
Only two presidents served during the 18th Century, George Washington and John Adams. Interestingly
John Adams' son John Quincy was to gain election as president, the only presidents' son to
gain the office. This was an interesting period in the development of boy's clothing as the
fashion of specialized children's clothing was becoming established during this period.
Available information on two 18th Century presidents is as follows:
- George Washington (1789-97): George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Argueably our greatest president becuse of the standards and
precedents he set. A republic governed by an elected president and
congress was in the late 18th Century a radical experiment in
democracy. Thetre was virtually no precedent for it, except thise dating back to ancient history. As a result it was Washington who established major presedents, the most important of course was a limit of two terms. This was a critical mesure for constitutional government and one that had not been forseen by the drafters of the Constitution. Most doubted that it could succeed. The character and integrity of Washington played a key role in the survival of the young Republic--the Republic that would in the 20th Century save Britain, France, and indeed western civilization itself.
- John Adams (1797-1801): John Adams was the second American president. He was a giant of the Revolution. He is, however, now the least remembered of the early presidents. There is no monument to Adams in the Mall in Washington. Most Americans cannot name a single accomplishment of Adams. Yet there has been a reconsideratin of Adams in recent years and his reputation has grown, especially his role in moving America toward Revolution and his diplomatic triumphs. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment as President was in keeping the young nation from declaring war on Revolutioinary France which would have pribably ended disaterously and may have made Jefferson's Louisana Purchase difficult. Adams also played an important role in the development of the political party system in America. An important role of an American president is as leader of his party. It was Adams' failure here that was to doom his presidency and reelection.
HPC
Navigate the Historical Presidential Boys Clothing Site
[Return to the Main historical boyhood page]
[]
[The 19th Century]
[The 20th Century]
[The 21st Century]