Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and racism.

The Prologue opens by challenging the reader to imagine “being the most powerful person in the world” like the United States president (1). There have been good and bad presidents, but every president has had an impact on people’s everyday lives. The goal of Confronting the Presidents is to reckon with each president’s impact on the nation’s history. Further, the authors note that at the time they are writing, the 2024 election is soon to take place, and they are living in a time of political polarization. The authors add that the country has survived other times of extreme division and come out stronger, but it is “impossible to predict” what will happen this time (2).

The authors state that Confronting the Presidents has “no political slant” (2). Instead of promoting a point of view, the authors’ stated goal is to promote knowledge of history, which they argue has been in decline in schools. They assert that awareness of history is Americans’ “mandate as a free people” (2).