Presidential Trivia

Are you familiar with Encarta on msn.com? It’s an educational site with a dictionary, an atlas, an encyclopedia, and all kinds of resources for students, from kindergarten through grad school. It also has all kinds of trivia in the forms of lists and quizzes. And I love trivia. And lists. Ok, yes, and quizzes, but I think we’re quizzed out here these days.

So here, thanks to Encarta, are some things you might not know about U.S. presidents…

First U.S. president George Washington never shook hands with his visitors. Instead, he bowed to them.

At a time when tomatoes were thought by most people to be poisonous, Thomas Jefferson, the third president, was a pioneer grower of them.

In warm weather, sixth president John Quincy Adams normally went skinny-dipping in the Potomac River before dawn.

The ninth U.S. president, William Henry Harrison, gave the longest inauguration speech ever on a bitterly cold day. He then caught a cold, which developed into pneumonia, and Harrison died exactly one month into his presidency. It was the shortest term in U.S. history.

Zachary Taylor, 12th president, was a career military man who had never established a permanent address and had never voted when he won the presidency. And at a hot-weathered Fourth of July celebration in 1850, Taylor became ill after eating cherries and milk and died five days later.

The only unmarried man ever to be elected president was James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. president.

The 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, carried letters, bills, and notes in his stovepipe hat.

Andrew Johnson, 17th president, never attended school and learned to write at the age of 17.  He also only wore suits that he custom-tailored himself.

Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president, was the first to receive a raise in salary (the first 17 presidents earned $25,000 per year; Grant's presidential salary was increased in 1873 to $50,000). Grant was smoked about 20 cigars a day and died of throat cancer.

The 20th president, James Garfield, was multilingual and ambidextrous and could write Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other.

Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president, had the cancerous upper portion of his jaw removed during a secret operation aboard a yacht during his second term.

The teddy bear came about after 26th U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear with her cub on a hunting trip in Mississippi.

William Taft, 27th president, was 6-foot-2 and weighed more than 300 pounds, and he had a special oversized bathtub installed in the White House.

The 29th U.S. president, Warren G. Harding, was the first to ride to his inauguration ceremony in an automobile, to speak on the radio, and to have a radio in the White House. He also played poker at least twice a week, and his advisors were nicknamed the "Poker Cabinet" because they joined the games. Harding once gambled away a set of White House china.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th president, suffered chronic stomach pain and required 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night and a daily afternoon nap.

Herbert Hoover, the 31st president, was, in 1929, the first to have a telephone on his desk. Prior to that, the telephone was located in a booth outside the executive office. Hoover also published more than 16 books, including Fishing for Fun -- And to Wash Your Soul.

The 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was related to 11 former presidents by either blood or marriage.

The full middle name of the 33rd president, Harry S Truman is the letter "S," which represents his two grandfathers, both of whom had a name starting with that letter.

President number 34, Dwight D. Eisenhower, loved to cook and created an 894-word recipe for vegetable soup that includes the stems of nasturtium flowers as an ingredient.

Gerald Ford, 38th president, was a model and appeared in Look and Cosmopolitan magazines in the early 1940s.

The 40th president, Ronald Reagan, broke the Curse of Tippecanoe, also called the "20-year curse," in which, for 120 years, every president elected in a year ending in 0 died in office.

George W. Bush, 43rd president, and his wife Laura were married just three months after meeting.

Citizenship: The Right Stuff, Part 3

I had been contemplating citizenship, in general, and the importance of being an American and of voting, specifically, a lot recently, what with next week’s presidential election looming. I’d wondered if I have what it takes to become an American citizen by naturalization and decided to establish whether I have the right stuff to become naturalized American citizen.

As a result, this column has been devoted to citizenship over the past two weeks in an effort to determine whether we are living up to our responsibilities as citizens. First, we covered the naturalization process, from establishing our eligibility to apply for naturalization to completing the application. Then we addressed the interview and reviewed the civics test materials. And the naturalization process ends successfully with the Oath of Allegiance at a formal naturalization ceremony.

–oOo–

Let’s take another look at the oath: “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

The oath lists several responsibilities of citizens: renounce all allegiance to foreign nations, swear allegiance to the U.S., support and defend the U.S. Constitution and laws, and, when required, serve the country. Yet, the United States is pretty accommodating. A modified oath, omitting “bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law,” is available to those who qualify by providing adequate evidence that their religious beliefs and training prevent them from bearing arms for the U.S. For those presenting sufficient corroboration of religious beliefs and training preventing them from carrying out any type of service in the U.S. Armed Forces, the oath may be amended by eliminating “perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law.” Additionally, if one is unable to swear using the phrase “on oath,” s/he may “solemnly affirm.”

–oOo–

American citizens have other responsibilities in addition to those noted in the oath. It is our obligation to tolerate the differences of other people. It is our duty to serve on juries when called. And it is our responsibility to register and vote in elections.

And that last responsibility was the catalyst for this little experiment. Voting in our federal, and state and local, elections is, it seems to me, more than a right or a duty. It is a privilege.

–oOo–

I’ve heard several excuses why people are not going to vote in the presidential race: My vote doesn’t matter. My candidate is going to lose anyway. I can’t decide between the candidates. I don’t like either of them.

I flat out tell them that I will not tolerate any complaints regarding the election outcome (and/or any of it’s bi-products, such as tax increases) from them for the next four years. Period. But that’s just me, and they may not want to talk to me at all after I say that, but I hope I’ve caused them reconsider their decision, even if they don’t change their minds.

–oOo–

The point is to exercise your right to vote. American history is abundant with people who fought, both physically and intellectually, formidable foes so that we may cast our ballots next week.

If you are registered, and did not vote early, I urge you to flaunt your citizenship on Tuesday by voting. Though the for-whom-to-vote decision may not be easy, the ballot process is.

I can’t think of anything more patriotic that I could possible do on Tuesday.

–oOo–

Now, about my score on that civics test… I took the 100-question version found on uscis.gov last Friday without studying and scored 78%. After feeling the relief of just passing, I was then disappointed that I’d not performed better. But who doesn’t study for such an important test? I took it again on Thursday after reading through it once more. The second time I scored 98%. How did you do?

Citizenship: The Right Stuff, Part 2

Last week we began a study of citizenship. In light of the nearing presidential election, I had been giving citizenship and the importance of being an American and of voting a lot of thought and had wondered if I had what it takes to become an American citizen by naturalization.

So, in an effort to determine if we have the right stuff to become naturalized American citizens and whether we’re living up to our responsibilities as citizens, we pretended that we aren’t American citizens and set out to see if we have the right stuff to become naturalized citizens. 

–oOo–

First, we established that we are eligible to apply for naturalization, according to uscis.gov, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website. The criteria we met included being 18 years of age or older; being a legal permanent resident; meeting the time requirement as a permanent resident in the U.S.; demonstrating continuous permanent residence and physical presence; and demonstrating good moral character and an attachment to the ideals and principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Then we applied via our 10-page Application for Naturalization. Our application process also included obtaining two passport-style photographs, collecting all necessary documents, paying $675.00 in fees, and being fingerprinted.

Now we are down to the final two steps in the naturalization process: (1) appearing for an interview and taking the test; and (2) taking the Oath of Allegiance at a formal naturalization ceremony.

–oOo–

During the first of the last steps, we must demonstrate an ability to speak, read, write, and understand basic English, as well as take, and pass, a civics exam. According to “Pathway to U.S. Citizenship,” a naturalization test brochure, our demonstration of our grasp of the English language will occur in three parts. Of course, when we prepared for this test, we utilized USCIS’s study materials that we found at, particularly the vocabulary lists and test questions.

An oral test will help the USCIS officer determine our ability to speak English, and during eligibility interview, s/he will use our answers to questions on the application form.

The reading test will allow us to demonstrate our ability to read English. In order to pass, we have to read 1 out of 3 sentences, the content of which focuses on civics and history. The USCIS’s reading vocabulary list contains the words found in the test. The vocabulary list’s content consists of: People (Abraham Lincoln, George Washington); Civics (American flag, Bill of Rights, capital, citizen, city, Congress, country, Father of Our Country, government, President, right, Senators, state/states, White House); Places (America, United States, U.S.); Holidays (Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving); Question Words (how, what, when, where, who, why); Verbs (can, come, do/does, elects, have/has, is/are/was/be, lives/lived, meet, name, pay, vote, want); Other (Function) words (a, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we); and Other (Content) words (colors, dollar bill, first, largest, many, most, north, one, people, second, south).

During the writing test we will exhibit our ability to write English by correctly writing one out of 3 sentences correctly. USCIS’s writing vocabulary list, in addition to the words listed in the reading vocabulary list, contains: People (Adams); Civics (American Indians, Civil War, flag, free, freedom of speech); Places (Alaska, California, Canada, Delaware, Mexico, New York City, Washington, Washington, D.C., United States); Months (February, May, June, July, September, October, November), Other (Function) words (and, during); and Other (Content) words (blue, fifty/50, most, one hundred/100, red, taxes, white).

–oOo–

The USCIS recently redesigned the naturalization test to standardize the test-taking experience nationally and to assess the level of understanding applicants have of U.S. history and government. As of October 1, 2008 the redesigned test is the only version offered.

As applicants, we will be asked 10 questions from a list of 100. We must correctly answer at least six of the ten questions to pass the civics test. USCIS’s list of test questions consists of:

American Government:

A: Principles of American Democracy

What is the supreme law of the land?
What does the Constitution do?
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are
these words?
What is an amendment?
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
What is freedom of religion?
What is the economic system in the United States?
What is the “rule of law”?

B: System of Government

Name one branch or part of the government.

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

Who makes federal laws?

What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

How many U.S. Senators are there?

We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

Name your U.S. Representative.

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

We elect a President for how many years?

In what month do we vote for President?

What is the name of the President of the United States now?

What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes

President?

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

Who signs bills to become laws?

Who vetoes bills?

What does the President’s Cabinet do?

What are two Cabinet-level positions?

What does the judicial branch do?

What is the highest court in the United States?

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is

one power of the federal government?

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the

states?

Who is the Governor of your state now?

What is the capital of your state?

What are the two major political parties in the United States?

What is the political party of the President now?

What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

C: Rights and Responsibilities

There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of

them.

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

Name one right only for United States citizens.

What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

Integrated Civics

A: Geography

Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Name one U.S. territory.

Name one state that borders Canada.

Name one state that borders Mexico.

What is the capital of the United States?

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

B: Symbols

Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Why does the flag have 50 stars?

What is the name of the national anthem?

C: Holidays

When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Name two national U.S. holidays.

American History

A: Colonial Period and Independence

What is one reason colonists came to America?

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

Why did the colonists fight the British?

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

There were 13 original states. Name three.

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

When was the Constitution written?

The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one

of the writers.

What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

Who was the first President?

B: 1800s 

What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

What did Susan B. Anthony do?

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

Who was President during World War I?

Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Name one American Indian tribe in the United States

–oOo–

So, all we lack now is the final part, taking the Oath of Allegiance at a formal naturalization ceremony. Assuming we passed.

I want to know! I’m going to review the answers to the test questions a couple of times over the weekend and then take the entire 100-question test next week. Are you with me?

–oOo–

Next week we’ll see if we’re living up to our responsibilities as citizens and I’ll share my rest results with you!

Citizenship: The Right Stuff, Part 1

As the election has been nearing, I’ve given the importance of being an American and of voting a lot of thought. I’ve given citizenship a lot of thought. Do I take being an American for granted? Probably. I do have the fortune of American citizenship by birth, after all.

But what if I didn’t have that particular fortune and wanted it? What if I had to become an American citizen by naturalization? Do I have what it takes to become a United States citizen? Could I pass muster with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)? Could I pass the test?

Could you?

Let’s take the time over a handful of these weekly columns to see if we have the right stuff to become naturalized American citizens and then to see if we’re living up to our responsibilities as citizens. Are you up to the challenge?

We’ll need to pretend that we aren’t American citizens, though, and to do this together…

–oOo–

First up: the basics.

According to the USCIS publication, A Guide to Naturalization, naturalization is the “manner in which a person not born in the United States voluntarily becomes a U.S. citizen.” It is a process that consists of five steps: (1) preparation, such as reading the Guide, downloading the application and completing the Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet; (2) completing the application, getting two passport-style photographs taken; collecting the necessary documents, and paying the fees, a total of $675.00; (3) being fingerprinted; (4) appearing for an interview and taking the test; and (5) taking the Oath of Allegiance at a formal naturalization ceremony.

Of course, there are benefits of citizenship. As stated in the Guide, “The Constitution and laws of the United States give many rights to both citizens and non-citizens living in the United States. However, some rights are only for citizens.” Those citizen-only rights include the ability to bring family members to the U.S. and to obtain citizenship for children born abroad, traveling with a U.S. passport, eligibility for federal jobs, the ability to become an elected official (but not president), and voting and showing your patriotism.

There are also responsibilities of citizenship. Once we make it through the application and interview processes and pass the naturalization test, we will take the Oath of Allegiance, which details some of those new responsibilities. Other duties will include participating in the political process, i.e., registering and voting in elections; serving on juries; and tolerating the differences of others. In fact, the Guide reads, “When you decide to become a U.S. citizen, you should be willing to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship. We hope you will honor and respect the freedoms and opportunities citizenship gives you. At the same time, we hope you become an active member of your community. It is by participating in your community that you truly become an American.”

–oOo–

Next up: the details.

The Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet helps us determine whether we meet such qualifications as age (18 years or older); time as a permanent resident; continuous residence in the U.S.; physical presence in the U.S.; good moral character; English and civics knowledge; and an attachment to the Constitution. If we do not meet these qualifications, we are not eligible to apply for naturalization.

Of course, we are eligible to apply for naturalization, so we now must tackle the application. 

We download Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, a 10-page document. The 14 parts are:

1. Name: All of our names, including what you would like to change it to, if you so desire and if your naturalization ceremony is held in court (I’m keeping mine).
2. Information about eligibility: Thank goodness we completed the worksheet! 
3. Information about us: Such as Social Security number, date of birth, marital status, and the date we became permanent residents.
4. Addresses and telephone numbers: Plus our email addresses.
5. Information for criminal records search: Such details as gender, height, weight, race, and hair and eye color.
6. Information about residence and employment: Everywhere we’ve lived and worked in the last five years.
7. Time outside the United States: Number of trips made and total days spent outside the U.S. in the last five years, as well as a listing of all trips of 24 hours or more since we became permanent residents.
8. Information about marital history: Past and present, plus that of our spouses, past and present.
9. Information about children: Any and all.
10. Additional questions: Three and a-half pages worth.
11. Signature: Plus the date.
12. Signature of person who prepared this application for us: If applicable.

The remaining parts are not completed until a USCIS Officer instructs us to do so:

13. Signature at interview; and
14. Oath of Allegiance.

Wow. Let’s take a closer look at Parts 10, 13 and 14?

–oOo–

Part 10 has some potentially tough questions in eight sections. We begin with the Section A, labeled General Questions, where we are asked such things as whether we’ve ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen; registered to vote, or voted, in any election in the U.S.; failed to file a required tax return; and whether we have any title of nobility in any foreign country.

The next section, B, inquires about our affiliations with organizations, associations, etc, in the U.S. or in any other place. We are also asked about membership and/or affiliation with the Communist Party, any other totalitarian party, and terrorist organizations. Have we ever advocated the overthrow of any government by force or violence? Have we ever persecuted any person because of race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular social group or political opinion? Additionally, we are asked whether, between March 23, 1933 and May 8, 1945, we had anything at all whatsoever to do with the Nazi government of Germany.

Section C addresses our continuous residence since becoming lawful permanent residents of the U.S.

Part 10’s D section is Good Moral Character. Have we ever… Committed a crime or offense for which we were not arrested? Been arrested/cited/detained by any law enforcement officer for any reason? Been charged with committing any crime/offense? Been convicted of a crime/offense? Been placed in an alternative sentencing or a rehabilitative program? Received a suspended sentence, been placed on probation or been paroled? Been in jail or prison? Been a habitual drunkard? Been a prostitute, or procured anyone for prostitution? Sold or smuggled controlled substances, illegal drugs or narcotics? Been married to more than one person at the same time? Helped anyone enter or try to enter the United States illegally? Gambled illegally or received income from illegal gambling? Failed to support your dependents or to pay alimony? Any “yes” answers require written explanations

Sections E, F, and G tackle removal/exclusion/deportation proceedings, military service, and Selective Service registration, respectively.

And Section H of Part 10, Oath Requirements, addresses our willingness to take the oath.

–oOo–

In Part 13, which is completed in the presence of a USCIS officer, we each “swear (or affirm) and certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that I know that the contents of this application for naturalization subscribed by me, including corrections, and the evidence submitted by me are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.” The fact that we have subscribed to and sworn to/affirmed the above before a USCIS officer is documented by the officer.

–oOo–

Finally, Part 14, the Oath of Allegiance, acknowledges our willingness and ability to take

the oath at our formal naturalization ceremony. Here is the text of the oath:

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

Pretty heady stuff, huh?

–oOo–

Next week we’ll tackle the English and civics test. Better study!