This black & white, silent educational film is about 20th Century Presidents of the United States, starting with William McKinley and going through Franklin D. Roosevelt. This film was made in 1941, before the outbreak of WWII.

Opening titles: Mr. President (:09-:27). Americans at the polls, place their votes in ballot boxes. The U.S. Capitol Building. First motion picture of a Presidential Inauguration, for William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States. Horses march in the inaugural parade. A band marches by. Men on horses. William McKinley delivers his inaugural address (:28-1:16). Teddy Roosevelt. He became president when McKinley was tragically assassinated. Construction on the Panama Canal. A ship moves in the canal. Aerial shot of a new National Park. William Howard Taft is elected President in 1908. Taft sits at a table signing bills into law. Postal workers. A woman places a stamp on an envelope. In 1912, Woodrow Wilson is elected. Men on horses march in the inaugural parade. Soldiers walk by. Aerial shot of area where Wilson will be sworn in (1:17-3:08). Troops in vehicles and on horseback in Europe, the First World War rages. An explosion goes off. A cannon is fired. Troops in the trenches. A battleship lies on its side, mortally hit by a torpedo. The ship is starting to capsize and men are jumping into the water and swimming away, men swim towards a rescue boat. President Wilson signs a paper. Close on a document about war. Men are blindfolded. People stand in a long line that are drafted. Men get uniforms. 1919 Armistice, the war ends, people celebrate. Men march. 1920, President Wilson leaves for Paris on a giant ship to attend the Treaty of Versailles / Versailles Conference. Wilson and other men on steps in Versailles. Leaders in the giant hall (3:09-5:17). March 4, 1921, Warren G. Harding is inaugurated as President. Harding in a touring car. Harding walking. Prohibition Era begins, revenue men take crates of booze. A man swigs a drink. Men walk up the steps, a few ships are scuttled in compliance with the Disarmament Agreement. Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes President after Harding dies in office in 1923. Harding’s casket is carried by soldiers. The funeral of Warren Harding. President Coolidge waves from a train as it leaves. Women at work in a factory. A ship in port. Large vessels are being built in a shipyard. Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the USA (5:18-7:37). The Great Depression started in 1929. A man holds a sign: Unemployed will take any job. A large group of people look at a job board. Men march holding a sign that reads: remember pay our bonus. People hold a flag and march in Washington, D.C. in front of the U.S. Capitol. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt speaks to a crowd. Roosevelt looks around. Newspaper headline: You Can Drink! Repeal Voted. Barrels of alcohol shown as Prohibition comes to an end. President Roosevelt’s New Deal begins, and then images of WWII are shown: troops on the battlefield, planes, cannons, ships, rushing water, destruction. 1939: Adolf Hitler takes power in Germany. Fascist leader of Italy, Benito Mussolini speaks. January 20, 1941 President Roosevelt takes the oath of his third term. He drives in a convertible car, wearing a top hat. FDR takes the oath of office. U.S. Capitol building. The Statue of Liberty, cows grazing, Washington, D.C., ships at sea, battleships in formation. Planes fly above the ships. The U.S. Capitol. The flag of the United States waves (7:38-12:14). End credits (12:15-12:19).

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com