His muttonchops! Okay, now that we have that out of the way. Martin Van Buren was a man of many nicknames. Old Kinderhook is one of them, based on his home, Kinderhook, New York. While this is up for debate, some believe that Martin Van Buren gave us the word, “okay.” As in O.K. As in
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Tag: Cakes
The Old Hickory
Andrew Jackson is one of those larger-than-life presidents. There are so many interesting details about him that it is difficult to choose a starting point. So, let’s just go all the way back to his beginning. Andrew Jackson started his life under difficult circumstances. His father died before he was even born, leaving him with
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The Old Man Eloquent
John Quincy Adams is the son in the first US father-son presidential pair. (George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush are the other. Relatedly, William Henry Harrison was grandfather to Benjamin Harrison.) The younger Adams watched as his father performed founding-father duties. Actually, John Quincy Adams did more than watch. As a teenager he
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The Good Feelings
James Monroe was the final founders-generation president. He was also the fourth Virginian to hold the nation’s highest office. Monroe is perhaps best known for the Monroe Doctrine. Back in 1823, Monroe made a speech where he said, “that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are
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The Delicate Constitution
James Madison is one of those presidents best known for the work that he did before he became president. Most of us think of him as the “Father of the Constitution,” it’s author. He thought of himself as one of a team of people whose thoughts gave birth to the Constitution. James Madison was also one
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The Botanist
There is so much to be said about Thomas Jefferson. Many people are out there saying it all. I see Jefferson as almost a magic 8 ball. We turn to him looking for something that resembles the answer we most want to hear. In addition to being the main author of the Declaration of
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The Boston Baked Bean
Oh, John Adams. It’s the men like Adams whom I most adore. History hasn’t been all that kind to him. He’s probably one of the first people that we learn about in history class more as a secondary character than a primary one. We all know he was the second president (right? right?!?). We know
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The Cherry Chopper
George Washington is probably the first president most of us remember learning about. There are so many myths that surround him. I was asked about whether this cupcake would feature splinters, a reference to his alleged wooden teeth. Even the Cosby Show got in on the George Washington game in an episode where Cliff pretty
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