![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/01\/Meacham-1-1-of-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By MIA WILSON<\/p>\n
Presidential historian Jon Meacham provided perspective on today\u2019s White House using the lens of the past at a presentation Thursday called \u201cThe Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meacham started broadly, noting the presidency is a reflection of the American population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe presidency is in many ways a manifestation of all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meacham also identified four characteristics that exemplify a presidency, beginning with curiosity. He pointed to Thomas Jefferson as an example, and how Jefferson used multiple points in history to direct his pen as he wrote the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n
Meacham then focused on honesty, as politicians should have a \u201clevel of candor.\u201d He reminded the audience that the presidents who have most gotten in trouble are those who tried to deceive the public. He explained that for a successful presidency, leaders should not lie to the people, nor to themselves.<\/p>\n
Humility is another characteristic of a president, as politicians should be able to admit from their mistakes and learn from them. Meacham used John F. Kennedy as an example of such humility. He described Kennedy\u2019s willingness to own up to his mistakes after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, as well as the president\u2019s willingness to learn from his predecessors. Meacham described both Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln as \u201cpresidents learning how to do their job better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final characteristic was empathy. Meacham stated, \u201cIf we do not put ourselves in others\u2019 shoes the democratic covenant frays.\u201d To exemplify this characteristic, Meacham looked to George H.W. Bush. As the biographer of the president, Meacham cited a story in which Bush Sr. decided he would treat others how he would want to be treated if he were in a similar situation.<\/p>\n
When asked how he came to pursue a career as a presidential historian, Meacham stated, \u201cFor me, history was always a tactile thing.\u201d He also mentioned an interest in how flawed people can still do good things. When discussing public figures he has met, Meacham named longtime U.S. Rep. John Lewis as an individual \u201cas wholly good as a human being can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked how presidents bring out the best in the American people, Meacham stated that those presidents do so \u201ccontrary to pre-existing notions.\u201d He related this back to President Lyndon B. Johnson advocating for the Civil Rights Act \u201cto his political peril.\u201d He stated these presidents \u201cunderstood public sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meacham then compared the legacy of today\u2019s presidents to those further back in the nation\u2019s history. He explained that it often takes around 25 years for stories of presidents to move from journalism to history. Nonetheless, the public\u2019s view of a president can change due to the politics of the present, as history can be revisionist. To exemplify this, Meacham ended his presentation with the statement \u201cAt best, if facts change we can change our minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lecture was part of the Lester N. Mandell Distinguished Lecture Series, and supported by the Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By MIA WILSON Presidential historian Jon Meacham provided perspective on today\u2019s White House using the lens of the past at a presentation Thursday called \u201cThe Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.\u201d Meacham started broadly, noting the presidency is a reflection of the American population. \u201cThe presidency is in many ways a manifestation of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":25733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[38,6,8,16,28,29],"tags":[5985,5986,5987],"class_list":["post-25728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-events","category-global-perspectives","category-political-science-departments","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","tag-jon-meacham","tag-lester-n-mandell-distinguished-lecture-series","tag-office-of-global-perspectives-and-international-initiatives"],"yoast_head":"\n