Contends that, when laypeople read history, they prefer to read biographies--stories about leaders and people--rather than about social forces and ideas. Argues that the most effective way of writing biography is to write chronologically, not to use flashbacks or flash forward writing. (CFR)

Presents brief excerpts from the presidential papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The excerpts address such matters as voting rights, limited government, political appointments, national security, and the balance of power. (MJP)